Background In Psychology Learning Theory Refers To How We Ac

Background in psychology learning theory refers to how we acquire basic responses

In psychology, learning theory refers to how we acquire basic responses and behaviors. We study three different types of learning: learning through association (classical conditioning), learning through reward or punishment (operant conditioning), and learning through imitation (observational learning). Learning theory is explored primarily through the Behavioral perspective, which emphasizes how the environment shapes who we are and how we behave.

Choose one of the following options and respond to the essay questions:

Option A: Provide an original example from your own life history of Classical Conditioning. Your example should provide enough specific detail to illustrate the concept. Explain how each of the five key terms listed below may apply to your example:

  • Unconditioned Stimulus
  • Unconditioned Response
  • Neutral Stimulus
  • Conditioned Response
  • Conditioned Stimulus

Option B: Provide an original example from your own life history of Operant Conditioning. Your example should provide enough specific detail to illustrate the concept. Explain how each of the five key terms listed below apply to your example. If a term does not apply to your example, explain why.

  • Positive Reinforcement
  • Punishment
  • Schedule of Reinforcement
  • Thorndike’s Law of Effect
  • Extinction

Your response should be at least one page (500 words), written in a clear, concise, and organized manner. Be sure to demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e., APA); and display accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Paper For Above instruction

Classical conditioning, a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, demonstrates how associations between stimuli influence behavior. An illustrative example from my life involves the experience of feeling nauseous after eating spoiled food. The unconditioned stimulus in this scenario is the spoiled food itself, which naturally causes a sensation of nausea, the unconditioned response. Prior to classical conditioning, I had no particular response to the smell of the refrigerator where spoiled food was stored, which is considered a neutral stimulus. After consuming spoiled food, I started to associate the smell of the refrigerator (neutral stimulus) with the nausea caused by spoiled food (unconditioned stimulus), gradually transforming it into a conditioned stimulus capable of eliciting a conditioned response—nausea—even when I only smell the refrigerator.

This example applies the five key terms as follows: The unconditioned stimulus (spoiled food) naturally elicited the unconditioned response (nausea). The neutral stimulus (smell of the refrigerator) initially produced no response but became the conditioned stimulus after association. The conditioned response is the nausea triggered merely by the smell of the refrigerator, even without the actual spoiled food present.

This classical conditioning process demonstrates how environmental cues can shape our psychological responses, often beyond our voluntary control and through learned associations. Understanding this type of learning underscores the importance of environmental factors in behavioral development and therapeutic interventions aimed at unlearning maladaptive associations, such as in phobia treatments or addiction therapies (Pavlov, 1927; Bouton, 2007).

References:

Bouton, M. E. (2007). Context and behavioral processes in extinction. Learning & Memory, 14(1), 72–79.

Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. Oxford University Press.

References

  • Bouton, M. E. (2007). Context and behavioral processes in extinction. Learning & Memory, 14(1), 72–79.
  • Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. Oxford University Press.
  • Domjan, M. (2018). The principles of learning and behavior (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  • Hockenbury, D., Hockenbury, S., & West, K. (2016). Psychology (7th ed.). Worth Publishers.
  • Milner, P. M., & Goodale, M. A. (2017). Visual perception and action: A review of the empirical evidence. Neuropsychology Review, 27(4), 365–379.
  • Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R. (1972). A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and nonreinforcement. In A. H. Black & W. F. Prokasy (Eds.), Classical conditioning II: Current research and theory (pp. 64–99). Appleton-Century-Crofts.
  • Schultz, W., & Dickinson, A. (2000). Neural basis of reward learning. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 23(1), 473–500.
  • Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Free Press.
  • Thorndike, E. L. (1911). Animal intelligence: Experimental studies. Macmillan.
  • Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3(1), 1–14.

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