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ELI5: What’s the difference between reinforcement learning and conditioning?

r/explainlikeimfive

ELI5: What’s the difference between reinforcement learning and conditioning?

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Comments

oliwoggle

March 31, 2025

Reinforcement learning is when you do something and a good or bad thing happens. You want to do it again if it’s good or don’t want to if it’s bad.

Conditioning is when two things happen together again and again. You learn if one thing happens the other will then happen next time.