Operant Conditioning In Billy Scenario

Operant conditioning is “learning resulting from the response an organism receives following a behavior” (Burger, 2014). An example that I see of this is when I see children throwing tantrums in a grocery store because they did not get what they wanted. The parents give the child what it wants, and the child is no longer throwing a tantrum. The example of the child is showing a negative reinforcement. The negative reinforcement is taking away something troublesome because of the behavior that is acceptable (Burger, 2014). Another example that I have witnessed beforehand was when a child misbehaves in class, the teacher gives the child a timeout. This type of punishment is positive. Positive punishment is used to decrease a behavior and is showing

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

Skinner’s reinforcement experiments conducted on rats showed the principles of operant conditioning. While working with rats, Skinner would place them in a Skinner box with a lever attached to a feeding tube. After multiple trials, rats learned the connection between the lever and food, and started to spend more time in the box procuring food than performing any other action. He used positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement to produce or inhibit specific target behaviors. Therefore, if a specific behavior is reinforced then the probability of that behavior occurring again is increased. Based on Skinner’s view, this theory can be applied to learning because learning is nothing more than a change in behavior. Operant conditioning encourages positive reinforcement, which can be applied in the classroom environment to get the good behavior you want and need from students. One of the ways of reinforcing a student’s behavior is through praise. Also teachers can build operant conditioning techniques into their lesson plans to teach children possible skills as well as good behaviors. For example: to give a smiley face, or motivational stamps to encourage children to perform correctly and encourage them to repeat such action again.

The term punishment as used in operant conditioning refers to any change that occurs after a behavior happens that reduces the likelihood that the behavior will follow again in the future. Punishment occurs when a response is followed immediately by a stimulus change that decreases the future frequency of similar responses. Behaviorist B.F. Skinner was the first psychologist to identify

Mr. Higginbotham uses the idea of operant conditioning and continuous reinforcement throughout his classroom. Operant conditioning is the behavior in which voluntary behavior are strengthened or weakened by consequences, while continuous reinforcement deals with giving a reinforcer after every response. These reinforcers can be either positive or negative, strengthening or weakening the behavior that occurred. Positive reinforcements are there to increase the opportunity of a specific behavior reoccurring and negative reinforcement is strengthening behavior that results in a negative action. (Woolfolk, 2014, pgs. 277-278). An example in Mr. Higginbotham’s class of positive reinforcement would be during the point in time when he decides to announce that his progress checks can each be earned towards bonus points on their project and once ten complete progress checks have occurred the children can also receive a homework pass. Another positive reinforcement is the three highest scoring students will receive twenty-five dollars to their class trip fund for their senior year. A negative reinforcement is demonstrated in Mr. Higginbotham’s class when Susan shows disrespectful behavior and earns four detentions. These four detentions equal a day of indoor, in-school suspension. So even when students do not want to do their homework the progress report check will help the students work towards that one homework pass. Both positive and negative reinforcement as continuous

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 has made a significant contribution into the development of psychology. However, as with most psychological theories, this theory it has its strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, operant conditioning, with both its positive and negative aspects, is very important in promoting learning of desirable behaviors or removal of undesirable

Behaviour management is crucial in a school if children are to be able to accomplish their learning potential. Poor behaviour in the classroom reduces children’s ability to concentrate and absorb information. It unsettles children and then causes a lot of stress for teachers (Behaviour and Discipline in Schools, 2011). The two main types of behaviour models are operant and classical conditioning which were thought up by Pavlov and Skinner. Operant occurs where behaviours are moulded by environmental stimuli and classical occurs when conditioned links occur between stimuli and responses (Ayers, Clarke and Murray, 2000).

Scenario D: Roberta puts $1.50 in the soda machine to buy her daily Diet Coke. Today, nothing comes out, and she does not get her money back. Roberta does not put any more money into that machine. With regard to the behavior of Roberta putting, and later not putting, money into the soda machine, was classical or operant conditioning operating? If it is an example of classical conditioning, identify the UCS, UCR, CS & CR. If it is an example of operant conditioning, identify whether positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment is being used. Roberta’s change in behavior is due to operant conditioning. After having put money into the machine and not receiving anything, plus being unable to get her back money negatively reinforced

Researchers thereafter developed interventions that were heavily influenced by the operant learning theory (Matson, Benavidez, Compton, Paclawskyj, & Baglio, 1996). Proponents suggest that the probability of a behaviour occurring in the future is dependent on its consequence (Bachman, 1972). As such, modifying such behaviour involves changing the consequence (i.e., reinforcement, punishment). Reinforcement is a consequence that follows a behaviour and increases the probability of said behaviour occurring in the future (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2014). Positive reinforcement involves presenting a desirable stimulus while negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus. For example, desirable behaviours are positively reinforced with tangibles or negatively reinforced by the termination of demands. Punishment on the other hand is a consequence that follows a behaviour and decreases the future probability of the behaviour occurring (Cooper et al., 2014). Positive punishment involves the presentation of an aversive stimulus while negative punishment is the removal of a desired stimulus. For example, reprimanding the client is a form of positive punishment while ignoring his/her is a form of negative punishment.

Determining the best way to raise and teach children is a topic that has been discussed and debated for a long time. As psychology has developed, so has our understanding of how organisms learn and how we can apply that to our lives. One method of teaching is operant conditioning, giving either rewards or punishments after a certain behavior to promote or discourage it. This method could be used to teach children; for example, teaching children to say please when asking for items.

Behaviorism provides insight into how I was learning in that moment. Operant conditioning, or the rewarding of part of a desired behavior, was present (Standridge, 2002). Positive punishment is one of the four quadrants associated with operant conditioning where something is added to decrease an undesired behavior (Standridge). The vice principal was going to charge me with insubordination to make sure I understood the severity of being disrespectful to authority. This is commonly used in education settings to reduce unfavorable behaviors in students.

If the behavior is not decreased then the consequence was not a punishment. Positive and negative reinforcement will always increase a behavior. If the reinforcement does not elicit an increase in the desired behavior it is not a reinforcement. In order to make punishment and reinforcement most effect I must punish/reinforce immediately following the behavior and I must create a schedule for punishment/reinforcement and remain consistent. Immediate response combined with a consistent schedule should have the students whipped into shape in no time. Operant learning can be very beneficial in a classroom setting or even in everyday

Personal happiness can be dependent upon another person or organism's behavior. This theory most definitely applies to me. I have a part-time job working at a daycare. One of my responsibilities is to help the afterschool kids with their homework. One child in particular, Sally, requires a lot of bribing and nagging to get her to start on her homework. I would be significantly happier at work if Sally would get out her homework after being asked only once, without being bribed. Using the operant conditioning and shaping method, I plan to get Sally to meet the goal, which is to start her homework after being asked only once without being bribed.The first day I started my operant conditioning plan, I asked Sally very nicely to get out her homework. Sally responded by whining saying that she wanted to do it at home. I then asked her a few more times only to be met with the same response. Seeing that I was getting nowhere, I then told her that if she started on her homework now, in fifteen minutes I would let her stop and play with Barbies. It was only then with the bribe that she got out her homework. After Sally

The second scenario is operant conditioning; the antecedent is that Sophie is very much used to living on her own without any disturbance, so when they built the fence without asking for her permission. This caused her to become scared and unstable which is consequence behaviour also why she was constantly calling the police for