Operant Conditioning free essay sample

Classical conditioning forms associations between stimuli and involves respondent behavior, or the automatic responses to a stimulus. In operant conditioning, organisms associate their own actions with consequences. Action followed by reinforcers increase and those followed by punishers decrease. It uses operant behavior, or behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli. Operant conditioning involves operant behavior that actively operates on the environment to produce stimuli. Skinners work elaborated a simple fact that Edward Thorndike called the law of effect: rewarded behavior is likely to recur. In his experiments involving the now famous ‘Skinner box’, Skinner used shaping, a procedure in which rewards guide an animals behavior toward a desired behavior. By rewarding responses that are ever closer to the final desired behavior, and ignoring all other responses, researchers can gradually shape complex behaviors. A reinforcer is any event that increases the frequency of a preceding response. We will write a custom essay sample on Operant Conditioning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Reinforcers can be: positive, presenting a pleasant stimulus after a response; negative, reducing or removing an unpleasant stimulus; primary, innately satisfying; or secondary, learned; and immediate or delayed. When the desired response is reinforced every time it occurs, continuous reinforcement is involved. More common are partial reinforcement schedules. Fixed-ratio schedules reinforce behavior after a set number of responses; variable-ratio schedules provide reinforcers after an unpredictable number of responses. Fixed-interval schedules feature an equal pause after each reinforcer, and variable-interval schedules reinforce the first response after varying time intervals. Like reinforcement, punishment is most effective when strong, immediate, and consistent. However, punishment is not simply the opposite of reinforcement, due to the fact that it can have several undesirable side effects, such as increased aggression and fear of the punisher. Even when punishment suppresses unwanted behavior, it often does not guide one toward more desirable behavior. The cognitive perspective has led to an important qualification concerning the power of rewards. The over justification effect  indicates that people may come to see rewards, rather than interest, as the motivation for performing a task. By undermining intrinsic interest, rewards can carry hidden costs. As with classical conditioning, an animals natural predispositions constrain its capacity for operant conditioning. Skinner has been criticized for repeatedly insisting that external influences, not internal thoughts and feelings, shape behavior and for urging the use of operant principles to control peoples behavior. Critics argue that he dehumanized people by neglecting their personal freedom and by seeking to control their actions. Operant principles have been applied in a variety of settings. For example, in schools, computer-assisted instruction embodies the operant ideal of individualized shaping and immediate reinforcement. In businesses, positive reinforcement for jobs well done has boosted employee productivity. In the home, peoples use of energy has been decreased by altering the consequences and providing feedback. Operant Conditioning free essay sample Study Guide Operant conditioning is a form of learning in which a person changes his behavior because of the results of his behavior. Skinner Box Example of Operant Conditioning Operant conditioning is a form of learning, which states that a person changes his behavior because of the results of his behavior. The result of acts can be reinforcement, punishment and extinction. Positive reinforcement (Reinforcement) occurs when there is a reward for a form of behavior. Negative reinforcement (Escape) occurs when an aversive stimulus is removed. Positive punishment occurs when a stimulus is added, which results in the behavior occurring less often. Negative punishment occurs when a stimulus is taken away, which results in the behavior occurring less often. Operant Conditioning ? Operant conditioning is a form of learning. According to this theory, a person changes his behavior because of the results of his behavior. extinction ? the action of making or becoming obsolete or discontinued. We will write a custom essay sample on Operant Conditioning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Operant conditioning Operant conditioning is a form of learning. According to this theory, a person changes his behavior because of the results of his behavior. The result can be: Reinforcement: a positive or rewarding event which causes the behavior to occur more often. Punishment: a negative or punishing event which causes the behavior to occur less often. Extinction: no event follows; the behavior has no consequences. When a behavior has no consequences, it will occur less frequently. Four Contexts of Operant Conditioning Within operant conditioning, the terms positive and negative are not used in their common or popular sense; positive means that something is added, and negative means something is taken away. Positive reinforcement (Reinforcement) occurs when there is a reward for a form of behavior. This will increase the frequency at which the behavior occurs. In the Skinner Box experiment, the reward is in the form of food when the rat presses a lever. Negative reinforcement (Escape) occurs when an aversive stimulus is removed. This will increase the frequency at which the behavior occurs. In the Skinner Box experiment, there was a loud noise, which was removed when the rat pressed the lever. Positive punishment occurs when a stimulus is added, which results in the behavior occurring less often. Example stimuli may be loud noise, electric shock (rat), or a spanking (child). Negative punishment occurs when a stimulus is taken away, which results in the behavior occurring less often. An example might be a childs toy taken away after the child does an undesired behavior. Summary: 2. Operant Conditioning It is the basic process by which an individuals behavior is shaped by reinforcement or by punishment. A good example is the study by Pedalino Gamboa (1974). To help reduce the frequency of employee tardiness, the researchers implemented a game-like system for all employees that arrived on time. When an employee arrived on time, they were allowed to draw a card. Over the course of a 5-day workweek, the employee would have a full hand for poker. At the end of the week, the best hand won $20. This simple method reduced employee tardiness significantly and demonstrated the effectiveness of operant conditioning on humans. Source: http://www. studymode. com/essays/Examples-Of-Classical-Conditioning-Operant-Conditioning-609191. html