OPERANT CONDITIONING

B.F. SKINNER

Reinforcement – to help increase the probability that a specific behavior will occur in the future by
delivering or removing a stimulus immediately after a behavior.

Punishment – a process by which a consequence immediately follows a behavior which decreases the
future frequency of that behavior.

Positive Reinforcement Positive Punishment

 Increased behavior  Decreased behavior
 Motivating stimulus to the person after  Presenting an aversive consequence after
the desired behavior is exhibited an undesired behavior is exhibited

 A mother gives her son praise (reinforcing
stimulus) for doing homework (behavior)
 The little boy receives 50.00 (reinforcing
stimulus) for every A he earns
 A father gives his daughter candies
(reinforcing stimulus) for cleaning up her
room (behavior)
 A child picks his nose during class
(behavior) and the teacher reprimands him.
 A child touches a hot stove (behavior) and
feels pain (aversive stimulus)
 A person eats spoiled food (behavior) and
gets a bad taste in his/her mouth (aversive
stimulus)
 A student came in late (behavior), the
teacher let him/her stand at the back of the
room (aversive stimulus)

Negative Reinforcement Negative Punishment

 Increased behavior
 Removing or avoiding the negative
consequence
 Gina does the dishes (behavior) in order to
stop his mother’s nagging (aversive
stimulus)
 Natalie can get up from the dinner table
and avoid her mother to get angry (aversive
stimulus) when she finishes eating the
veggies on her plate (behavior)
 Joe presses a button (behavior) that turns
off a loud alarm (aversive stimulus)
 Decreased behavior
 A reinforcing stimulus is removed after
a particular undesired behavior is
exhibited
 A child kicks his classmate (behavior) and
is removed from his/her favorite activity
(reinforcing stimulus removed)
 A child yells out in the class (behavior),
loses a token for good behavior on his/her
token board that could have later be cashed
in for a prize (reinforcing stimulus
removed)
 A child fights with her brother (behavior)
and has his favorite toy taken away
(reinforcing stimulus removed)

Note: Research shows that positive consequences are more powerful than negative consequences for
improving behavior. Therefore, it is highly suggested that these interventions be tried prior to negative
consequences.