OPERANT

CONDITIONING
B.F. SKINNER
 BURRHUS FREDERICK SKINNER
(March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990)

 Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American psychologist,

behaviorist, author, inventor, and Social Philosopher. He
was a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from
1958 until his retirement in 1974.
 Skinner was known for his impact on Behaviorism. He
developed the theory of Operant Conditioning.
 In 2002 survey, he was identified as the most influential
psychologist of the 20th century.
 TERMS TO KNOW
 OPERANT – Involving the modification of behavior by the
reinforcing or inhibiting effect of its own consequences.
 REINFORCEMENT- also means a reward , it increases the chance that
a behavior will occur again in the future
 PUNISHMENT – prohibition of doing something, it decreases the
chance that a behavior will occur again in the future.
 STIMULI- anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change.
 CONSEQUENCE – result or effect of an action
 Positive-negative Increase –
decrease
 Pleasant-unpleasant Adding - removing
We can trace back the origin of OPERANT
CONDITIONING to its predecessor, CLASSICAL
CONDITIONING which became the foundation of
BEHAVIORISM.
Classical conditioning involves learning a new
behavior through the process of ASSOCIATION :
In classical conditioning, Pavlov ring a bell every time he
fed his dog. Overtime, the dog became conditioned to
salivate when the dog heard the sound of a bell even
when food wasn’t present.

Food, which was able to trigger salivation naturally, is the

unconditioned stimulus. The bell’s sound which began to
trigger salivation after being paired with food repeatedly,
was the conditioned stimulus.
When the unconditioned stimulus (food)
and the conditioned stimulus (sound of a bell)
became associated, the conditioned stimulus
could trigger the same response (salivating).
This newly learned response became a
conditioned response. And this is now
a form of learning by association.
Skinner believed that the principles of
classical conditioning account for only a
small portion of learned behaviors.
He believed that CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
was far too simplistic to be a complete explanation
of complex human behavior.

He believed that we do have a mind, therefore its

more productive to study observable behavior
rather than internal mental events.
He believed that the best way to
understand operant behavior is
to look at the causes of an action
and its consequences.
Later, psychologist EDWARD LEE
THORNDIKE came up with the concept of
instrumental conditioning when he
observed the impact of reinforcement in
puzzle box experiments with cats trying to
escape. He called this process “TRIAL-AND-
ERROR” learning.
He proposed the LAW OF EFFECT:
“A connection between a stimulus and
response is strengthened when the
consequence is positive (reward) and the
connection between the stimulus and the
response is weakened when the
consequence is negative.”
Like Thorndike, Skinner’s work focused on
the relation between BEHAVIOR and its
CONSEQUENCES.
So the basis of this idea was from E.L.
Thorndike’s Law of Effect .
If you REWARD behavior, the behavior
will INCREASE and if you PUNISH a
behavior, the behavior will DECREASE.
Skinner investigated the idea of how behavior
influences or how behavior is changed by the
consequences that follows it. His experiment
was built on the concepts of reinforcement and
punishment to create the theory of OPERANT
CONDITIONING.
In Skinner’s operant conditioning
paradigm, observable behavior can be
manipulated when it is followed by
reinforcement or punishment.
 He referred to anything that INCREASES a
behavior as REINFORCEMENT and anything
that DECREASES a behavior as
PUNISHMENT.
 OPERANT
CONDITIONING
EXPERIMENTS

BF Skinner made a chamber called

Skinner Box. He put a rat inside
the box with a lever.
On accidentally bumping the lever,
the rat discovered that it opens
the chamber and a food from a
dispenser comes out.
Each time the rat pressed a lever
or a bar, it received food as
reinforcement.
So eventually the rat learns that If
he pulls that lever, he gets a
reward ---- the food.
 OPERANT
CONDITIONING
EXPERIMENTS

BF Skinner put a rat in a box

which had a mild electric current
that could cause the rat a
discomfort. On wandering around
the box, the rat randomly hit the
lever and turn the current off.
When exposed to electric current
in the box the rat learned to
always pressing the lever to
turned the current off. This is
called “escape learning”. Similarly,
Skinner also taught the rat to flip
the switch to prevent the electric
current from being turned on.
This is called “avoidance learning”.
WHAT IS OPERANT
CONDITIONING?
 OPERANT CONDITIONING

is a method of learning that employs

rewards and punishments for behavior.
It changes behaviors by using
consequences.
 OPERANT CONDITIONING

 Positive consequences reinforce behavior and

make it more likely to happen again.
 Negative consequences make behavior less
likely to happen again.
 OPERANT CONDITIONING

Through operant conditioning, an association is

made between a behavior and a consequence
(whether positive or negative) for that behavior.
Basically this means the association of
VOLUNTARY BEHAVIOR with a CONSEQUENCE.
WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS SAID TO BE
VOLUNTARY?
Operant behavior is said to be
"voluntary" because the responses
are under the control of the
organism and are operants.
 CLASSICAL CONDITIONING vs OPERANT CONDITIONING
 Classical Conditioning involves UNCONSCIOUS reflexive behavior while Operant
behaviors are behaviors under CONSCIOUS control.
 In operant conditioning, It’s VOLUNTARY, the subject has a choice to respond, it
actively does the behavior.
 In CLASSICAL CONDITIONING, the response of the dog was conditioned and was
involuntary because no one teaches the dog to salivate.
 Change in behavior happens from the consequences, the subject has a choice to
respond, it actively does the behavior .

 For example of classical conditioning, whenever you come home wearing a baseball cap, you take your child
to the park to play. So, whenever your child sees you come home with a baseball cap, he is excited because
he has associated your baseball cap with a trip to the park.
 In classical conditioning, the stimuli that precede a
behavior will vary to alter that behavior.
 In operant conditioning, the consequences which
come after a behavior will vary, to alter that
behavior.
 “BETWEEN STIMULUS AND
RESPONSE, THERE IS SPACE”

What do you think is that space?

 In that space is our power to
choose our RESPONSE.
 In operant conditioning, the subject has a
choice to respond, it actively does the behavior.
OPERANT CONDITIONING is built on the foundation
of rewards and punishment.
When our behavior is REINFORCED (rewarded) , we
are encouraged to repeat or continue that behavior,
and when our behavior is PUNISHED, we are
discouraged from repeating or continuing that
behavior.
*Note:
Today’s psychologists and parenting experts favor reinforcement over punishment because punishment
is not effective , it can have severe side effects. In Psychology, punishment physically is actually a bad
thing, it does harm than good.
 PURPOSE OF OPERANT CONDITIONING

The MAJOR PURPOSE of OPERANT CONDITIONING is

to encourage desirable behaviors through rewards
and reduce behaviors through punishments.

Applying reinforcement and punishment creates a

deliberate and conscious operant learning process.
 OPERANT CONDITIONING
3 KEY CONCEPTS
1. REINFORCEMENT

2. PUNISHMENT

3. EXTINCTION
 OPERANT CONDITIONING
3 KEY CONCEPTS
1. REINFORCEMENT
a. Positive Reinforcement
b. Negative Reinforcement

2. PUNISHMENT
c. Positive Punishment
d. Negative Punishment

3. EXTINCTION
 TYPES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING
that could affect new learning

REINFORCEMENT PUNISHMENT
 It increases the probability of a behavior  It decreases the likelihood of a behavior
being repeated. being repeated.
 POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT  POSITIVE PUNISHMENT
Adding PLEASANT stimulus to Adding UNPLEASANT stimulus to
DECREASE a behavior.
INCREASE a behavior.
 NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
 NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
Removing or taking away of PLEASANT
Removing or taking away of UNPLEASANT
stimulus to DECREASE a behavior.
stimulus to INCREASE a behavior.
 REINFORCEMENT
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Adding a Removing of
PLEASANT stimulus UNPLEASANT stimulus
to INCREASE a to INCREASE a behavior.
behavior.
 PUNISHMENT
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Adding Removing of
UNPLEASANT PLEASANT stimulus
stimulus to to DECREASE a
DECREASE a behavior.
behavior
 EXAMPLES OF REINFORCEMENT
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
 If you get a perfect score on all of your  If you do your homework you don’t
quizzes you’ll be exempted on the FINAL have to do any chores today.
EXAM.
Removal of unpleasant stimulus:
Adding Pleasant stimulus:
doing the chores
Exemption on exams
Increased desired behavior: Increased desired behavior:
getting perfect scores doing homework
RESULT: You might get a perfect score again RESULT: You will always do your
in the future for you to get the reward – the homework to avoid doing the chores.
FINAL EXAM exemption.
 EXAMPLES OF REINFORCEMENT
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
Every time you take out the trash your Workers won’t get yelled at when they arrive
mother will give you a very big hug. at work on time.
Adding Pleasant stimulus:
Big hug Removal of unpleasant stimulus:

Increased desired behavior: The yelling

Increased desired behavior:
Taking out the trash.
Arriving at work on time

RESULT: You will repeat doing it because

you want that hug from your mother. RESULT: Always arriving early at work to avoid
being yelled at.
 EXAMPLES OF PUNISHMENT
POSITIVE PUNISHMENT NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
Assigning the students to clean the whole If a child misbehaves, a parent can take
classroom if they always comes late in the away his favorite toy.
class.
Removing of pleasant stimulus:
Adding of unpleasant stimulus:
favorite toy
Cleaning the whole room
Decreased undesired behavior: Decreased undesired behavior:
Coming late in class Misbehaving of the child
RESULT: The student will avoid being late in RESULT: The child will behave to avoid
class. removal his favorite toy.
 EXAMPLES OF PUNISHMENT
POSITIVE PUNISHMENT NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
The teacher gives a student an extra homework Students lose their recess time for making
for making noise in the class. too much noise.
Removing of pleasant stimulus:
Adding of unpleasant stimulus: Recess time
Extra homework Decreased undesired behavior:
Decreased undesired behavior:
Making too much noise
Making noise in the class

RESULT: The students will behave in class to

RESULT: The student will stop being noisy in have their recess time.
class to avoid extra homework.
 PRACTICE TEST

A department store often give discounts and gift cards to

their regular and loyal customers.
 PRACTICE TEST

A department store often give discounts and gift cards to

their regular and loyal customers.
ANSWER: POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Adding of pleasant stimulus:
Discounts and gift cards
Increased desired behavior:
The assurance of shopping again in the future

RESULT: Customers will continue shopping again in the future.

 PRACTICE TEST

The annoying sound of your car disappears as soon as

you fasten the seatbelt.
 PRACTICE TEST

The annoying sound of your car disappears as soon as

you fasten the seatbelt.
ANSWER: NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
Removal of unpleasant stimulus:
ANNOYING SOUND
Increased desired behavior:
FASTENING THE SEATBELT

RESULT: The next time you drive, YOU will soon fasten the seatbelt to avoid this annoying
sound.
 PRACTICE TEST

A parent assigns the child an extra chores for playing

video games all day.
 PRACTICE TEST

A parent assigns the child an extra chores for playing

video games all day.
ANSWER: POSITIVE PUNISHMENT
Adding of unpleasant stimulus:
doing extra chores
Decreased undesired behavior:
playing video games

RESULT: The child will stop playing videogames all day to avoid doing extra chores.
 PRACTICE TEST

Confiscating driver’s license for recklessly driving.

 PRACTICE TEST

Confiscating driver’s license for recklessly driving.

ANSWER: NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
Removing of pleasant stimulus:
Driver’s license
Decreased undesired behavior:
Recklessly driving
 EXTINCTION
The third component of operant conditioning is extinction, which is the
process and rate that a behavior is forgotten once reinforcement or
punishment has ended.

AN EXAMPLE for this:

 Unwanted Behavior such as tardiness and dominating class discussion
can be extinguished through being ignored by the teacher.
 An employee was punished once for missing work, then never again.
It may become more likely to miss work later on because on the second
time, she was ignored for the absence.
 THINGS TO REMEMBER
 Reinforcement always increases a  Punishment always decreases a
behavior whether positive or behavior whether positive of negative
negative  It should be noted that punished
 Reinforcement is guided to the behavior is not forgotten, but is only
desired behavior OPPRESSED. So if punishment is no
longer present, the behavior returns.
 Reinforcement tells you what to do, Unlike reinforcement, it is not guided
while punishment only tells you to the desired behavior but only
what not to do. SUPPRESSES undesired behavior. It
 Positive reinforcement does not should continue to keep the frequency
of a behavior down.
have to involve tangible items. You
can positively reinforce your child Ex. Your mother made you stop playing
through cheering, giving a hug, or video games but you still didn’t do your
pat in the back, a thumbs up, homework
praising or giving a high-five.
 The use of OPERANT CONDITIONING is
widespread.
We see examples of operant learning
everywhere because it occurs everywhere. It’s
utilized by parents, teachers, companies,
government and even me and you. Sometimes
we are using it unknowingly.
 EDUCATIONAL APPLICATION
 In the conventional learning situation, operant conditioning
applies largely to issues of class and student management,
rather than to learning content. It is very relevant to shaping
skill performance.
 A simple way to shape behavior is to provide feedback on
learner performance – compliments, approval,
encouragement and affirmation.
 THANK YOU
GOD BLESS US ALL 