What distinguishes classical conditioning from operant conditioning?

Classical conditioning is distinguished by its focus on the association between a neutral stimulus and an involuntary response. This learning process involves pairing a stimulus that naturally evokes a response (the unconditioned stimulus) with a neutral stimulus, leading to the neutral stimulus eventually eliciting that same response on its own. For example, in Pavlov's experiments, the sound of a bell (neutral stimulus) was paired with food (unconditioned stimulus), leading dogs to salivate (involuntary response) at the sound of the bell alone.

In contrast, operant conditioning revolves around the concept of voluntary behavior and the consequences that follow those behaviors. It emphasizes how rewards and punishments influence the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. The other options do not accurately reflect the core distinctions between these two forms of conditioning, reinforcing the importance of recognizing involuntary responses in classical conditioning.