Which statement about Operant conditioning is true?

Which statement about Operant conditioning is true?

• A. Majority of dog training is this type.
• B. Involves reflexive responses only.
• C. Based on classical conditioning.
• D. Not used in dog training.

Answer: (A)

Operant conditioning focuses on how consequences shape voluntary behavior. In dog training, this is used most of the time: we reinforce desirable actions to make them happen more often. When a dog sits and receives a treat, the positive consequence increases the likelihood that sit will be offered again. Trainers use shaping and cues so the dog learns through a series of reinforced steps, often with a clicker as a precise signal that a correct behavior has occurred and is about to be rewarded. This approach targets actions the dog can control and actively chooses, unlike reflexive responses that happen automatically. The other statements are not accurate for typical training. It does not involve reflexive responses only, since operant conditioning centers on voluntary behaviors. It is not based on classical conditioning, which deals with forming automatic associations between stimuli. And it is certainly used in dog training, not unused.

Operant conditioning focuses on how consequences shape voluntary behavior. In dog training, this is used most of the time: we reinforce desirable actions to make them happen more often. When a dog sits and receives a treat, the positive consequence increases the likelihood that sit will be offered again. Trainers use shaping and cues so the dog learns through a series of reinforced steps, often with a clicker as a precise signal that a correct behavior has occurred and is about to be rewarded. This approach targets actions the dog can control and actively chooses, unlike reflexive responses that happen automatically.

The other statements are not accurate for typical training. It does not involve reflexive responses only, since operant conditioning centers on voluntary behaviors. It is not based on classical conditioning, which deals with forming automatic associations between stimuli. And it is certainly used in dog training, not unused.