Operant Conditioning is the concept that you can change someone’s behaviour by giving them rewards or punishments. Human behavior is a complex and intricate subject that does not have a set definition. Behavior performed by each individual will differ from one another. Understanding of human behavior in general is nearly impossible, we can merely make assumptions based on conducted experiments.
Operant conditioning is entirely based on reinforcement, meaning a process that strengthens certain, voluntary, behavior. Our actions or reactions on the environment and the consequences of those actions make up a very important part of the learning process. Operant conditioning is largely based on the behaviorism theory, in which B. F. Skinner believed …show more content…
F. Skinner's most famous experiment was possibly the most controversial and informative study conducted, when it comes to studying the voluntary behavior of candidates, by using operant conditioning. What Skinner did was to conduct an experiment on animals : he was simply placing them inside a 'Skinner Box'. Animals such as lab rats were commonly used. The purpose of Skinners box was to study behavioural conditioning on animals and teaching them to perform (and repeat) certain actions responding to stimuli, such as light or sound signals. This is referred to as shaping, the reinforcement of successive approximations to the desired behavior. If the subject animal correctly performs the behaviour, it is immediately rewarded by some good food or by some other rewards. If the wanted behavior is not performed by the animal, it can receive a punishment, such as a small electric shock. For example, a rat would have to climb a step or press a lever or a button, in order to receive the primary reinforcer of food. Reinforcers and punishments are both common responses which have an effect on the subjects behaviour. Reinforcers increase the likelihood of an action being repeated, whereas punishments of course decrease the likelihood. Neutral operants, which is a third possible response, neither increase nor decrease a certain behavior. Most people have been subjects to operant conditioning before, no mater if they willingly agree to this or not; and everyone has been both reinforced and punished for a certain behavior or another. As an example many of us have gone to school where negative, socially undesirable behaviours such as bullying another kid is punished by the teacher, although helping other kids with certain difficult tasks is greatly rewarded by both the teachers and other students. The learned sequence of responses is referred to here as ""chaining. Thousands of our trained behaviours are in one way or another affected by operant conditioning, usually without
Operant conditioning is entirely based on reinforcement, meaning a process that strengthens certain, voluntary, behavior. Our actions or reactions on the environment and the consequences of those actions make up a very important part of the learning process. Operant conditioning is largely based on the behaviorism theory, in which B. F. Skinner believed …show more content…
F. Skinner's most famous experiment was possibly the most controversial and informative study conducted, when it comes to studying the voluntary behavior of candidates, by using operant conditioning. What Skinner did was to conduct an experiment on animals : he was simply placing them inside a 'Skinner Box'. Animals such as lab rats were commonly used. The purpose of Skinners box was to study behavioural conditioning on animals and teaching them to perform (and repeat) certain actions responding to stimuli, such as light or sound signals. This is referred to as shaping, the reinforcement of successive approximations to the desired behavior. If the subject animal correctly performs the behaviour, it is immediately rewarded by some good food or by some other rewards. If the wanted behavior is not performed by the animal, it can receive a punishment, such as a small electric shock. For example, a rat would have to climb a step or press a lever or a button, in order to receive the primary reinforcer of food. Reinforcers and punishments are both common responses which have an effect on the subjects behaviour. Reinforcers increase the likelihood of an action being repeated, whereas punishments of course decrease the likelihood. Neutral operants, which is a third possible response, neither increase nor decrease a certain behavior. Most people have been subjects to operant conditioning before, no mater if they willingly agree to this or not; and everyone has been both reinforced and punished for a certain behavior or another. As an example many of us have gone to school where negative, socially undesirable behaviours such as bullying another kid is punished by the teacher, although helping other kids with certain difficult tasks is greatly rewarded by both the teachers and other students. The learned sequence of responses is referred to here as ""chaining. Thousands of our trained behaviours are in one way or another affected by operant conditioning, usually without