Final answer:
Classical conditioning involves associating two stimuli to elicit a response, as seen with Pavlov's dogs, while operant conditioning is about associating behavior with its consequence. Observational learning is learning by watching and mimicking others, and shaping is a two-stage operant conditioning technique used for training complex behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning are three forms of learning based on the principle of association. In classical conditioning, famously exemplified by Pavlov's dogs, an organism learns to associate two stimuli, leading to a change in response to the originally neutral stimulus. Operant conditioning involves an organism learning to associate a behavior with its consequence, thereby affecting the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.
Observational learning is a different type of learning where one observes and imitates others. This can bear prosocial or antisocial effects, as individuals may imitate behaviors that have positive or negative outcomes. Shaping, a method used within operant conditioning that involves gradually training an organism to perform a specific behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of the target behavior, is similar to two-stage learning processes where the first stage sets the foundation for the second, more complex stage.