Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning Handout

Where did it come from
B.F. Skinner is considered to be the father of operant conditioning. He took Thorndikes notion
of law of effect and added the concept of reinforcement. Through experiments with animals
such as pigeons and rats, Skinner was able to understand how behaviour can be shaped using
reinforcement.
What is Operant Conditioning
An operant is a behaviour which is deliberate and generally goal directed. It becomes operant
conditioning when our learning of that deliberate behaviour is strengthened or weakened by
consequences or antecedents.
A behaviour is simply a word for an action or response that occurs in a specific situation.
Through operant conditioning, we can think of a behaviour as being between two kinds of
environmental influences. Those influences which occur before the behaviour are called
antecedents. The influences which occur after the behaviour are called consequences. Operant
behaviour can be changed through the use of antecedents and consequences, or both.
Consequences Reinforcement
Any consequence that strengthens behaviour is called a reinforcer, causing those behaviours to
increase in number and duration. Within the context of operant conditioning, reinforcement does
not always mean reward.
There are both positive and negative reinforcements. Positive reinforcement occurs when a
desired stimulus is presented after a behaviour. This appearance, or addition, of a new stimulus
will lead to the behaviour being repeated. Comparatively, Negative reinforcement occurs when
a stimulus is taken away after a behaviour. This does not necessarily mean that the behaviour is
negative, only that a stimulus is being subtracted as opposed to added.
An example of a positive reinforcement situation may be a student answering a question
correctly, resulting in praise from the teacher. A negative reinforcement example may be taking
a student out of detention early because of behaviour improvements.
Reinforcement Schedules
Through the learning process, a new behaviour is easier to acquire when reinforcement occurs
after each correct response. This is called a Continuous reinforcement schedule. But once that
behaviour has been satisfactorily learned, it is best to switch to an Intermittent reinforcement
schedule in order to maintain the skills. The behaviour is no longer being reinforced every time.
Operant Conditioning
Intermittent reinforcement contains two types of schedules. The Interval schedule, and the
Ratio schedule. The interval schedule is based on the amount of time that occurs between each
reinforcement. An example of an interval schedule would be getting a snack after reading for ten
minutes. A ratio schedule is based on the number of responses given between each
reinforcement. An example of this would be a slot machine or video game.
Both types of intermittent schedules may be Fixed or Variable. A fixed schedule is one that is
predictable, while a variable schedule is one that is unpredictable. A student receiving a final
grade at the end of each semester would be an example of a fixed schedule, and an individual
checking their cell phone for texts, or a pop quiz would be an example of a variable schedule.
Shaping
Shaping is a process used to reinforce behaviour the closer it gets to a target behaviour.
An educational example could be rewarding a student with an item each time they were able to
write a proper paragraph, until that student was able to combine those paragraphs into a coherent
essay.
Extinction
An extinction of a learned response occurs when a reinforcing consequence is withheld for a
long enough period. This process can take a very long time to occur. For example, ignoring a
student when they speak out of turn could lead to that student raising their hand in order to be
heard instead.
Punishment
Negative reinforcement is often confused with punishment. Punishment involves decreasing a
behaviour in order for the behaviour to be less like to be repeated in the future.
There are two types of punishments, a Presentation punishment and a Removal punishment.
A presentation punishment occurs when a stimulus is added. An example of this is when a
teacher assigns extra homework as punishment for the homework that was not completed. A
removal punishment occurs when a stimulus is subtracted. An example of this is when a teacher
takes away recess to a student who misbehaved.
Premack Principle
According to the Premack Principle, a preferred behaviour is a reinforcer for a less preferred
behaviour. An educational example could be a teacher telling their students that they may play
an educational game only after the have completed their worksheets.
Pro: This theory can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviour and can be applied to many
different circumstances Con: It does not take into account inherited factors of learning.