INTRODUCTION:

Learning is a process of gaining new and relatively persisting information or behaviours. There are many
different types of learning theories. Key learning theories are Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism.
As per the Behaviourists, learning can be defined as relatively permanent change in behaviour, brought about
as a result of experience or practice. It is a learning theory, based on the idea that behaviour can be controlled
and modified based on the consequences of the behaviour,hence is considered as an internal event.

There are two types of Behaviourism : Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditiong. Classical conditioning is
a process where stimuli are paried with biologically significant events to produce involuntary and reflexive
behaviours eg. Salivatinf or blinking. In contrast, operant conditioning is voluntary and depends on the
consequences of a behaviour eg. Pressing a leaver or putting up an umbrella.

Operant conditioning originated in the work of Edward Throndiken. He studied learning in animals using a
puzzle box to propose the theory known as the 'Law of Effect'. Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an influential
human in the field of behaviourism. He is referred to as the Father of operant conditioning. He believed that
the best way to understand behaviour is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He called this
approach operant conditioning. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning was based on the work of Thorndike
(1905). Skinner introduced a new term into the Law of Effect - Reinforcement. Behaviour which is reinforced
tends to be repeated (i.e. strengthened); behavior which is not reinforced tends to die out-or be extinguished
(i.e. weakened).

OPERANT CONDITIONING THEORY:

Operant conditioning , sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning is a method of learning that uses
rewards and punishment to modify behaviour. Through operant conditioning, behaviour that is rewarded is
likely to be repeated, and behaviour that is punished will rarely occur. According to Skinner, positive events
increase the probability of recurrence of behaviour. He belived that determining the causes of behaviour is the
most important factor for understanding why an organism behaves in a particular way.

According to Earnest R. Hilgard :

“Operant conditioning refers to the strengthening of a stimulus-response association by following the
response with reinforcement stimulus.”

Skinner : “Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for
behaviour. Through operant conditioning, an individual makes an association between a particular behaviour
and a consequence.”

SKINNER’S EXPERIMENT AND COMPONENTS OF OPERANT CONDITIONING:

B. F. Skinner proposed his theory on operant conditioning by conducting various experiments on animals. He
used a special device called the operant conditioning apparatus, also known as Skinner’s box for his
experiment on rats. Basing on his experiment there were several terms to explain operant conditioning :

1. Reinforcement (Strengthened/Increase Behaviour)

Reinforcement is any event that strengthened or increases the behaviour it follows, however they are
situation specific; something that might be reinforcing one scenario might not be in another. For eg. Seeing
your running shoes near the front door might triggered you to go for run. One day your running shoes end up
in a different location, so you do not go for a run. Other shoes by the front door do not have the same effect
as seeing your running shoes.

 Positive Reinforcement : When we are rewarded for certain behaviour, those behaviour will increase or
more likely to be repeated.

As the first step to his experiment, he placed a hungry rat inside the Skinner box. The rat was initially
inactive inside the box, but gradually it began to explore around. Eventually, the rat discovered a lever,
upon pressing which; food was released inside the box. After it filled its hunger, it started exploring the box
again, and after a while it pressed the lever for the second time as it grew hungry again and eventually,
everytime when the rat was hungry it immediately pressed the lever. Here, the action of pressing the lever
is an operant response/behavior, and the food released inside the chamber is the reward.

The experiment is also known as Instrumental Conditioning Learning as the response is instrumental in
getting food. This experiment also deals with and explains the effects of positive reinforcement. Upon
pressing the lever, the hungry rat was served with food, which filled its hunger; hence, it’s a positive
reinforcement.

For example: as a teacher you give a candy (i.e. a reward) each time a student complete their homework,
they are more likely to repeat this behavior in the future, thus strengthening the behavior of completing
their homework. Another example, Coupons and discounts that are offered to customers who make a
purchase are a form of positive reinforcement that encourages the desired behaviour of buying a particular
product.

 Negative Reinforcement : If given the opportunity to escape painful situation, we’ll be movited to behave
accordingly.

Skinner placed a rat in a chamber in the similar manner, but instead of keeping it hungry, he subjected the
chamber to an unpleasant electric current. The rat having experienced the discomfort started to
desperately move around the box and accidentally knocked the lever. Pressing of the lever immediately
seized the flow of unpleasant current. After a few times, the rat had smartened enough to go directly to the
lever in order to prevent itself from the discomfort.

The electric current reacted as the negative reinforcement, and the consequence of escaping the electric
current made sure that the rat repeated the action again and again. Here too, the pressing of the lever is an
operant response, and the complete stop of the electric current flow is its reward.

For example : You see that students are volunteering answers during class. At the end of the lesson, you
could say, “Your participation during this lesson was great! No homework!” Homework is typically
something students would rather avoid (negative reinforcer). They learn that if they participate during
class, then the teacher is less likely to assign homework. Another example, a customer who receives a late
fee on their credit card bill may be more likely to pay on time in the future to avoid negative consequences.

Two types of negative reinforcement : Escape and Avoidance

Skinner even taught the rats to escape and avoid negative reinforcement by turning on a light just before
the electric current came on. The rats soon learned to press the lever when the light came on because they
knew that this would stop the electric current being switched on. These two learned responses are known
as Escape Learning and Avoidance Learning.
 Escape conditioning : Training of an organism to remove or terminate an unpleaseant stimulus. A person’s
behaviour causes an unpleasant event to stop.

 Avoidance conditioning : training of an organism to withdraw from or prevent an unpleasant stimulus

before it starts.

2. Punishment ( Weakens/Decrease Behaviour)

Punishment is designed to weaken or eliminate a response rather than increase it. The most common example
of this is disciplining (e.g. extra homework) a child for misbehaving. The punishment is not liked and therefore
to avoid it, he/she will stop behaving in that manner. It is important to understand that punishment, though it
may be useful in the short term, does not stop the unwanted behavior long term or even permanently.

 Positive Punishment: It can be understood as the addition of something, which causes the decrease in the
rate of same behaviour being repeated. It aims to weaken the target behavior by associating it with an
undesirable consequence.

For example : scolding a child when they throw a tantrum; something is added (scolding) to discourage a
bad behaviour (throw a tantrum). Another example, A child receives a scolding (an aversive stimulus) from
their parent immediately after hitting their sibling. This is intended to decrease the likelihood of the child
hitting their sibling again.

 Negative Punishment: The removal of certain favourable thing or something rewarding from the
organism’s life, which then decrease the likelihood of that behaviour happening in the future. It aims to
weaken the target behavior by taking away something the individual values or enjoys.

For example : A child kicks a peer (behaviour), and is removed from his/her favourite activity. Another
example, A teenager loses their video game privileges (a desirable stimulus) for not completing their
chores. This is intended to decrease the likelihood of the teenager neglecting their chores in the future.

There are many problems with using punishment, such as:

Punished behavior is not forgotten, it’s suppressed – behaviour returns when punishment is no longer present.
It causes increased aggression – shows that aggression is a way to cope with problems.
Creates fear that can generalise to undesirable behaviors, e.g., fear of school.
Does not necessarily guide you toward desired behavior – reinforcement tells you what to do, and punishment
only tells you what not to do.

3. Extinction
Extinction is the lack of any consequences following a behaviour. When a previously reinforced behaviour is no
longer reinforced with either positive or negative reinforcement, it leads to a decline in the response and are
not likely to be repeated. In Skinner’s experiment, the rat might stop pressing the lever if food serving is
stopped.

For example : Receiving several text messages from a friend throughout the day, and you do not respond,
eventually they might stop sending you text messages.
CRITICISM :

Operant conditioning can be used to explain a wide variety of behavior, from the process of learning, to
addiction and language acquisition. It also has practical application which can be applied in classrooms, prisons
and psychiatric hospitals.

However, operant conditioning fails to taken into account the role of inherited and cognitive factors in
learning, and thus is an incomplete explanation of the learning process in humans and animals. The role of
biological factors have been ignored. Skinner overlooked the individual differences present from birth.
Psychologist like Wolfgang Kohler found that primates often seem to solve problems in a flash of insight rather
than be trial and error learning. Also Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory suggests that humans can learn
automatically through observation rather than through personal experience.

The use of animal research in operant conditioning studies also raises the issue of extrapolation. Some
psychologists argue we cannot generalize from studies on animals to humans as their anatomy and physiology
is different from humans, and they cannot think about their experiences and invoke reason, patience, memory
or self-comfort.

The downsides of using operant conditioning on individuals include the potential for unintended negative
consequences, particularly with the use of punishment. Punishment may lead to increased aggression or
avoidance behaviors. Additionally, some behaviors may be difficult to shape or modify using operant
conditioning techniques, particularly when they are highly ingrained or tied to complex internal states.
Furthermore, individuals may resist changing their behaviors to meet the expectations of others, particularly if
they perceive the demands or consequences of the reinforcement or punishment to be undesirable or unjust.

CONCLUSION :

An application of B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning theory is seen in education and classroom management.
It have provided valuable insights into how behaviour can be shaped. Teachers use positive reinforcement
(rewards) to encourage good behavior and academic achievement, and negative reinforcement or punishment
to discourage disruptive behavior. For example, a student may earn extra recess time (positive reinforcement)
for completing homework on time, or lose the privilege to use class computers (negative punishment) for
misbehavior.

Verbal praise, positive facial expressions of the trainer or teacher, a feeling of success, high scores, good
grades, prizes, medals and opportunity to do work one likes are all good motivators. Giving expected direction
to the behaviour of pupil through reward and punishment may so removed noxious behaviour of the child.
However, it is important to remember that learing takes time.