Operant Conditioning

1. Operant Conditioning
BY
DR.SHAZIA ZAMIR

2. Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Characteristics of Operant Conditioning
Behavior Modification through operant
conditioning

3. About Burrhus Frederic Skinner
March 20, 1904-August 18,
1990
American Psychologist
Developed the Theory of
Operant Conditioning

4. Operant Conditioning
States that people learn their behavior from
their history or past experiences, particularly
those that were repeatedly reinforced.

5. What is Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is the 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.

6. What is Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs
through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through
operant conditioning, an individual makes an association
between a particular behavior and a consequence (Skinner,
1938)
In operant conditioning, reinforcement or punishment are
used to either increase or decrease the probability that a
behavior will occur again in the future

7. Punishment in Operant Conditioning
Punishment is the presentation of an adverse event or outcome that
causes a decrease in the behavior it follows. There are two kinds of
punishment:
Positive punishment, sometimes referred to as punishment by
application, presents an unfavorable event or outcome in order to
weaken the response it follows. Remarks on misbehavior is an example
of punishment by application.
Negative punishment, also known as punishment by removal, occurs
when a favorable event or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs.
Taking away a child's video game following misbehavior is an example
of negative punishment.
In both of these cases of punishment, the behavior decreases.

8. Reinforcement in Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it
follows. There are two kinds of reinforcers:
Positive reinforcers are favorable events or outcomes that are presented
after the behavior. In situations that reflect positive reinforcement, a
response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of something, such
as praise or a direct reward. For example, if you do a good job at work
and your manager gives you a bonus.
Negative reinforcers involve the removal of an unfavorable events or
outcomes after the display of a behavior. In these situations, a response is
strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant. For
example, Studying for an exam to avoid getting a poor grade .Low grade
as a negative reinforcer for studying (but.. a high grade is a positive
reinforcer for studying at the same time).
In both of these cases of reinforcement, the behavior increases.

9. The Skinner Box

10. B.F. Skinner proposed his theory on operant conditioning by
conducting various experiments on animals. He used a special box
known as “Skinner Box” for his experiment on rats.
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
as it began to adapt to the environment of the box, 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. This phenomenon
continued for the third, fourth and the fifth time, and after a while,
the hungry rat immediately pressed the lever once it was placed in
the box. Then the conditioning was deemed to be complete.
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.

11. How does the Skinner Box demonstrate
operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner proposed his theory on operant conditioning
by conducting various experiments on animals. He used a
special box known as “Skinner Box” for his experiment on
rats. ... Here, the action of pressing the lever is an operant
response/behavior, and the food released inside the
chamber is the reward.

12. Operant Conditioning in Daily Life
Do we wait for the subject to deliver the
desired behaviour!
Sometime, we use a process called shaping.
Shaping: Shaping is reinforcement small
steps in the way to desired behaviour.

13. Examples of Operant Conditioning in classroom
 Children completing homework to earn a reward from a parent or
teacher
 Child who lost recess privileges because he talks out of turn in class.
 By building operant conditioning techniques into lesson plans, it is
easily possible to teach children useful skills - as well as good
behaviors. By using symbols like smiley faces, 'Good Work' stamps,
stickers, and even simple ticks when a child does something correctly,
you are encouraging them to repeat such satisfying work again
further down the line.

14. You could even use this type of reinforcement when teaching a
student something totally new, like how to spell a particular word.
When they do it correctly, you can administer praise to ingrain the
message that they've done it right. By doing the opposite when they
don't get it exactly correct, you can tempt them away from doing it
this way in the future. In effect, the process is all about nurturing the
student and aiding them in their development. With a good attitude
and positive approach, it really can be done.

15. Characteristics of operant conditioning
All behavior is learned.
Consequences result from behavior- reward and
punishment.
Behavior that is rewarded with reinforcers tends to
recur.
Positive reinforcers that follow behavior increase the
likelihood that the behavior will recur.
Negative reinforcers that are removed after a
increase the likelihood that the behavior will recur.

16. Behavior Modification through Operant
Conditioning
A method of attempting to strengthen a
desired behavior or response by
reinforcement- either positive or negative.