Operant Conditioning

By:
Emma C. Balbastro
Bulalacao National High School
 What Is Operant Conditioning?

Operant conditioning is a method of learning that

occurs through rewards and punishments for
behavior. Through operant conditioning, an
association is made between a behavior and a
consequence for that behavior.
 Operant conditioning was coined by
behaviorist Burrhus Frederic Skinner, who believed
that the organism, while going about it's everyday
activities, is in the process of operating on the
environment. In the course of its activities, the
organism encounters a special kind of stimulus,
called a reinforcing stimulus, or simply a
reinforcer. This special stimulus has the effect of
increasing the behavior occurring just before the
reinforcer.
 The Skinners Box at first the mouse
would have just
wondered around
in search for food
and would have
accidentally
pressed down on
the lever whilst
exploring. It would
then present him
with food, and the
mouse would
associate the
pressing of the
lever with the
presentation of
food.

Then it'll know whenever it's hungry to press that lever

because of that conditioning it went through.
 Skinner used the term operant to refer to
any "active behavior that operates upon the
environment to generate consequences"
 Examples of Operant Conditioning

children completing homework to earn a

reward from a parent or teacher
employees finishing projects to receive praise
or promotions
a child who lost recess privileges because he
talk out of turn in class
 Components of Operant Conditioning

Reinforcement
A kind of stimulus that aims to increase the
strength in behavior due to its consequence
Punishment
Any event that causes a decrease in the behavior
 Types of Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcements
are favorable events that are presented after
the behavior
(Reward Learning)
Negative Reinforcement
a response or behavior is strengthened by
stopping, removing or avoiding a negative outcome
or aversive stimulus (escape-avoidance learning)
Examples of positive reinforcement:
After executing the learning plan, the principal
said Great job.
A student answered all the items correctly in the
unit test. The teacher said you are exempted in
the periodic test.
 Types of Positive Reinforcers

A. Natural reinforcers are those that occur

directly as a result of the behavior. For example, a
girl studies hard, pays attention in class and does
her homework. As a result, she gets excellent
grades.
B. Token reinforcers are points or tokens that are
awarded for performing certain actions. These
tokens can then be exchanged for something of
value.
 C. Social reinforcers
involve expressing
approval of a behavior,
such as a teacher,
parent or employer
saying or writing
"Good job" or
"Excellent work."
 D. Tangible reinforcers
involve the presentation
of an actual, physical
reward such as candy,
treats, toys, money and
other desired objects.
 When is positive reinforcement most
effective?

When it occurs immediately after the behavior

When the reinforcement is presented
enthusiastically and frequently
 Negative Reinceforcement

Examples:
You leave your house early to avoid being late
You clean up your mess in the kitchen to avoid in a
fight with your roommate
 When is negative reinforcement most
effective?

it is most effective when reinforcers are

presented immediately following a behavior
 Schedule of Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement is a rule stating
when and how often a behavior will be
reinforced.
This is applicable when you are purposely
trying to train and reinforce an action
 Types of reinforcement schedules
1. Continuous Reinforcement
the desired behavior is reinforced every
single time it occurs. Generally, this schedule is
best used during the initial stages of learning in
order to create a strong association between the
behavior and the response.
2. Partial Reinforcement
the response is reinforced only part of the
time.
Schedules of partial reinforcement:
1. Fixed-ratio schedules
are those where a response is reinforced
only after a specified number of responses.
2. Variable- ratio schedules occur when a response is
reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses.
3. Fixed-interval schedules are those where the first
response is rewarded only after a specified amount of
time has elapsed.
4. Variable-interval schedules occur when a response is
rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has
passed
 Punishment
Punishment is a kind of stimulus that aims
to decrease the strength in behaviour due to its
consequence.
 Kinds of punishment
Positive punishment
involves presenting an unfavorable
outcome or event following an undesirable
behavior (punishment by application)
Example:
wearing favorite dress to class but
reprimanded by the teacher for violating the
schools dress code
 Negative punishment
It involves taking something good or desirable
away to reduce the occurrence of particular
behavior. (punishment by removal)
Example:
after getting low grades in her subjects
because of spending more time in texting rather
than in studying, her mother takes her cellphone
away.
 Negative punishment is more effective if:

It immediately follows a response.

It is applied consistently.
 Strength of Behavior
Increases Decreases

Stimulus is POSITIVE POSITIVE

presented REINFORCEMENT PUNISHMENT
Consequences

Stimulus is
NEGATIVE NEGATIVE
removed
REINFORCEMENT PUNISHMENT
THE END