Classical and Operant Conditiioning

Have you walked into the pet store and went to buy pet treats? Which one stands out the most? Most would see the yellow bag of Beggin Strip. Beggin strips has a very humorous form of classical conditioning in there commercial. It starts out with the dog lying on the bed, he hears the bag open. The smell travels up the stairs, across the street to the neighbor’s dog. The smell even traveled to Paris, France where French poodle was standing by the Eiffel Tower. Once the dog smells the treats he takes off running down the stairs where he sees the women in the kitchen. As the dog continues running downstairs he saying repeatedly “bacon.” The women proceeds to say “who wants Beggin strips”, the dog very hyper, thinks “me, me, me, I would get it myself but I don’t have thumbs.” The lovely lady kneels down and give him one while she rubbing and petting him. The neutral stimulus in this commercial is when the bag opens and the graphic of the smell. This is the neutral stimulus considering the smell of treat bacon treats has no effect.

A dog can smell several different things and won’t bring out any response. The unconditioned stimulus is the treats due to the fact that treats are a dog favorite, when the dog knows they are getting a doggy treat. It’s gets real excited and starts begging. This brings out the conditioned response when compared with the conditioned stimulus the smell brings out the begging and excitement the dog is doing in the commercial. Excitement does not have to be previously learned nor taught. This also is unconditioned response. When the neutral stimulus is compared with the treats you get the conditioned response, when learning the smell of the treats will eventually overtime bring out the excitement and the begging the dog is doing.

If you not filthy rich and work then your most excitement time of the year will probably be income tax time season. The Jackson Hewitt has it way of showing this classical contdition.it begins with the older man named Steve dancing on the desk to the song “This how we do it.” The voice in the back ground says “the Steve went to Jackson Hewitt and did his taxes and just found out how he getting back.” The office worker and other customers are dancing and shouting in the background being excited.

The voice continues on with the how the man was glad he was that there was a Jackson in his neighborhood. If we want to excite to feel that good then we should go to a Jackson Hewitt near us. The neutral stimulus is the name Jackson Hewitt. We just don’t get thrilled about the name. Which now brings me to the unconditioned stimulus are the taxes. Taxes are naturally one of things in life you get excited about. This brings out the conditioned response. When you pair the neutral stimulus which is the name with the unconditioned response which is the taxes you get the conditioned stimulus. Now the name Jackson Hewitt has meaning when taxes are paired up with it. Excitement is the unconditioned response there no prior learning to feel that way. Excitement comes about when you hear Jackson Hewitt which makes this the conditioned response and the conditioned stimulus. This is a prime example of classical conditioning.

A lot people do the whole ‘I must respond to a text message, while driving, eating, showering, school, work, etc.’ a good operant condition I have chosen to describe is the at&t commercial. An older couple is sitting in front of a casket with a young girl running around. There’s a picture of a young marine in uniform. The women proceeds it say how the man in the picture would call her always and say “I love you” or would send little text messages throughout the day. Then she presses on by holding up a sign that had the word ‘yeah T’ on it. The women mentions it was the last text her son sent out before he drove off the cliff and died and from massive brain injuries. This is known as negative punishment or can be used as a positive punishment. Negative punishment can be from the life that’s being taking away from the individual person or the life they took from somebody else if multiple collision.

Many states in the U.S. have banned texting and talking on cell phones while driving this can be used as positive punishment if you get caught you can get a ticket or going to jail. Adding on manslaughter can be a positive punishment seeing how most people will change their behavior on the texting and driving. Statics rate that 1.6 million accidents occur per year. 300 hundred thousand injuries and nearly 11 teen deaths a day. So making it illegal to text and drive is a positive punishment also. It will decrease the accidents and injuries. This is a variable ratio schedule you don’t know when the deaths or injuries will occur. Or how in depth they will be when you suffer a collision. You don’t know when you are going to get caught for texting and driving but eventually you will get caught and after so many times the charge will go up.

Another operant condition is the ‘click it or ticket’ commercial. Traffic laws are the most violated laws, wither it is drinking and driving, running stop signs, speeding or most common not wearing your seat belts. The media commercial started off with a grey Silverado driving in the neighborhood with the window down. A pink ticket went flying in the window and land on the man chest that was driving. His wife tried to yank it off but more and more tickets begin attached to the man with no seatbelt. This was repeatedly was done to a mini coop and a jeep at night. They all had tickets flying through the window and even had a police officer at the end attach on last ticket to the Silverado forehead. This is would be positive punishment adding a ticket or even jail time would decrease the average number or not wearing a seat belt. This also can be a negative punishment depending on what state you are in. you can get your license suspended after so many traffic errors. Seat belt ticket prices will go up after a while which means less money you have to pay out and less money in your pocket. This would be on a variable ratio schedule you don’t know when you get caught but when you do you will get a ticket or a warning.