Operant Conditioning

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Operant Conditioning

• THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF ZANZIBAR

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What is Operant Conditioning?

• The form of learning where a response increases
  in frequency as a result of it being followed by
  a reinforcement.
• Students often learn and demonstrate new
  behaviors for the consequences that those
  behaviors bring.
• Example Sandy studies hard for her Accounting
  test. She gets an A on the test.

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Terms

• Operant an action that operates on the
  environment to produce a change in the
  environment
• Reinforcer an event when which made upon the
  occurrence of an operant increases the
  probability of the operant
• Punisher an event when which made upon the
  occurrence of an operant decreases the
  probability of the operant

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Operant Conditioning

• A theory used by many different people.
• B.F. Skinner and John Watson
• Reinforcement is a main concept of the theory
• One distinctive aspect of Skinners theory is that
  it attempted to provide behavioral explanations
  for a broad range of phenomena.

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Operant Conditioning

• Operant conditioning has been widely applied in
  clinical settings as well as teaching and
  instructional development.

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Operant Conditioning

• Appropriate and productive behaviors are acquired
  because of the desirable outcome that may occur.
• Many inappropriate and undesirable behaviors may
  be acquired for the same reason.

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Three Essential Conditions for Operant
Conditioning

• The individual must make a response.
• Behaviorists say that little is accomplished when
  the students just sit and listen to their
  teacher.
• Students are more likely to learn when they are
  making active responses within the classroom.
• Example Students will learn their cursive
  letters more easily by writing them.

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Three Essential Conditions for Operant
Conditioning

• A reinforcer must follow the response.
• To be most effective, the reinforcer should occur
  immediately after the response.
• The closer it occurs to the response the more
  effective it will be to the students.
• Example A teacher gives her students several
  minutes of free time after they complete an
  assignment.
• Delayed reinforcers are more likely to be
  effective with older students.

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Three Essential Conditions for Operant
Conditioning

• The reinforcer must be presented only when the
  response has occurred.
• Example A teacher who praises her students only
  when they behave appropriately.
• The reinforcer should never occur when the
  response does not occur.
• Example A teacher who laughs at inappropriate
  behavior of her students.

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Types of Reinforcers

• Positive Reinforcement the basis of all
  conditioning.
• Negative Reinforcement involves the removal of
  a bad consequence when the response is performed.
• Positive Punishment involves the presentation
  of a bad consequence when the response is
  performed
• Negative Punishment involves the removal of a
  good consequence when the response is performed

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Operant Conditioning vs. Classical Conditioning

• Classical conditioning also contains a stimulus
  and a response.
• Operant conditioning varies in two ways
• The order of the stimulus and the response.
• The nature of the response.

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How teachers should use Operant Conditioning in
the classroom

• Use reinforcement rather than punishment,
  otherwise use them together, if at all possible.
• Select reinforcers carefully
• Immediacy
• Source
• Frequency
• Learners themselves