Operant Conditioning

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Operant Conditioning

• By Emily Martinez
• Crystal Kellner
• Tyler Reed

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B.F. Skinner and How it Started

• B.F. Skinner 1940 -1990
• He grew up in Pennsylvania and had a very
  enjoyable childhood.
• Skinner was a very creative and free minded young
  boy always trying to invent things. (This later
  played a crucial role in his discoveries.)
• Skinner went to Hamilton College and became a
  English major.
• After receiving a degree in English Literature he
  read several pieces of work created by Pavlov and
  Watson.

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How it started..

• A shocking turn in his career skinner changed his
  studies to psychology. He was strongly influenced
  from Watson and Pavlovs work.
• When he was twenty-four he enrolled in Harvard
  University.(Psychology department)
• He became the Chair of the Department of
  Psychology.
• He married and had a daughter.
• At this young age he studied and created the
  Theory of Operant Conditioning.

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What is Operant Conditioning?

• "Operant Conditioning is thus 'learning by
  consequences'"

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Negative Reinforcement

• Strengthens a behavior because a negative
  condition is stopped or avoided as a consequence
  of the behavior (Levine).
• Taking something negative away in order to
  increase a response (Reinforcement).
• For example A teacher yells at a student over
  and over again to do his homework. The student
  finally does his homework and the teacher backs
  off. Because the yelling stopped as a result of
  completing the homework, the student will be more
  likely to do his homework.

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Punishment

• Weakens a behavior because a negative condition
  is introduced or experienced as a consequence of
  the behavior (Levine).
• Adding something aversive in order to decrease a
  behavior (Reinforcement).
• For example A child hits another student. The
  teacher therefore forbids him from going to
  recess. The child will keep his hands to himself
  in order to go to recess.

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Extinction

• A behavior no longer followed by the reinforcing
  stimulus results in a decreased probability of
  that behavior occurring in the future (Boeree).
• For example The class is used to getting a
  sticker every time they quietly line up. One day
  the teacher stops giving them stickers. She keeps
  this up for over a week. The class will slowly
  start to talk rather than be quiet.

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BF Skinner-Positive Reinforcement
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Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a procedure whereby a
student or subject, contingent upon performing
a specific behavior, is immediately rewarded to
maintain or increase that behavior. (Porter
2008).

• For example, if your teacher gives you 1 each
  time you complete your homework (i.e. a reward)
  you are more likely to repeat this behavior in
  the future, thus strengthening the behavior of
  completing your homework. (McLeod 2007).
• Another example could be to reward the students
  with stickers, pencils, or candy for classroom
  participation. It is difficult to encourage
  students to participate, and with this reward
  this can increase the positive behavior during
  class.

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Bibliography

• Boeree, C. G. (2006). B. F. Skinner. In
  Personality Theories. Retrieved February 15,
  2009, from http//webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/skinner
  .html
• Jones, M The learning perspective. Retrieved
  February 17, 2009, from The Other BPS Web site
  http//theotherbps.googlepages.com/thelerningpers
  pective
• Levine, A. (1999, November 23). Negative
  Reinforcement University. Retrieved February 15,
  2009, from Maricopa Community Colleges Web site
  http//www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/nru/nr.html
  
• McLeod, S. A. (2007). BF skinner operant
  conditioning. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from
  Simply Psychology Web site http//www.simplypsych
  ology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/operant-conditioning.ht
  ml and http//www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder
  .co.uk/skinner20box.jpg
• Porter, Valerie (2008 September 25). Tips on
  teaching positive reinforcement. Retrieved
  February 17, 2009, from Piece of cake Web site
  http//porterpreschool.blogspot.com/2008/09/tips-o
  n-teaching-positive- reinforcement.html
• Reinforcement. (2004, May 26). Psychology 101.
  Retrieved February 15, 2009, from All Psych Web
  site http//allpsych.com/psychology101/reinforce
  ment.html
• Pictures
• http//image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/12_2990a.
  jpg
• http//news-libraries.mit.edu/blog/wp-content/upl
  oads/2008/01/money.jpg
• http//www.toyconnection.com/Merchant2/graphics/0
  0000001/smst.jpg

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Visual found on You Tube

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vI_ctJqjlrHA