OPERANT CONDITIONING

Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Theory of Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is a form of associative learning that has to do with the development of new behaviors based on consequences. The principles of operant conditioning were developed by B.F. Skinner, who was influenced by the research of Edward L. Thorndike. In 1898, 'the law of effect' was developed by Edward L. Thorndike, when he conducted his study through examining cats' behaviors (Olson & Hergenhahn 2009). In his study, Thorndike came to the conclusion that the association between a stimuli in a certain situation and its response is learning. This relationship between behavior and its consequences is the law of effect.

This study was extended by B.F. Skinner through his experiment of behavior analysis. According to the study of Thorndike, the probable behavior consequence can decrease or increase the response possibility. Taking this further, Skinner produced a situation in his experiment in which he brought systematic variations in the condition of stimulus. This caused a dissimilar condition of the environment that affected the possibility of the occurrence of the given behavior. Skinner formed operant conditional behaviors to for the behavior analysis in an experiment (Olson & Hergenhahn 2009). The outcomes of the behavior of the organism were manipulated to determine its effects on the behavior of the organism in the future. Skinner concluded through his experiment that the outcomes 'operate' on the situation, thus, affecting that outcome and the outcomes of the future. The response to stimuli “operates” on the environment and thus creates a different response when it affects the environment differently.

Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement

The relation between responses and the changes produced as the result of those responses is called reinforcement contingency. According to Skinner, the reinforcers are the stimuli that can be made contingent on behaviors for the increasing of the ...