B. F. Skinner and his Study of Operate Conditioning Essay

Observe Body Language - This is a very powerful form of non-verbal communication. It is shown by the way we stand, how we place our hands or arms, make gestures and facial expressions.

need verbal communication, we need to know how to listen and how to read body language. In fact communicating is not only “using words―, we need to know which words and gestures to use and how to use them and also how to interpret those of the other person.

The year 1913 marks the birth of the most radical of all psychological concepts, that of "Behaviorism" (Moore, 1921). Since the original behavioral theories were studied by scientists such as Edward Thorndike and John B. Watson, there have been many variations of the behaviorist view that have surfaced over the years. In this paper I will attempt to give a detailed description of the history of behaviorism including information about some of the most influential men associated with this movement. I will also explain the methodologies associated with behaviorism such as classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and other controversial theories and views.

A fundamental tenet of Skinner's radical behaviorism is that the probability of a behavior is related directly to the nature of the environmental consequences that follow performance of that behavior. From this basic tenet he derived a set of procedures for modifying behavior by a method called operant conditioning. Specifically, behavior is strengthened, or increased in frequency, when followed by either a positive consequence (positive reinforcement) or removal of a negative consequence (negative reinforcement). Behavior is weakened, or decreased

b: Speech means it is spoken as sounds. It is a vocalized language and it is learnt before children

There are many levels and moving parts in communication. We rely on both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication in order to send, receive, translate and respond to each other (Cheesebro, O’Connor, Rios, 2010). The spoken or written word only comprises of about 7% of our communication with each other. The other 93% is made up of voice quality and non-verbal communication (Heathfield, 2011). Non-verbal communication or demonstrative communication comes in many forms. It includes body language, facial expressions, eye contact, posture, touch and tone of language.

sort of communicative value whether someone is showing it in a facial expression or in the way

Behaviorism is a theory that human or animal psychology can be studied through examination of observable behavioral events. Behavior is a subject matter in its own right; it is also the functioning of an organism that entails communication or exchanges with its environmental settings (Moore, 2011). it is also the functioning of an organism. One way Skinner influenced the field of psychology was by building a conditioning chamber or known to society today as the Skinner Box. A rat was placed into the Skinner Box which had a lever and a food tray. If the rat were to hit the lever, food would drop out onto the tray. After the rat hit the bar on accident and a food pellet would drop, Skinner observed that the rate the bar was hit increased and remained high until the rat was no longer hungry (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, Nock, 2014, 18-19). Skinner assumed that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the reasons of an action and its result. He called this method operant conditioning which expanded the field of psychology. Operant conditioning is changing the behavior of an organism or being by reinforcement (Mcleod,

A central concept in Piaget’s theory is that of the schema. It is defined as an internalized representation of the world or an ingrained and systematic pattern or thoughts, action, and problem solving. Our schemata are developed through social learning or direct learning. Both processes involve assimilation, which is

B. F. Skinner believed that a human being’s behavior is influenced and determined by external factors. He believed that free will and an individual’s freedom of choice was non-existent. I believe that Mr. Skinners ideas of operant conditioning for society is not a good idea.

“Verbal communication is the spoken word and includes actual words, intended and inferred meanings, tone and vocal inflection.” (Lee, Duck, McMahan, & Lambert,

Jean Piaget is best known for his stage theory on moral development of children which occurs in two distinct stages from heteronomous to autonomous and three sub stages premoral (0 to 5 years), moral realism ( 5 to 10 years), and moral relativism (after age 10). In premoral development, children do not think about right or wrong. In the moral realism phase, children understand right and wrong. Lastly, in moral relativism children move from a concrete understanding of morality to an abstract one; meaning they make decisions according to their own rules. They understand that rules are not absolute but necessary for society to get along (Slavin & Schunk,

Skinner successfully developed a behaviourist approach that allows him to explain and treat someone with OCD. Using the systematic desensitisation to gradually introduce someone to their phobia that results in them having OCD. However, Skinner does not consider the thoughts that might be involved in psychological problems. Cognitive theory takes this into consideration thus attempting to change these thoughts.

The second historical force focuses on the Behavioral and cognitive approaches. B.F. Skinner a behaviorist develops operant conditioning learning theory. In the operant conditioning theory skinner develops two types of reinforcements: Positive and negative reinforcements as well as two types of punishments: Positive and negative punishments. A reinforcement is most likely to increase the likelihood of a behavior while a punishment is more likely to decrease the likelihood of a behavior. Skinner who rejected introspection began to study how consequences shape our behavior. The reason he rejected self-examination is because he believed one cannot measure inner thoughts or feelings but the way one reacts to them. Skinner was influenced by Edward

There have been many famous individuals who have contributed to education. BF Skinner, William Glasser, John Dewey, and Lev Vygotski are four notorious men in the history and impact of education. Bf Skinner (1904) was a behaviorist who his most widely known for his theory of operant conditioning and the Skinner box. His created this theory to study human behavior. Operant conditioning includes positive and negative reinforcement as well as positive and negative punishment. Positive reinforcement is giving a person a reward when the child behaves well. The opposite of positive reinforcement is negative reinforcement which is the removal of a something negative to increases the likelihood of positive behavior. Negative punishment is the removal of something positive to eliminate bad behavior. Positive punishment is when something negative is added to a situation to decrease bad behavior. B.F. Skinner had a significant influence on education. He believed that behavior can only be changed through learning. His discoveries through operant conditioning can be used in education in classrooms today. When a child’s behavior starts to change, that is a signal to the teacher that the child has learned from previous experiences. For example when a child raises his or her hand to be called on in class, they wait patiently because the student knows from previous experiences that talking when the student is not supposed to is bad behavior. The student then waits patiently to avoid being