Learning-Operant Conditioning Paper

Operant conditioning according to Walker et al (2007) pg 86 refers to learning that involves changes in voluntary responses those over which we normally have conscious control. Operant conditioning was developed largely by B.F. Skinner (1974,1989). According to Bastable (2003) pg 57 chap 3 operant conditioning focuses on the behaviour of the organism and reinforcement that occurs after the response. A reinforcer is a stimulus or event applied after a response that strengthens the probability that the response will be performed again. Skinner (1974) suggested that giving positive reinforcement i.e. (reward) greatly enhances behaviour and the likelihood that a response will be repeated in a similar circumstance. A second way to increase behaviour is by applying

1. Operant conditioning is a type of behavioral learning developed by made famous by psychoanalysis B.F. Skinner in the late 1930’s. Operant conditioning is the act of learned behavior through consequences. Types of operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment.

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. There are two types of learning, associative learning and cognitive learning. Associative learning occurs when a person or an animal forms a simple association among various stimuli, behaviors, or both. It requires little to no awareness or thought. Cognitive learning refers to understanding, knowing, and anticipating. Our subject today comes from associative learning. There are two types of associative learning. Ivan Pavlov of Russia, discovered classical conditioning, and Edward Thorndike discovered operant conditioning.

There are two major learning styles: operant and classical conditioning. One of the easiest ways to learn something new involves operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a standout amongst the most well-known ways we learn something because when an event occurs, good or bad, your mind is remembering the action. Classical conditioning is a form of behavioral learning where two stimuli are proffered repeatedly until the response between the two are linked. Its theory involves learning new behaviors through the course of action of affiliation. In other words, stimuli are associated with each other to create a new learned acknowledgement or response in a party. Homologous to a consignment of other things, classical conditioning and operant conditioning have their pros and cons.

Skinner 's theory of operant conditioning was based on the work of Thorndike that he reviewed (1948). Edward Thorndike studied learning in animals using a puzzle box to propose the theory known as the 'Law of Effect ', responses that produce a satisfying effect in a situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation. Skinner introduced a new term to Thorndike’s theory known as reinforcement (Skinner, 1948). Reinforcement is a stimulus (as a reward or the removal of an electric shock) that increases the probability of a desired response in operant conditioning by being applied or affected following the desired response. Skinner branched off Thorndike’s approach studied operant conditioning by experimenting on animals using conditioning chambers also known as a Skinner box and in 1948

Operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a 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.

Operant Conditioning Theory by B.F. Skinner is a psychological manipulation using rewards and punishments to enforce positive behavior. It uses an individual person’s response to events or stimulus. When a particular Stimulus-Response pattern is rewarded, the individual is conditioned to respond. The distinctive characteristic of operant conditioning is related to previous forms of behaviorism. The Operant Conditioning theory comprises of neutral operants, positive/negative reinforcers, and positive/negative punishers. Through these factors, we get the desired behavior of our subject because they do not want to be punished for under performing so they do what they’re told to or do more of what they were assigned to to receive positive stimulus

Operant conditioning comes with four types of consequences: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Positive and negative reinforcement has shown to increase associated behaviors while positive and negative punishment has shown to decrease associated behaviors. For example, positive reinforcement could be giving an autistic child candy when they are taught new things. Negative reinforcement could be placing a rat in a box to try and teach it to press the bar to release food but instead sends an electric shock. As for positive punishment, we could use the same rat and after repeated shocks he understand that when he presses the bar he will get shocked. For negative punishment, if the rat continues to press the bar his food will disappear. Non-associative learning changes the size of responses to a single stimulus rather than form a connection between stimuli. Non-associative learning is split into two subcategories: habituation and sensitization. Habituation lessens our reactions to repeated experiences while sensitization enlarges our reactions to a range of stimuli following exposure to one strong

Learning is the act of changing an organism’s behavior in response to an experience. Associative learning is when an organism links two events that occur close in time. When an organism learns to make associations, it is being conditioned. There are two types of conditioning. Operant conditioning is when an organism associates an action and the consequence of that action. It results in the organism adapting its behavior to maximize rewards and minimize punishment (Skinner). On the other hand, classical conditioning is a type of learning where an organism associates a certain stimulus and the response to it with a different stimulus. A neutral stimulus is associated with an unconditioned response to an unconditioned

Operant conditioning is a theory that was pioneered by Skinner, and it is a theory that is based on the type of consequence that is given following a particular behaviour. Skinner divided the consequences of actions into three groups, positive rein forcers, negative reinforcers and punishers. Skinner looked at what would happen to behaviour if giving positive reinforcers at different intervals. Most professionals and practitioners will use this theory in one way or another such as giving rewards for good behaviour or sanctions for bad behaviour so the theory is well used in today’s frameworks and practices.

Operant conditioning is described as the way of learning in which the future likelihood of a particular behavior is affected by it consequences. Interested in animal intelligence, the first experimental studies of operant conditioning were attempted by Edwin L. Thorndike in the 1890s (Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013). Of the many experiments Thorndike conducted with animals, the most famous experiment involved cats (Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013). Thorndike placed cats in an enclosed puzzle box and placed a dish of food outside of the puzzle box for the cat. The mail goal of the experiment was to see how quickly the cat could learn to escape the puzzle box to reach the food. After many repeated trials the cat eventually

In Operant conditioning, subjects learn from experiences and create a relationship between behavior and consequences. As a result, when actions are provided with a favorable result, they are reproduced. Likewise, unfavorable actions are not reproduced because the subject operates in some way to gain rewards or avoid punishment. Whereas, in Classical conditioning (Pavlov and Watson), an automatic/ involuntary response is associated with two stimuli. The first stimulus is an Unconditioned stimulus which triggers and unconditioned response. By creating a conditioned stimulus and presenting both stimuli, the subject is able to associate the two together, leading to a conditioned response. This involuntary response is created with the originally neutral stimulus. In classical conditioning, a subject’s behavior is determined primarily by the stimulus and not possible rewards or consequences. These behaviors are respondent behaviors which are involuntary and respond to the stimulus.

Operant conditioning is a type of learning which occurs through either receiving reinforcement or punishment for a behavior. This type of learning creates an association between a behavior and consequence for that behavior. The four types of operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement, and negative punishment. If operant conditioning was used properly it could be used to solve a variety of social and resource dilemmas; especially in the case of the cattle ranchers and overgrazing.

Every living organism experiences the world differently, and those experiences and different stimuli have an effect on the way living things learn. Learning is a basic method of survival because it allows living organisms to avoid dangerous situations, food, and a variety of other things in the world that can be fatal. The process of learning can be observed or broken down into different methods, but the two most prominent methods are known as classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning can best be described as observing how different stimuli can affect certain behaviors, and operant conditioning is described as the effect rewards and punishments have on influencing the recurrence or avoidance of specific behaviors. After learning about classical and operant conditioning, I am better equipped to observe it in my own life and to compare it to other scientific examples.

Solomon et al. (2002) explain that operant conditioning occurs as the individual learns through external stimulus to perform behaviours that create positive feelings and avoid those which produce negative outcomes.