Operant Conditioning and Respondent Conditioning

Operant Conditioning and Respondent Conditioning
In psychology, conditioning plays an instrumental part in informing behavior. There are two types of behavioral learning: operant and respondent conditioning. This paper aims to define operant and respondent conditioning, describe the similarities and differences, and share some examples of the two types of learning.
Definition
Operant conditioning refers to a type of learning in which the learner’s behavior is influenced and shaped by consequences (Fisher et al., 2021). The learner links their behavior to the consequences of their action. Operant conditioning involves using reinforcement and punishment to increase or decrease a particular behavior because the learner ties their behavior to the consequences associated with that behavior. According to Mangal and Mangal (2019), operant conditioning emphasizes the response, which is why punishment and reinforcements are used to discourage or encourage a behavior based on whether the behavior is appropriate or inappropriate.
Respondent conditioning is a kind of learning in which the learner's behavior is elicited by specific stimuli (Fisher et al., 2021). Respondent conditioning involves linking a neutral and unconditioned stimulus. The continued linking of the neutral and unconditioned stimulus causes the neutral stimulus to become a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned response. The conditioned stimuli occur because when the neutral stimuli are linked to the unconditional stimuli, the learner connects the neutral condition and the desired behavior. Mangal and Mangal (2019) reveal that respondent conditioning emphasizes the stimulus evoking the desired behavior.
Similarities and Differences
Both types of conditioning result in learning the desired behavior. According to Fisher et al. (2021), the ...