Phobias and Addictions
PSY/300
4/1/13
Carlton Bowden

Classical and operant conditioning are the two common ways in which people learn behaviors. In has been shown that people and animals learn through making associations between their environments and making choices according to their consequences. The concept that learning is adaptive and shapes behavior forms the fundamental concepts of the behaviorist perspective (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Classical and operant conditioning both plays a part in a person’s individual ability to thrive and function normally and adapt to society. Phobias and addictions can develop through these conditioning.
This paper will discuss two different types of conditioning which are classical and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning, also known as Pavolian conditioning, was the first to be systematically studied. When previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after it is paired with a stimulus that automatically elicits that response (Kowalski & Westen, 2011).
An experiment performed by Pavlov and a dog discovered the classical conditioning. Pavlov discovered a stimulus from ringing a bell repeatedly when the dog was about to be fed caused the dog to salivate when the dog heard the bell. Over a period of time Pavlov eliminated the presence of food and discovered that the dogs still salivated at the sound of the ringing bell. The dogs had learned to associate the ringing of the bell with the presence of food. Since food produced the salivation so did the bell.
It has been discovered that classical conditioning could be a reason for some of the phobias that human exhibit. The amygdala is involved in many emotional responses such as learning and remembering emotionally significant events. It is also involved in recognizing emotions, particularly fearful emotion, on other people (Kowalski