What describes instrumental learning?

Instrumental learning, also known as operant conditioning, involves acquiring knowledge and skills through trial and error. This process typically includes rewards or consequences that follow a behavior, influencing the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future. For example, if an animal performs a specific behavior and receives a reward (like food or praise), it is more likely to repeat that behavior in order to achieve a similar positive outcome.

This type of learning emphasizes the associations made between behaviors and their consequences, which is distinct from other learning methods. Understanding through observation refers to observational learning, while learning by imitation focuses on replicating actions seen in others. Learning through classical conditioning, meanwhile, is a different paradigm where an automatic response is paired with a new stimulus through repeated associations. All these approaches differ from instrumental learning, which emphasizes the active role of the learner in experimenting and modifying behavior based on the results of their actions.