Topic

Classical and Operant Conditioning

Instructions

One day as your professor is driving to work, another driver runs through a red light and hits his car. The professor is shaken up but survives the incident. However, the next time he starts to enter the intersection, he becomes nervous and fearful. Soon, he starts going to work via another route to avoid the intersection even though this route adds twenty minutes to his commute in each direction.

According to the principles of classical conditioning, why does the professor become scared of the previously harmless intersection? What can he do about this, as going via the other route is very time-consuming? Be specific. Break down the situation into its parts, and show how the principles of learning apply.

Principles of operant conditioning have been used to help explain why people get attached to “lucky” hats, charms, and rituals. Using these principles, explain how an athlete might show this type of behavior. Explain what would have to occur to change that behavior.

Answer preview

The professor gets scared of the harmless intersection because of the impact of the memory that the intersection triggers in his mind. This is classical conditioning. The situation happened in the past but stimulates a particular response every time something triggers that memory. Classical conditions function through the association of one factor to a given outcome. In the professor’s case, the intersections remind him of the accident, which happened at another intersection. The idea is the memory brought forth to life every time he sees the intersections or drives through.

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