Back Operant Conditioning
What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behavior.
For example, when lab rats press a lever when a green light is on, they receive a food pellet as a reward. When they press the lever when a red light is on, they receive a mild electric shock. As a result, they learn to press the lever when the green light is on and avoid the red light.
But operant conditioning is not just something that takes place in experimental settings while training lab animals. It also plays a powerful role in everyday learning. Reinforcement and punishment take place in natural settings all the time, as well as in more structured settings such as classrooms or therapy sessions.
Contact therapists & counselors now.
Source: Staddon JE, Cerutti DT, Operant conditioning. Annu Rev Psychol. 2003; Rilling M., How the challenge of explaining learning influenced the origins and development of John B. Watson's behaviorism. Am J Psychol. 2000
Operant conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behavior.
For example, when lab rats press a lever when a green light is on, they receive a food pellet as a reward. When they press the lever when a red light is on, they receive a mild electric shock. As a result, they learn to press the lever when the green light is on and avoid the red light.
But operant conditioning is not just something that takes place in experimental settings while training lab animals. It also plays a powerful role in everyday learning. Reinforcement and punishment take place in natural settings all the time, as well as in more structured settings such as classrooms or therapy sessions.
Contact therapists & counselors now.
Source: Staddon JE, Cerutti DT, Operant conditioning. Annu Rev Psychol. 2003; Rilling M., How the challenge of explaining learning influenced the origins and development of John B. Watson's behaviorism. Am J Psychol. 2000
