Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are different learning methods. The two methods have the word conditioning in common. What is conditioning? Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well-defined stimuli. Both classical and operant conditioning are basic forms of learning. Discovered by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a natural stimulus (Cherry, 2014A). Coined by behaviorist BF Skinner, operant conditioning is a type of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior (Cherry, 2014C). Operant conditioning is how we learn to associate our behavior with a consequence, so there are four possibilities. One, positive reinforcement; two, positive punishment; three, negative reinforcement; and four, negative punishment. Let's break these 2 possibilities down into a more basic component. Positive and negative do not mean “good” or “bad” (De O'Laughlin, 2012). Positive means give, fo...