Operant Conditioning Tutorial

Module D Lesson 1 Tutorial
Operant Conditioning
C r e a t e d b y : P r o f e s s o r H o k e r s o n
A m e r i c a n R i v e r C o l l e g e
L a s t U p d a t e d : F a l l 2 0 1 5

Using this Tutorial
 Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the
screen.
 Click on hyperlinks when prompted.
 Have fun and learn!

Table of Contents (TOC)
 Objectives
 Module Objectives #7, 8, and 9
 Action Items
 B.F. Skinner’s Theory
 Reinforcement
 Punishment
 Applied Examples
 The Effectiveness of Punishment
 Final Thoughts
 In Conclusion

Module D Objectives
B y t h e e n d o f t h i s t u t o r i a l y o u w i l l b e a b l e t o …
# 7 – E x p l a i n h o w b e h a v i o r i s l e a r n e d u s i n g p o s i t i v e a n d n e g a t i v e
r e i n f o r c e m e n t , a n d p u n i s h m e n t b y a p p l i c a t i o n a n d r e m o v a l .
# 8 - I d e n t i f y 2 f a c t o r s t h a t i n f l u e n c e t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f p u n i s h m e n t .
# 9 – I d e n t i f y t h r e e r e a s o n s w h y p u n i s h m e n t i s l e s s e f f e c t i v e a t c h a n g i n g
b e h a v i o r t h a n r e i n f o r c e m e n t .
# 1 0 - C o n t r a s t t h e s u c c e s s r a t e s o f B . F . S k i n n e r ’ s r e i n f o r c e m e n t s c h e d u l e s
a s t h e y a f f e c t l e a r n i n g

Action items
A C T I O N I T E M S

B.F. Skinner’s Theory
 Read: B.F. Skinner and the
Search for Order in Behavior,
Chapter 5 (pages 197-198)
 Tip! Although his theory
helps to explain how
voluntary behaviors are
learned, Skinner does not
describe them as voluntary
because he believes behavior
is a product of consequences
of past behavior.
 “If you control environment
then you control behavior.”
Skinner

 Tip! Skinner’s theory is a response-stimulus theory.
 Behavior precedes the stimulus which controls behavior.
 For example, a child says, “Dad may I please have a cookie?” (the
behavior) because he has learned that saying please is more likely
to result in getting the cookie (the stimulus).
 This is contrary to Classical Conditioning in which the stimulus
always precedes the learned behavior.
• Pavlov’s classical conditioning is a stimulus-response theory.

 Tip! For behavior to be learned the stimulus must be
meaningful to the individual. For example…
 Stimulus - A professor offers extra credit to students who arrive to
class on-time.
 Response – Students who want extra credit will arrive on-time, those
that don’t care about extra credit may or may not.
 Stimulus - A parent puts their child on time-out when he/she
misbehaves.
 Response – Children who don’t care about time-out aren’t motivated to
stop misbehaving because that consequence isn’t undesirable.

Reinforcement
 Read: Reinforcement section, Chapter 5 (pages 198– 200).
 Summary: Reinforcement is any stimulus which increases the
frequency of behavior. There are two ways to reinforce behavior:
 Negative Reinforcement – taking away of something undesirable
 Positive Reinforcement – addition of something desirable
 Question: What stimuli are reinforcing in your life? How do you use
the principle of reinforcement to influence other people’s behavior?

Punishment
 Read: Punishment section, Chapter 5 (pages 200 – 203).
 Summary: Punishment is any stimulus which decreases the
frequency of behavior. There are two ways to punish behavior:
 Punishment by removal– taking away of something desirable
 Punishment by addition– addition of something undesirable
 Activity: Complete Part 1 of the Operant Conditioning Worksheet

Applied Examples
 Activity: Complete Part 2 of the Operant Conditioning
Worksheet as you go through the rest of this tutorial. Ask
yourself these questions:
 What is the behavior?
 What is the stimulus?
 Is behavior more or less likely to continue?
More likely to continue … Less likely to continue …
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
Punishment by Addition
Punishment by Removal

Example 1
Dillon left home earlier than usual one morning to avoid heavy morning
traffic on his way to work. Dillon leaves home earlier again the next
morning and again because he dislikes driving in heavy traffic.
 Is behavior more or less likely to continue ?
Leaving home early
Avoids traffic
X
Click here for answer

Example 2
Dillon left for work early to finish up a project, so that he could leave work
on-time this afternoon to go to a music concert tonight at the
amphitheater.
 Is behavior more or less likely to continue ?
Get his work done early
Goes to a concert
X

Example 3
Dillon was late for work because of heavy traffic and was “written up” by
his supervisor. He plans on leaving earlier for work the next day.
Late for work
Written up by supervisor
X

Example 4
Although Dillon made it to work on-time today, he didn’t finish his
project by its deadline so he had to work through lunch to get it done.
It’s 2 o-clock and he’s still really hungry!
Did not finish his work on-time
Lost his lunch break
X

Example 5
Megan’s mom is always nagging her to wash the dishes and when Megan
does the dishes, her mom stops nagging her. From now on Megan is
more likely to do the dishes to avoid her mother's nagging.
More likely to continue… Less likely to discontinue…
Does the dishes
Her nagging mom!
X

Example 6
One of Megan’s chores is to wash the dishes. If she completes her chores
each day, she earns $2 allowance, and she is saving up to buy a new
iPod.
Complete her chores each day
Gets a $2 allowance
X

Example 7
Megan didn’t wash the dishes tonight, so her mother gave her an
additional chore for the rest of the week – taking out the garbage.
Did not wash the dishes
Extra chore for the week
X

Example 8
Megan didn’t wash the dishes all week, so her mother confiscated her
iPhone for 2 weeks.
Did not wash the dishes
Mom confiscated her iPhone
X

Example 9
Sergio always puts his seatbelt on in his car to stop that irritating buzzing
sound when he turns over the ignition.
Wears his seatbelt
Irritating buzzing sound
X

Example 10
Sergio was pulled over by a police officer last week for not wearing his
seatbelt, so he is sure to buckle-up each time he gets behind the wheel.
Not wearing his seatbelt
Pulled over by police
X

Example 11
Sergio lost his driver’s license because he was pulled over for not driving
with a seatbelt on, and it was the 5th point on his driving record.
Not wearing his seatbelt
Lost his driver’s license
X

Example 12
Tabbitha studied a lot for the midterm exam because she would lose her
financial aid if she doesn’t pass this class.
Studying for exam
Losing her financial aid
X

Example 13
Tabbitha studied a lot for the midterm exam because it makes her feel
good to get the highest score in the class.
Studying for exams
Feels good when she gets high scores
X

Example 14
Tabbitha did not study enough for the midterm exam and failed. Now she
will have to re-take the class.
Studying
Has to re-take the class
X

Example 15
Tabbitha did not study enough and failed the midterm exam. As a result
she will lose her academic scholarship.
Studying
Loses her scholarship money
X

The Effectiveness of Punishment
 Tip! Skinner believed that there
are 2 ways to improve the
effectiveness of punishment
however reinforcement is more
effective at shaping behavior (see
reasons to the right).
 Question: If punishment is not
as effective, what are some
alternatives?
 Read: “Changing the Behavior
of Others”, chapter 5 (pages 202-
203)
1. Punishment more effective if
immediate, rather than delayed.
2. Punishment is more effective if
consistent.
3. Punishment teaches to avoid bad
behavior but not replace with positive
behavior.
4. Intense punishment can result in
acquiring new, undesirable
behaviors.
5. The effects of punishment are more
likely to be temporary, or used in
specific situations rather than
generalized.

Final Thoughts
 Watch: Do you want to watch operant conditioning in action? Here is
a video montage from the TV show “The Big Bang Theory” in which the
principles of Skinner’s theory are used to change behavior.
 Around minute 2:45 there is a misapplication of Skinner’s theory- did you
catch it?
 Read: Shaping and Maintaining Behavior, Chapter 5 (pages 207 - 209).
 Which 2 schedules produces high rates of responding
 Tip! Not all reinforcement is the same. In fact sometimes constant
reinforcement can have a negative effect on behavior!
 Which type of reinforcement is more resistant to extinction?

In Conclusion
 Operant conditioning helps to explain how consequences shape
our behavior.
 Through reinforcement and punishment.
 Reinforcement is better at shaping behavior than punishment.
 The stimulus must always be meaningful in order to result in a
change in behavior.
 Operant conditioning helps to explain how voluntary behavior is
learned.
 However voluntary behavior is also learned through indirect
experience, which is called observational learning.

Module D Objectives
B y t h e e n d o f t h i s t u t o r i a l y o u s h o u l d n o w b e a b l e t o …
# 7 – E x p l a i n h o w b e h a v i o r i s l e a r n e d u s i n g p o s i t i v e a n d n e g a t i v e
r e i n f o r c e m e n t , a n d p u n i s h m e n t b y a p p l i c a t i o n a n d r e m o v a l .
# 8 - I d e n t i f y 2 f a c t o r s t h a t i n f l u e n c e t h e e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f p u n i s h m e n t .
# 9 – I d e n t i f y t h r e e r e a s o n s w h y p u n i s h m e n t i s l e s s e f f e c t i v e a t c h a n g i n g
b e h a v i o r t h a n r e i n f o r c e m e n t .
# 1 0 - C o n t r a s t t h e s u c c e s s r a t e s o f B . F . S k i n n e r ’ s r e i n f o r c e m e n t s c h e d u l e s
a s t h e y a f f e c t l e a r n i n g

Operant Conditioning Tutorial

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