Operant Conditioning

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.
 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
 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.
 Operant Conditioning
 Operant conditioning has been widely
applied in clinical settings as well as
teaching and instructional development.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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
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.
 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
 Sources
 http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html
 http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/behsys/op
 http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/u/kraepeln/bs/