Classical and operant conditioning

Episode number 4 of Series “Psychology Live”.
This program looks at theories of learning, particularly those of Classical and Operant Conditioning. Although tailored to year 12 and tertiary Psychology students, the program’s information is of general interest and contains several practical exercises, real life demonstrations and self-tests. The presenters support the “ecological approach” of cognitive psychology, which values the research done in situations of everyday life, not just in laboratories. Following an introduction to the study of behaviourism, this program discusses in detail the theories and terminolgy of past and present theories of behaviorism including I.P. Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning and B.F Skinner’s Operant Conditioning. The studies these researchers undertook are outlined and commented on, including the ethical issues regarding their work such as the animal experimentation issues associated with Pavlov’s dogs. The theories are then compared and assessed and discussed in terms of relevance and application in contemporary studies of learning and behaviour. Study notes included.