Skinner, Operant Learning, and Environmental Control

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist who studied reinforcement

Skinner box

A laboratory apparatus used to study behavior under controlled reinforcement conditions

Operant learning

Learning in which behavior changes as a function of its consequences

Shaping

Building a complex behavior by reinforcing progressively closer responses

Contingent

Dependent on a specific behavior occurring- reinforcement is delivered only when the behavior occurs

Aversive control

Controlling behavior through punishment

Self-control

Changing one's own behavior by changing the environment in which one behaves

Behavior modification

Applying behavioral principles to change behavior in practical settings

Token economy

A system in which tokens are earned for behavior and exchanged for reinforcing items or activities

Technology of behavior

A systematic application of behavioral principles to practical human problems

Teaching machine

A device Skinner developed to support programmed learning

Programmed learning

Instruction organized into carefully sequenced learning steps

Genetic endowment

Inherited biological history that Skinner described as one influence on behavior

History of the species

Evolutionary history described by Skinner as one source of behavioral determination

Individual learning history

What has happened to a person since birth that contributes to current behavior