Study guides & original practice
Classical and operant conditioning practice: 12 scenarios
Classical conditioning connects stimuli; operant conditioning connects behavior with its consequences. In these 12 practice scenarios, identify the specific response first, then explain the relationship that supports your answer.
These original introductory psychology exercises are free to read, with no login. They are independent practice, not official exam questions. For a fuller explanation, start with the classical vs operant conditioning comparison.
How to answer a scenario question
- Underline the response or behavior being asked about. A story can contain more than one.
- For a classical case, identify what was paired and which cue now elicits the response.
- For an operant case, identify the behavior, its consequence and the reported change in future behavior.
- If the story omits the needed evidence, say what is missing rather than inventing it.
Use this answer frame: “This is ___ because ___ is associated with ___; the evidence is ___.” For an operant subtype, add whether a consequence was added or removed and whether behavior increased or decreased.
Try all questions on paper before opening the explanations. Award yourself one point for each correct classification and one for the supporting relationship: 24 points total. For question 9, name both processes for the classification point. This self-check is not a standardized grade or exam-score prediction.
Practice scenarios and answer explanations
1. The cafeteria cue
A previously neutral three-note sound repeatedly plays just before a dog receives food. Later, the sound alone elicits salivation. Classify the learning and identify CS, US, CR and UR.
Show answer 1 and explanation
Classical conditioning. The sound is the conditioned stimulus (CS); food is the unconditioned stimulus (US). Salivation to the sound is the conditioned response (CR); salivation to food is the unconditioned response (UR). Receiving food does not depend on an action the dog performs. The same physical response has different labels depending on what elicits it.
2. The completed checklist
A student receives a point immediately after completing a practice checklist. Over several weeks, checklist completion becomes more frequent. Classify the learning and consequence.
Show answer 2 and explanation
Operant conditioning through positive reinforcement. The behavior is completing the checklist, the added consequence is a point, and the stated effect is increased completion. The presence of a pleasant outcome alone would not establish reinforcement; the change in behavior matters.
3. The persistent alert
A learner submits a daily vocabulary exercise, which stops an irritating reminder. Submission becomes more frequent on later days. Is this punishment?
Show answer 3 and explanation
No. It is operant conditioning through negative reinforcement: submitting removes the reminder and submission increases. Negative means removal; reinforcement means the behavior increases. The unpleasant reminder does not make the outcome punishment.
4. The lost token
A player loses one game token after interrupting a team discussion. Interruptions become less frequent over subsequent sessions. Classify the consequence.
Show answer 4 and explanation
Negative punishment. A token is removed following interruptions, and interruptions decrease. Name the target behavior before labeling the effect: it is interruption, not token collection. This is a hypothetical learning example, not advice about managing people.
5. The extra task
In a fictional game, stepping outside a marked zone adds an extra sorting task. Players step outside less often on later rounds. Classify the consequence.
Show answer 5 and explanation
Positive punishment. An additional task follows the target behavior and the behavior decreases. Positive describes adding a consequence, not whether the learner likes it. This contrasts with question 2, where adding a consequence increased behavior.
6. The familiar room
A person repeatedly hears a sudden loud crash in a particular room and startles. Later, entering that room elicits a startle-like fear response before any crash occurs. What learning process fits the stated association?
Show answer 6 and explanation
Classical conditioning. The room cues become associated with the crash and elicit a learned response. In this simplified scenario the crash is the US, the initial startle is the UR, room cues are the CS, and the response to those cues is the CR. The story does not describe an action earning or avoiding a consequence.
7. The disappearing cue response
After the learning in question 1, the three-note sound is presented repeatedly without food. Salivation to the sound gradually decreases. Name the process.
Show answer 7 and explanation
Classical extinction: the learned cue is repeatedly presented without the US. A decrease in a response is not automatically operant punishment. Here, no consequence is made contingent on salivating; the cue-food relationship has changed.
8. Points stop arriving
The student in question 2 stops receiving points for completing the checklist. Completion gradually declines. Is this negative punishment?
Show answer 8 and explanation
The description fits operant extinction: the behavior no longer produces its previously reinforcing consequence. It does not describe taking away an already-held point after completion. Removing a held reward as a consequence and discontinuing reward delivery are different arrangements.
9. Two processes in one story
A dog learns that a short melody predicts food and salivates when it plays. Separately, touching a target with its nose earns food, and target touches increase. Classify each response.
Show answer 9 and explanation
Salivation to the melody illustrates classical conditioning; increased target touching illustrates operant positive reinforcement. Food appears in both relationships. Classify the specified response and contingency rather than labeling the entire story from the word food.
10. A reward with no outcome data
A teacher plans to give a sticker after each completed worksheet. The scenario reports no later behavior. Can you conclude that stickers reinforced worksheet completion?
Show answer 10 and explanation
Not yet. This is an intended positive-reinforcement arrangement, but its reinforcing effect has not been demonstrated. You need evidence that the relevant behavior increased. An intention to reward and an observed functional effect are different claims.
11. The light before the action
In a task, pressing a button earns a token only while a green light is on. After experience with the task, a learner presses more often during the light. Does the light appearing first make this classical conditioning?
Show answer 11 and explanation
No. The stated relationship concerns button pressing followed by token delivery. The light signals when that consequence is available; it functions as a discriminative stimulus in this operant example. A cue before behavior is not enough to classify learning as classical conditioning.
12. Watching a demonstration
A learner watches a classmate fold a paper model, then reproduces the steps. The story mentions no cue pairing or consequence history. Must this be classical or operant conditioning?
Show answer 12 and explanation
Neither is established by the description. It illustrates observational learning. Do not force every learned behavior into the two conditioning categories. More information could reveal other processes, but those processes are not demonstrated here.
Use your errors to choose the next exercise
- Missed 1 or 6? Write the eliciting stimulus beside each response before labeling CS, US, CR or UR.
- Missed 2–5? Draw two arrows: added/removed and behavior increased/decreased. Review reinforcement and punishment.
- Missed 7 or 8? Explain which learned relationship stopped being supported. Do not classify every decrease as punishment.
- Missed 9–12? Quote the evidence for the exact response and list any missing information. These questions test the limits of shortcuts.
Now rewrite one scenario by changing just its contingency. For example, change a reward that follows a behavior into food delivered regardless of behavior after a cue. State what evidence would then support a different classification. Keep your original and revised versions as a pair in the free manual flashcard maker.
Sources and further study
The terminology follows OpenStax Psychology 2e: classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning. The scenarios and explanations here were written for this practice set.
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