conditioning

In psychology, two major principles of behaviour modification.

In classical conditioning, described by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, a new stimulus can evoke an automatic response by being repeatedly associated with a stimulus that naturally provokes that response. For example, the sound of a bell repeatedly associated with food will eventually trigger salivation, even if sounded without food being presented. In operant conditioning, described by US psychologists Edward Lee Thorndike (1874-1949) and B F Skinner, the frequency of a voluntary response can be increased by following it with a reinforcer or reward.