Which theory states that behaviors can be associated with responses and learned through associations?

Which theory states that behaviors can be associated with responses and learned through associations?

• A. Skinner's Operant Conditioning
• B. Bandura's Social Learning Theory
• C. Thorndike's Connectionism
• D. Pavlov's Classical Conditioning

Answer: (D)

Learning by forming associations between stimuli and automatic responses is classical conditioning. In this theory, a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces that response. The classic example is a dog that salivates to food (an unconditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus). When a bell rings each time before presenting the food, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus, and eventually the dog salivates in response to the bell alone (a conditioned response). This shows how a behavior can be learned through linkage with a stimulus, rather than through conscious choice or the consequences that follow the behavior.

Learning by forming associations between stimuli and automatic responses is classical conditioning. In this theory, a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces that response. The classic example is a dog that salivates to food (an unconditioned response to an unconditioned stimulus). When a bell rings each time before presenting the food, the bell becomes a conditioned stimulus, and eventually the dog salivates in response to the bell alone (a conditioned response). This shows how a behavior can be learned through linkage with a stimulus, rather than through conscious choice or the consequences that follow the behavior.