Name: Date: Period:
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CLASSICAL AND OPERANT CONDITIONING
Directions: Read the following scenarios carefully. Determine if it is an example of operant or classical conditioning. Then, if it is classical conditioning, identify the UCS, UCR, CS, and CR. If it is operant conditioning, identify if it is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, or omission training.
1. __Operant______conditioning: Karen goes to the gym four days a week to alleviate her stress.
____This is negative reinforcement because she is getting rid of something bad (stress) increasing the likelihood that she will return to the gym.______
2. ___Classical______conditioning: Every time she opens the garage door, Julie’s dogs begin to salivate uncontrollably because that is where their food is kept.
_UCS: food, UCR: drool, CS: garage door, CR: drool______
3. ___Operant______conditioning: When Thomas was caught writing on the wall with his markers, his markers were taken away from him.
_Omission training because you want to decrease the behavior so you take something of value away from the child.______
4. ___Operant______conditioning: When Abdul came home with all A’s and B’s on his report card, he was given $20.
___Positive reinforcement because you want to increase the behavior so you give the child something of value.______
5. __Classical______conditioning: When pairing a red light with a female pigeon, a male pigeon becomes sexually aroused. Eventually, the red light alone will cause the arousal.
_UCS: female, UCR: arousal, CS: red light, CR: arousal______
6. ___Classical______conditioning: Little Albert cries at the sight of Santa Clause because he learned that white, fuzzy things scare him when they were paired with a loud noise in the lab.
_UCS: loud noise, UCR: fear, CS: white, fuzzy things, CR: fear______
7. _Operant______conditioning: When little Mary throws her food on the floor she receives a slap to her hand and a firm, “No!”
_Punishment because this is a behavior you want to discourage so you do something to the child that the child will not like.______
8. _Classical______conditioning: Dwight wants a mint every time he hears Jim turn on his computer.
__UCS: taste in mouth, UCR: desire for mint, CS: computer sound, CR: desire for mint (You can also explain this with operant conditioning, though. Extended hand is rewarded with mint.)______
Name: Date: Period:
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING ONLY
Below are examples of classical conditioning. In each situation, identify the unconditioned stimulus (UCS), the unconditioned response (UCR), the conditioned stimulus (CS),and the conditioned response (CR).
1. Pavlov was able to condition dogs to salivate to the sound of bell. Food alone will cause dogs to salivate, but when the food was paired with a bell, eventually, the food alone would cause salivating.
UCS: ______food______UCR: ____drool______
CS: ______bell______CR: ___drool______
2. My Aunt Edna has always made me feel relaxed and loved. She always wore the same perfume. Now, when I smell that same perfume I feel relaxed.
UCS: ___aunt______UCR: __relaxed______
CS: ____perfume______CR: _____relaxed______
3. Female pigeons will stimulate an arousal response in male pigeons. In a famous study, female pigeons were paired with a red light which resulted in the red light causing arousal in male pigeons.
UCS: ______female______UCR: _____arousal______
CS: ____light______CR: ____arousal______
4. When I was very young I ate a whole lot of EZ cheese (that spray on cheese). Later that night, I got very, very sick and threw up because of a virus I contracted. I was never able to eat EZ cheese again.
UCS: ___virus______UCR: ___nausea______
CS: ___EZ cheese______CR: __nausea______
5. Mr. Edwards knows that the sounds of the ocean are calming. Whenever he gives a test, to reduce anxiety in his students, he plays a recording of ocean sounds. None of his students ever complain of test anxiety.
UCS: _ocean sounds______UCR: _calm______
CS: _test______CR: _calm______
6. Rats can be trained to move from one place to another by a sound signal. In some labs, the wire floor of a rat’s cage can be rigged to conduct an electric shock result in a rat jumping to another “safe” location in the cage. By pairing a buzzer sound with the electric shock, rats can be taught to move to another location in the cage by the sound of the buzzer alone.
UCS: ____shock______UCR: _move______
CS: ___buzzer______CR: _move______
Name: Date: Period:
OPERANT CONDITIONING SCENARIOS
Directions: Read each scenario below. Describe the response to the behavior as it would apply to you. After our discussion, identify which category of operant conditioning applies.
1. You get caught saying a bad word (maybe as a young child).
Response: _mouth washed out with soap______
Type of operant conditioning: ____punishment______
2. You get caught sneaking out of your house.
Response: _loss of car______
Type of operant conditioning: ___omission training______
3. You make a bad grade on your report card.
Response: ___loss of freedom______
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training______
4. You get your cell phone taken up at school.
Response: ___loss of $15/humiliation______
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training/punishment______
5. You trip and drop your lunch all over the lunch room.
Response: __people laugh at you/cute person helps you out______
Type of operant conditioning: __punishment/reward______
6. You get stopped for speeding.
Response: __embarassed______
Type of operant conditioning: ___punishment______
7. You make straight A’s on your report card.
Response: ____money______
Type of operant conditioning: __reward______
8. You give your best friend (or boyfriend/girlfriend) a really great gift.
Response: ______affection______
Type of operant conditioning: __reward______
9. The child you are babysitting throws a temper tantrum because he/she wants a piece of candy.
Response: _____take away what they want (attention)______
Type of operant conditioning: __omission training______
10. You break curfew or are caught being somewhere/doing something not suppose to be.
Response: ____loss of privileges______
Type of operant conditioning: _omission training______