How do cognitive processes affect classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 1: When it comes to classic conditioning, cognitive processes play the following role: Individuals start expecting that a conditioned stimulus (CS) indicates the arrival of the unconditioned stimulus (UCS).

For instance, in Ivan Pavlov's experiment with dogs, when the dogs heard the bell ringing (CS) followed by the food (UCS), they learned that the CS indicated the arrival of the UCS.

Answer 2: In the case of operant conditioning, individuals learn that their behavior or responses will either be reinforced / rewarded or punished. For instance, if a toddler steals a cookie and gets punished for it, she will start learning that her behaviors and responses will either elicit rewards or punishments from others.

The two are related in that in classical conditioning organisms develop expectations that CS signals the arrival of US, and in Operant conditioning Organisms develop expectations that a response will be enforced or punished. In addition, they also experience latent learning, without reinforcement. Through cognitive learning, we acquire mental information that guides our behavior which cross the bridges among them.