Conditioning

The formation of a specific response to a specific stimulus. In classical conditioning, a stimulus that consistently evokes a particular response is paired repeatedly with a second stimulus that would not normally produce the response. Eventually, the second stimulus begins to produce the response whether the first stimulus is present or not. In operant conditioning, attempts to modify behaviour are made through a system of rewards and/or punishments. The theory that inappropriate behaviour patterns in some psychological disorders are learned through conditioning and can be modified by the same process underlies behavioural psychology (see behaviour therapy).