Definition
Conditioning involves processes related to changing behavior (i.e., learning). Via the association of stimuli with other stimuli or with behaviors, organisms can effectively respond to their changing environment. Respondent and operant conditioning are two primary modes of behavior change.
Introduction
Processes associated with behavior change can be broadly classified in two categories: respondent and operant conditioning. Respondent conditioning involves the association between stimuli and responses such that a previously neutral (i.e., ineffective) stimulus can elicit an involuntary response that prepares the organism for a biologically significant event. Operant conditioning involves the change in the probability of an emitted voluntary response as a function of its consequences.
These processes involve the interplay between a behaving...
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Diller, J.W., McDevitt, M. (2018). Conditioning and Association. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1307-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1307-1
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