ABA Exam CoachLessons · B. Concepts and Principles
B.3 · Respondent and operant conditioning
Same trigger, two kinds of learning. A dinner bell can make your mouth water and also get you walking to the table, and by the end of this video you'll be able to say which is respondent and which is operant.
Key takeaway
Respondent behavior is elicited by an antecedent stimulus, and it is learned by pairing one stimulus with another (S-S). Operant behavior is selected by its consequences: reinforcement makes it more likely and punishment makes it less likely (R-S). To classify a behavior, look at its learning history and what it does, not what it looks like. One episode can include both, like a racing heart (respondent) alongside a request to leave that keeps getting reinforced (operant).
Respondent behavior is elicited by an antecedent stimulus, and it is learned by pairing one stimulus with another (S-S). Operant behavior is selected by its consequences: reinforcement makes it more likely and punishment makes it less likely (R-S). To classify a behavior, look at its learning history and what it does, not what it looks like. One episode can include both, like a racing heart (respondent) alongside a request to leave that keeps getting reinforced (operant).
Members get the full lesson video, notes and a 5-question test
The video walks through the idea, worked examples, the trap people fall into and an exam-style question. The notes and the checkpoint come with it, and your results feed your Where to focus plan.