Aubrey Sutton
Brigham City Phobias and Addictions
Classical conditioning may affect how phobias can develop, phobias are irrational fears. As well as operant conditioning may affect how addictions can develop, addictions are dependency on something that cannot be stopped. Classical and operant conditioning are both learning styles, but they differ and results can be achieved in both. Extinction is the gradual weakening of a conditioned response that will result in the behavior decreasing.
Phobias can be seen as an anxiety disorder that is fairly common. People go to great measures to stay away from their fears or phobias. Phobias can develop through classical conditioning (Kowalski, 2011). This occurs …show more content…
Classical and operant conditioning are two common learning methods developed by Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner. The results of classical and operant conditioning can contribute to a persons ability to thrive and function; however, phobias and addictions can also develop as a result. Through classical conditioning, an environmental stimulus initiates a response, differing from operant conditioning because a behavior produces an environmental response (Kowalski, 2011). Classical conditioning is a neutral signal that comes before a reflex. The behaviors become involuntary or an automatic response. Operant conditioning is applying a reinforcement or punishment after a behavior. Operant behavior is voluntary, it makes an association to certain behaviors to be rewarded or punished. Operant conditioning teaches that there are consequences whether they are positive or negative. You can strengthen behaviors you like or discourage ones you do …show more content…
Classical conditioning does affect how phobias are developed, and operant conditioning also affects how addictions are developed. Classical and operant conditioning are learning styles because of the different ways and styles of the conditioning. Extinction is achieved in both classical and operant conditioning, but in different ways. Just as phobias and addictions can be caused by these methods, extinction can help reverse them. Every day, people learn by association, and most learned behavior involves both types of conditioning. As both types are intertwined in a continuous learning experience, most people find it difficult to separately identify the individual conditioning types by which they are learning and most learning takes place as an indistinguishable event (Kowalski, 2011). Nevertheless, learning by association allows human beings to survive, adapt to, and navigate a constantly changing environment (Stone, 2011). People may not even have even realized that they have an addiction or a phobia; it can be dangerous and even deadly when not properly taken care of. Both of these issues can consume people’s lives in a negative way, for phobias it can hinder their daily lives and cause avoidance of certain things and places. With addiction, it can cause strange and scary behaviors, you can gamble away all your money