CONDITIONING

Tamayo, Edmar
Cruz, Myca Angela
I-15
March 20, 1904—August 18, 1990
Susquehanna, Pennsylvania
known as B.F. Skinner
American psychologist, behaviourist, author, inventor, and social philosopher
pioneer of modern behaviorism, along with John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov.
a June 2002 survey listed Skinner as the most influential psychologist of the 20th
century
best known for: Operant conditioning, Schedules of Reinforcement, Skinner
Box, Cumulative Recorder, and Radical Behaviorism
 Two Types of
Two
Behavior
Behavior

Respondent Behaviors Operant Behaviors

 Responden
Respondent
t Behaviors

occur automatically and reflexively

don't have to learn these behaviors, they simply occur automatically
and involuntarily.
 Operant
Behaviors

actions under conscious control

some may occur spontaneously and others purposely
actions on the environment and the consequences of that action
make up an important part of the learning process
 Operant
Operant
Conditioning
Conditioning
new term into the Law of Effect - Reinforcement.
behavior which is reinforced tends to be repeated (i.e.,
strengthened); behavior which is not reinforced tends to
die out-or be extinguished (i.e., weakened)
coined by B.F. Skinner in 1937
Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs
through rewards and punishments for behavior.
an individual makes an association between a particular
behavior and a consequence (Skinner, 1938).
Skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by
conducting experiments using animals which he placed in
a 'Skinner Box' which was similar to Thorndike’s puzzle
box.
Types of Operants or
Responses

Reinforcers Punishment
Good
Job!
 Reinforc
ers
Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a behavior
being repeated. Reinforcers can be either positive or negative.
Types of
Reinforcements

Positive Negative
favorable events or outcomes the removal of an unfavorable
that are presented after the events or outcomes after the display
behavior of a behavior
 Punishme
nts
Responses from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behavior
being repeated. Punishment weakens behavior.
Types of Punishments
Positive
punishment by application,
presents an unfavorable event or
outcome in order to weaken the
response it follows
Negative
punishment by removal, occurs
when a favorable event or outcome
is removed after a behavior occurs
Problems with
Punishments

Punished behavior is not forgotten

Causes increased aggression
Creates fear
Does not necessarily guide toward desired behavior
Factors that Alter the Effectiveness of
Reinforcement and Punishment

Satiation/Deprivation Immediacy Contingency Size

Reinforecem
ent SCHEDULE

Different patterns (or schedules) of reinforcement had different effects on

the speed of learning and extinction. This had effects on the Response
Rate ot the rate at which the rat pressed the lever (i.e., how hard the rat
worked), and the Extinction Rate or the rate at which lever pressing dies
out (i.e., how soon the rat gave up).