-SKINNER BELIEVED THAT CLASSICAL CONDITIONING DIDN’T ALLOW FOR ENOUGH CONTROL OVER AN ORGANISM’S BEHAVIOR - HE SAW IT MORE AS JUST A REFLEX (REACTION)

B.F. SKINNER1904 - 1990

-SKINNER BELIEVED THAT CLASSICAL CONDITIONING DIDN’T ALLOW FOR ENOUGH CONTROL OVER AN ORGANISM’S BEHAVIOR- HE SAW IT MORE AS JUST A REFLEX (REACTION) TO A STIMULUS- SKINNER LOOKED TO FIND WAYS TO CONTROL ALL BEHAVIOR- SKINNER USED EXPERIMENTATION WITH THE DEVICE HE INVENTED CALLED THE “SKINNER BOX”-- SKINNER’S THEORY IS KNOWN AS OPERANT CONDITIONING

- A type of conditioning that connects a given behavior to either reinforcement or punishment. - Unlike Classical Conditioning most times the behavior is voluntary.

OPERANT CONDITIONING

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT – presentation of a positive consequence after a particular behavior in order to increase the likelihood that the behavior will recur.

NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT – the attempt to increase the likelihood that a behavior will recur by removing an unpleasant consequence. - Escape Conditioning & Avoidance Conditioning

REINFORCEMENT

SKINNER BOX

SHAPING – THE GRADUAL PROCESS OF SELECTIVELY REINFORCING BEHAVIORS THAT COME CLOSER AND CLOSER TO A DESIRED RESPONSE. *

“BABY BOX”

VARIABLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING *STRENGTH – THE STRONGER THE REWARD OR PUNISHMENT THE HIGHER THE RESPONSE. MEASURE IN TIME AND DEGREE

TIMING – THE SHORTER THE INTERVAL BETWEEN A BEHAVIOR AND A CONSEQUENCE THE BETTER LIKELIHOOD THE BEHAVIOR WILL BE LEARNED

FREQUENCY – CONTINUATION OF BEHAVIOR IS BASED ON THE SCHEDULE OF REINFORCEMENT

The process of presenting an unpleasant consequence or removing a pleasant consequence to elicit a response.

The weakest form of Operant Conditioning.

PUNISHMENT

Problems with Using Punishment: 1) Punishment often causes the individual to AVOID BEING PUNISHED rather than stop the undesirable behavior.

2) Punishment can cause the individual to associate punishment with the PUNISHER, rather than the BEHAVIOR.

3) Punishment may train an individual about what NOT to do, but it doesn’t train WHAT to do.