Applications of Conditioning Technology

Applications of Conditioning Technology

Conditioning research serves as a valuable tool in the psychological exploration
of other issues. In essence, conditioning technology provides a means
for asking animals questions�"a way to explore interesting cognitive processes
such as memory, attention, reasoning, and concept formation under
highly controlled laboratory conditions in less complex organisms.

Another area of research is the field of behavioral neuroscience, a field
that combines physiological and behavioral approaches in order to uncover
the neurological mechanisms underlying behavior. For example, the impact
of various medications and substances on behavior can be observed by administering
drugs as reinforcing stimuli. Animals will produce operant responses
in order to receive the same drugs to which humans become addicted.
However, in animals, the neurological mechanisms involved in
developing addictions can be studied directly, using both behavioral and
physiological experimental techniques in a way that would not be possible
with human subjects because of ethical considerations.

In addition, the principles of classical and operant conditioning have
been used to solve very real human problems in a variety of educational and
therapeutic settings, a strategy called applied behavior analysis. The principles
of operant conditioning have been widely applied in settings where
some degree of control over human behavior is desirable. Token economies
are situations in which specified behaviors, such as appropriate classroom
behavior, are rewarded according to some schedule of reinforcement. The
reinforcers are referred to as tokens because they need not have any rewarding
value in and of themselves but can be exchanged for reinforcers at some
later time. According to the principles of operant conditioning, people
should increase the operant response in order to gain the reinforcers, and if
the token economy is developed properly, that is exactly what occurs. If token
economies sound rather familiar, it is for good reason. Money is an extremely
potent token reinforcer for most people, who perform operant responses
(work) in order to receive token reinforcers (money) that can later
be exchanged for primary reinforcers (such as food, clothing, shelter, or entertainment).

Finally, learning principles have been applied in clinical psychology in an
effort to change maladaptive behaviors. Some examples include a procedure
called systematic desensitization, in which the principles of classical
conditioning are applied in an effort to treat phobias (irrational beliefs),
and social skills training, in which operant conditioning is used to enhance
communication and other interpersonal behaviors. These are only two examples
of useful applications of conditioning technology to treat mental illness.
Such applications suggest the need for ongoing research into basic
conditioning mechanisms. One must fully understand conditioning principles
in order to apply them appropriately in the effort to understand and
improve the human condition.

Sources for Further Study
Domjan, Michael. The Principles of Learning and Behavior. 5th ed. Belmont,
Calif.: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003. An extremely useful and complete
textbook presenting classical as well as up-to-date research in the areas of
operant and classical conditioning.
Schwartz, Barry, ed. Psychology of Learning: Readings in Behavior Theory. New York:W.W. Norton, 1984. A collection of reprinted articles on conditioning
and learning.
Skinner, B. F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. 1971. Reprint. Indianapolis, Ind.:
Hackett, 2002. The influential B. F. Skinner outlines his philosophical
views on conditioning and its importance in confronting world problems.
Linda R. Tennison
See also: Behaviorism; Habituation and Sensitization; Learned Helplessness;
Learning; Pavlovian Conditioning; Phobias; Reflexes. 209