Difference between classical and operant conditioning:

1. In classical conditioning, the responses are under the control of some stimulus because they are reflexes, automatically elicited by the appropriate stimuli. Such stimuli are selected as unconditioned stimulus and responses elicited by them as unconditioned response. Thus Pavlovian conditioning, in which unconditioned stimulus elicits responses, is often called respondent conditioning.

In instrumental conditioning responses are under the control of the organism and are voluntary responses or operants. Thus, in the two forms of conditioning different types of responses are conditioned.

2. In classical conditioning the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus are well-defined, but in operant conditioning conditioned stimulus is not defined. It can be inferred but is not directly known.

3. In classical conditioning, the experimenter controls the occurrence of unconditioned stimulus while in operant conditioning the occurrence of the reinforcer is under the control of the organism, that is learning. Thus, for in classical conditioning the organism remains passive, while in operant conditioning the subject has to be active in order to be reinforced.

4. In the two forms of conditioning, the technical terms used to characterise the experimental proceedings are different. Moreover what is called reinforcer in operant conditioning is called unconditioned stimulus in classical conditioning. As unconditional stimulus has two functions. In the beginning it elicits the response and also reinforces the response to be associated and elicited later on by the conditioned stimulus.