TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Peggy Andover: The difference between classical and operant conditioning

Unscramble the Blue Letters

When we think about lnaernig, we often picture students in a clsasroom or lecture hall, bkoos open on their desks, listening intently to a teacher or professor in the front of the room. But in psychology, learning means something else. To psychologists, learning is a long-term change in behavior that's based on epxreience. Two of the main types of learning are called classical conditioning and operant, or iutstaenmnrl, conditioning. Let's talk about classical ciiodtnoning first. In the 1890's, a rasuisn physiologist nmead Ivan Pavlov did some really famous experiments on dogs. He showed dogs some food and rang a bell at the same time. After a while, the dogs would aasoitcse the bell with the food. They would learn that when they heard the bell, they would get fed. euvenlalty, just ringing the bell made the dogs salivate. They leaernd to epxect food at the sound of a bell. You see, under normal conditions, the sight and smell of food causes a dog to salivate. We call the food an unconditioned stimulus, and we call salivation the uodinectonind response. Nobody tiarns a dog to salivate over some steak. However, when we pair an unconditioned stimulus like food with something that was previously neutral, like the sound of a bell, that neutral slmuuits becomes a conditioned stimulus. And so classical conditioning was discovered. We see how this wroks with animals, but how does it work with hanums? In exactly the same way. Let's say that one day you go to the dtcoor to get a shot. She says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," and then gives you the most painful shot you've ever had. A few wkees later you go to the dentist for a check-up. He starts to put a mirror in your mouth to examine your teeth, and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Even though you know the mirror won't hurt, you jump out of the chair and run, screaming from the room. When you went to get a shot, the words, "This won't hurt a bit," became a conditioned stimulus when they were paired with pain of the shot, the unconditioned stimulus, which was followed by your conditioned response of getting the heck out of there. Classical conditioning in action. Operant conditioning explains how cnueecqsones lead to changes in voluntary behavior. So how does operant conditioning work? There are two main components in operant conditioning: reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcers make it more likely that you'll do something again, while punishers make it less likely. Reinforcement and phuesnnimt can be positive or negative, but this doesn't mean good and bad. Positive means the addition of a stimulus, like getting dessert after you finish your veggies, and negative means the removal of a stimulus, like getting a night of no homework because you did well on an exam. Let's look at an example of operant conditioning. After eating dinner with your family, you clear the table and wash the dishes. When you're done, your mom gives you a big hug and says, "Thank you for helping me." In this situation, your mom's response is positive reinforcement if it makes you more likely to repeat the opaernt response, which is to clear the tlbae and wash the dishes. Operant conditioning is everywhere in our daily lives. There aren't many things we do that haven't been influenced at some point by operant conditioning. We even see operant conditioning in some extraordinary situations. One gourp of scientists showed the power of operant conditioning by teaching pigeons to be art connoisseurs. Using food as a positive reinforcer, stisiectns have taught pigeons to select paintings by Monet over those by Picasso. When sweohd works of other artists, scientists observed stimulus generalization as the pigeons chose the Impressionists over the ciustbs. Maybe next they'll condition the pgenois to pniat their own maetersecips.

Open Cloze

When we think about ________, we often picture students in a _________ or lecture hall, _____ open on their desks, listening intently to a teacher or professor in the front of the room. But in psychology, learning means something else. To psychologists, learning is a long-term change in behavior that's based on __________. Two of the main types of learning are called classical conditioning and operant, or ____________, conditioning. Let's talk about classical ____________ first. In the 1890's, a _______ physiologist _____ Ivan Pavlov did some really famous experiments on dogs. He showed dogs some food and rang a bell at the same time. After a while, the dogs would _________ the bell with the food. They would learn that when they heard the bell, they would get fed. __________, just ringing the bell made the dogs salivate. They _______ to ______ food at the sound of a bell. You see, under normal conditions, the sight and smell of food causes a dog to salivate. We call the food an unconditioned stimulus, and we call salivation the _____________ response. Nobody ______ a dog to salivate over some steak. However, when we pair an unconditioned stimulus like food with something that was previously neutral, like the sound of a bell, that neutral ________ becomes a conditioned stimulus. And so classical conditioning was discovered. We see how this _____ with animals, but how does it work with ______? In exactly the same way. Let's say that one day you go to the ______ to get a shot. She says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," and then gives you the most painful shot you've ever had. A few _____ later you go to the dentist for a check-up. He starts to put a mirror in your mouth to examine your teeth, and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Even though you know the mirror won't hurt, you jump out of the chair and run, screaming from the room. When you went to get a shot, the words, "This won't hurt a bit," became a conditioned stimulus when they were paired with pain of the shot, the unconditioned stimulus, which was followed by your conditioned response of getting the heck out of there. Classical conditioning in action. Operant conditioning explains how ____________ lead to changes in voluntary behavior. So how does operant conditioning work? There are two main components in operant conditioning: reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcers make it more likely that you'll do something again, while punishers make it less likely. Reinforcement and __________ can be positive or negative, but this doesn't mean good and bad. Positive means the addition of a stimulus, like getting dessert after you finish your veggies, and negative means the removal of a stimulus, like getting a night of no homework because you did well on an exam. Let's look at an example of operant conditioning. After eating dinner with your family, you clear the table and wash the dishes. When you're done, your mom gives you a big hug and says, "Thank you for helping me." In this situation, your mom's response is positive reinforcement if it makes you more likely to repeat the _______ response, which is to clear the _____ and wash the dishes. Operant conditioning is everywhere in our daily lives. There aren't many things we do that haven't been influenced at some point by operant conditioning. We even see operant conditioning in some extraordinary situations. One _____ of scientists showed the power of operant conditioning by teaching pigeons to be art connoisseurs. Using food as a positive reinforcer, __________ have taught pigeons to select paintings by Monet over those by Picasso. When ______ works of other artists, scientists observed stimulus generalization as the pigeons chose the Impressionists over the _______. Maybe next they'll condition the _______ to _____ their own ____________.

Solution

operant
punishment
showed
trains
conditioning
experience
humans
stimulus
group
scientists
unconditioned
classroom
pigeons
weeks
instrumental
expect
table
works
masterpieces
learning
learned
books
associate
eventually
russian
doctor
paint
cubists
named
consequences

Original Text

When we think about learning, we often picture students in a classroom or lecture hall, books open on their desks, listening intently to a teacher or professor in the front of the room. But in psychology, learning means something else. To psychologists, learning is a long-term change in behavior that's based on experience. Two of the main types of learning are called classical conditioning and operant, or instrumental, conditioning. Let's talk about classical conditioning first. In the 1890's, a Russian physiologist named Ivan Pavlov did some really famous experiments on dogs. He showed dogs some food and rang a bell at the same time. After a while, the dogs would associate the bell with the food. They would learn that when they heard the bell, they would get fed. Eventually, just ringing the bell made the dogs salivate. They learned to expect food at the sound of a bell. You see, under normal conditions, the sight and smell of food causes a dog to salivate. We call the food an unconditioned stimulus, and we call salivation the unconditioned response. Nobody trains a dog to salivate over some steak. However, when we pair an unconditioned stimulus like food with something that was previously neutral, like the sound of a bell, that neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus. And so classical conditioning was discovered. We see how this works with animals, but how does it work with humans? In exactly the same way. Let's say that one day you go to the doctor to get a shot. She says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," and then gives you the most painful shot you've ever had. A few weeks later you go to the dentist for a check-up. He starts to put a mirror in your mouth to examine your teeth, and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit." Even though you know the mirror won't hurt, you jump out of the chair and run, screaming from the room. When you went to get a shot, the words, "This won't hurt a bit," became a conditioned stimulus when they were paired with pain of the shot, the unconditioned stimulus, which was followed by your conditioned response of getting the heck out of there. Classical conditioning in action. Operant conditioning explains how consequences lead to changes in voluntary behavior. So how does operant conditioning work? There are two main components in operant conditioning: reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcers make it more likely that you'll do something again, while punishers make it less likely. Reinforcement and punishment can be positive or negative, but this doesn't mean good and bad. Positive means the addition of a stimulus, like getting dessert after you finish your veggies, and negative means the removal of a stimulus, like getting a night of no homework because you did well on an exam. Let's look at an example of operant conditioning. After eating dinner with your family, you clear the table and wash the dishes. When you're done, your mom gives you a big hug and says, "Thank you for helping me." In this situation, your mom's response is positive reinforcement if it makes you more likely to repeat the operant response, which is to clear the table and wash the dishes. Operant conditioning is everywhere in our daily lives. There aren't many things we do that haven't been influenced at some point by operant conditioning. We even see operant conditioning in some extraordinary situations. One group of scientists showed the power of operant conditioning by teaching pigeons to be art connoisseurs. Using food as a positive reinforcer, scientists have taught pigeons to select paintings by Monet over those by Picasso. When showed works of other artists, scientists observed stimulus generalization as the pigeons chose the Impressionists over the Cubists. Maybe next they'll condition the pigeons to paint their own masterpieces.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
operant conditioning	7
classical conditioning	4
conditioned stimulus	2

Important Words

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