Respondent and

Operant
Component of
Thinking
Chapter-17
A Respondent Component: Our Imagery

• One type of thinking appears to consists of imagining in

response to words.
• This probably comes about through respondent
conditioning.
• We acquire conditioned seeing, conditioned hearing,
conditioned smelling and conditioned feeling through
experiences.
Procedure for Conditioned Seeing

NS (the words “our flag”)

Many
Pairings
US UR(“ seeing” the flag)

Result of Procedure

CS( the words “flag”) CR(“seeing” the flag)

 Conditioned hearing,
seeing and feeling

 the perfume of your

partner wears and you
encounter that smell in
later time
 Imagined seeing her
 Imagined hearing her
Conditioned smelling voice
 Imagine strong  Felt “tingly” all over
smelling after seeing
durian picture
An Operant Component: Our Self-Talk

 Another type of thinking is self- directed verbal behavior or

self-talk.

 Much of our thinking is private verbal behavior.

 We learn to talk silently to ourselves at a very early age

largely because we encounter punishers when we think out
loud.
 When you are introduced to the hostess at a party,
“Wow, what an ugly dress!” (your reaction)
 But you wont say it loud; instead, you will “say it to yourself” and protect
you from social punishment.
 Two reasons for silent self-talk less effort and occur more rapidly
than overt verbal
Private Thoughts and Feelings: More
Respondent-Operant Interactions

 Private behavior include both respondent and operant

component of thinking and emotions.

Operant self-talk serves as a CS to elicit certain feelings.

For example, child getting bullied for the way he dresses,

gets really stressed and sad.
 Child went to afternoon matinee at the Roxy Theatre with his friends on one
Saturday afternoon.
“I wonder if Wilf Conditioned
will be here” seeing

He can
Operant Thinking imagine Wilf Operant thinking+
teasing him Conditioned hearing
his aversive about the way
experience elicit he dress
unpleasant
feelings Pay special attention to
his appearance
A reflexively Operant response
learned response
May Ei Hlaing
Presenter