B.F. SKINNER

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B.F. SKINNER AND OPERANT CONDITIONING BY NICI
REEG, KIM MADISON, JENNY KRESS and JEFF DYER
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Skinners research focused on how mice would
respond to stimuli.
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Here is a model of how he conducted his research
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Skinners system is based on OPERANT
CONDITIONING An organism receives a REINFORCING
STIMULUS and this has the effect of increasing
the OPERANT, or the behavior occurring just
before the reinforcer.
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EXTINCTION When the operant behavior is
eliminated during this process of reinforcement
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SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
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1.) CONTINUOUS REINFORCEMENT Every time a
behavior occurs, there is a reward 2.) FIXED
RATIO SCHEDULE A reward is given at specific
intervals (3 to 1, 1 to 20, etc.)
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3.) FIXED INTERVAL SCHEDULE A timing device is
used and a reward is given once during a
particular stretch of time (for example, every 20
seconds)
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4.) VARIABLE SCHEDULE The x factor changes
each time. According to Skinner, this is the
mechanism of gambling. You may not win very
often, but you never know when youll win again.
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SHAPING The method of successive approximations.
It involves reinforcing a behavior vaguely
similar to the one desired. As you go, you look
for variations that come closer to what you want,
and so on.
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SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION (invented by Joseph
Wolpe), a step by step technique used to alter
behavior
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING 1.)
Behavior that is reinforced will reoccur
(intermittent reinforcement is particularly
effective)
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING 2.)
Information should be presented in small amounts
so that responses can be reinforced (shaping)
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PRINCIPLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING 3.)
Reinforcements will generalize across similar
stimuli (stimulus generalization) producing
secondary conditioning
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EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
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It is better to reinforce desirable behavior than
to punish bad behavior
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Positive reinforcement works at least as well,
and probably better than, negative reinforcement.
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MAKING PUNISHMENT MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE
CLASSROOM Apply punishment swiftly Use
punishment just severe enough to be effective Be
consistent Explain the punishment Make an
alternative response available and reinforce it
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Education is what happens when what has been
learned is forgotten. B.F. Skinner
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