Causes of Ab Behaivor 4

Operant Conditioning

• Associated with psychologist B. F. Skinner

• Conducted numerous studies on rats and pigeons

• Findings are applicable to human learning

Key Principles

• Definition: Operant conditioning is a learning process where behaviors are influenced by their consequences.

• Categories: Two main categories:

  • Reinforcement: Increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring

  • Punishment: Decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring

Types of Reinforcement and Punishment

Positive Reinforcement

• Definition: Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a particular behavior

• Example: Gumball machines at supermarkets

  • Parents encourage good behavior by promising a gumball if children behave during shopping

Negative Reinforcement

• Definition: Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior

• Example: Seatbelt alarm in cars

  • Unpleasant sound stops when the seatbelt is buckled, encouraging safe behavior

Positive Punishment

• Definition: Adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior

• Example: Sports team practice

  • Coach makes the team run extra laps when performance is lacking, discouraging poor effort

Negative Punishment

• Definition: Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior

• Example: Time-out for children

  • Child misbehaves (e.g., throwing sand) and is removed from play to discourage negative behavior