Operant conditioning

B.F. Skinner described Operant Conditioning as changes in behavior to be determined by an individual's response to events (stimuli) in a given environment. The actions of an individual is called a response, and when a desired stimulus response is reinforced the individual may respond in a certain way. In Operant Conditioning there are two different types of reinforcement, positive and negative. Positive Reinforcement (reward) involves presenting a motivating object/item to a person after the desired behavior is given, such as instructing your dog to sit and once your dog sits you reward him immediately with a treat (increasing behavior). Negative Reinforcement involves removing something like an object/item in order to increase a response, such as a child finally cleaning up their toys in order to stop their mother from nagging about the uncleaned toys.…

The learning theory is a process primarily to a somewhat permanent behavior change or potential behavior change. Operant conditioning or instrumental conditioning is a form of associative learning in which the consequences of a behavior change the probability of the behavior’s occurrence. Keeping the above definitions in mind, I formed two operant conditioning techniques to establish a positive reinforcement for a child who was engaging in behaviors that was affecting others. As a psychologist,…

Operant Conditioning What is operant conditioning? Operant conditioning was first discovered and experimented by a American Psychologist B.F Skinner who was the one who experimented on operant conditioning.This means that the purpose of Operant conditioning is to find a way that a behavior can be controlled in a positive or negative way. There could even be some methods in where this condition can be controlled and even researchers have been able to prove these movements. Operant condition…

To change behavior many different techniques can be used. Operant conditioning is a technique that if effective in the learning process and changing behavior. B.F. Skinner proved this by experimenting with rats and pigeons. For instance, the rats learned to press the bar in the cage to get food. By using the tools provided by Skinner I will devise a modification program for my roommate to make the football team by following operant conditioning techniques. I will first explain what operant…

Whether an individual is attempting to toilet train a toddler, improve exercise habits, or quit smoking cigarettes, the principles of operant conditioning may provide the key to successful behavior change. According to Skinner (1963), “The term operant was introduced to distinguish between reflexes and responses operating directly on the environment” (505). Some parents may have trouble training their infants to use the toilet; however, by using operant conditioning to change the behavior, they…

Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which a person modifies their behavior through positive and negative consequences, or as a result of positive and negative reinforcement. Unlike classical conditioning where behaviors are reflexive and involuntary, operant conditioning is a voluntary behavior. In 1905, Edward L. Thorndike conducted an experiment where he placed a hungry cat inside a “puzzle box”, and a food dish on the outside. The cat upon pressing a lever could free itself from…

occurrence throughout our lifetime, as is science. Science is a state of knowing. Science is usually obtained through observation and experimentation. Learning has been a subject of many experiments involving people such as Ivan Pavlov, B.F skinner, john Watson and Edward Thorndike. These men are famous for studying an associative type of learning known as conditioning. Exactly, what is conditioning? Conditioning is used by establishing connections between a stimulus and a response.…

Operant conditioning, a type of learning controlled by the consequences of a person’s behavior, is a system based on rewards and punishments. In devising a weight loss program for my roommate based on the principle of operant conditioning, I will create a program that focuses on reinforcing healthy eating and exercise habits. By doing this, the reinforcement will increase the probability that my roommate will repeat the desired healthy behaviors. Over the course of one-month, by modifying his…

Do as you are told and you shall receive an award, however break these rules and you shall receive a punishment. The Law of Effect states that when we do something that satisfies us that we will be more likely to keep doing it in order to get that response, and if it discomforts us in any way we will be less likely to do it again. Within this law comes the theory of Operant Conditioning, meaning that we learn that our behaviors will either earn us rewards or punishments. How this works is we…

The first way that behavior perspective learning is incorporating in the classroom is through operant conditioning. Students who learn to behave a certain way based on their environment is called operant conditioning. Through my observations I saw how student’s behaviors are more operant rather than respondents. For example, the students in my classroom have learned when they are in the whole group environment they must raise their hands quietly when they are ready to talk. If the students don’t…