Bf Skinner and Operant Conditioning

B.F. SkinnerOPERANT CONDITIONING

B.F. SkinnerBurrhus Frederic Skinner

March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990

“It is a mistake to suppose that the whole issue is how to free man. The issue is to improve the way in which he is controlled.”

B.F. SkinnerAmerican psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social philosopher

Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in 1974

considered free will an illusion and human action dependent on consequences of previous actions

If the consequences are bad, there is a high chance that the action will not be repeated; if the consequences are good, however, the actions that led to it will become more probable

• Principle of reinforcement

Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning– sometimes referred to as instrumental

conditioning

– method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior

– Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior.

Types of BehaviorsRespondent behaviors• occur automatically and reflexively, such as pulling

your hand back from a hot stove or jerking your leg when the doctor taps on your knee

Operant behavior• under our conscious control. • Some may occur spontaneously and others

purposely, but it is the consequences of these actions that then influence whether or not they occur again in the future.

"active behavior that operates upon the

environment to generate

consequences" (1953)

Operantbehavior

Operant Conditioning– Skinner was more interested in how

the consequences of people's actions influenced their behavior

– Operant conditioning relies on a fairly simple premise - actions that are followed by reinforcement will be strengthened and more likely to occur again in the future.

Components of Operant Conditioning

• any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows. Reinforcement

• favorable events or outcomes that are presented after the behavior

• behavior is strengthened by the addition of something, such as praise or a direct reward.

Positive reinforcers

• removal of an unfavorable events or outcomes after the display of a behavior

• response is strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant

Negative reinforcers

Components of Operant Conditioning

• presentation of an adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the behavior it followsPunishment

• punishment by application• involves the presentation of an unfavorable

event or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows.

Positive punishment

• punishment by removal• favorable event or outcome is removed after a

behavior occurs.

Negative punishment

Reinforcement Schedules

Skinner also found that when and how often behaviors were reinforced played a role in the

speed and strength of acquisition.

Reinforcement Schedules

Continuous reinforcement

Partial reinforcement

Continuous reinforceme

ntinvolves delivery of a reinforcement every time a response occurs.

Learning tends to occur relatively quickly, yet the response rate is quite low.

Extinction also occurs very quickly once reinforcement is halted.

Fixed-ratio schedules

Responses are reinforced only after a specific number of responses have occurred.

This typically leads to a fairly steady response rate.

Fixed-interval schedules

Reinforcement occurs only after a certain interval of time has elapsed.

Response rates remain fairly steady and start to increase as the reinforcement time draws near, but slow immediately after the reinforcement has been delivered.

Variable-ratio schedules

involve reinforcing behavior after a varied number of responses.

This leads to both a high response rate and slow extinction rates.

Variable-interval schedules 

This schedule involves delivering reinforcement after a variable amount of time has elapsed.

This also tends to lead to a fast response rate and slow extinction rate.

Exercises– A lion in a circus learns to stand up on a

chair and jump through a hoop to receive a food treat

– Positive reinforcement

Exercises– A professor has a policy of exempting

students from the final exam if they maintain perfect attendance during the quarter. His students’ attendance increases dramatically.

– Negative reinforcement

Exercises–When a child does not put his

clothes in the hamper, he has to do ten extra minutes of chores.

– Positive punishment

Exercises–You check the coin return slot on a

vendo machine and fine a 10 peso coin. You find yourself checking other vendo machines over the next few days.

– Positive reinforcement

Exercises–Ted gets a P5000 fine and suspension

of his driving license for driving under the influence of alcohol.

– Negative punishment

References:– Cherry, K. A. (2005). Operant conditioning. Retrieved from

http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/introopcond.htm

– McLeod, S. A. (2015). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html