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Final Research on Classical/Operant Conditioning
Department of Psychology, Liberty University
PSYC 365: Psychological Foundations of Learning
Final Research on Classical/Operant Conditioning
In psychology there are two main learning theories which are classical and instrumental
conditioning that are often used and taught. Both learning theories have historical development,
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key concepts, research findings, and educational implications. When considering that there is this
much information on classical and instrumental conditioning the research can become
overwhelming. However, having an abundance of research and information can be helpful when
it comes time to apply it to real life situations including connecting this new knowledge to
scripture. Overall, this research assignment will breakdown information into separate headings
while including how to connect to scripture.
Historical Development
Its historical roots begin in the study of learning and have roots in philosophy. There is
notably one person who changed the way human behavior was viewed, his name Rene Descartes.
Before Descartes human behavior was not studied because most people believed that behavior
was based on free will and personal intent. However, Descartes was the first to challenge that
behavior was more than free will and he constructed a view of human behavior known as
Cartesian dualism. Cartesian dualism had a view of behavior that was broken down into two
separate categories voluntary and involuntary (Domjan, 2017). This definition started the growth
towards expanding learning and knowledge in human behavior. In short, Descartes started a
revolution in learning human behavior because he challenged the idea that human behavior is
more than free will and personal intent.
Classical Conditioning
There is one prominent name that is known among psychology. His name is Pavlov however he
