Skinner's Operant Conditioning Theory

It includes comparison of various behaviour theories of learning, concept of Reinforcement and Punishment, Reinforcement schedule, Mechanism of Operant Conditioning etc.

1. SKINNER’S OPERANT CONDITIONING THEORY By- Jemima Sultana Department of Education Aligarh Muslim University

2. What is Learning? Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. Learning occurs when we are able to: Gain a mental or physical grasp of the subject. Make sentence of a subject, event or feeling by integrating it into our own words or actions. Use our newly acquired ability or knowledge in conjunction with skills and understanding we already possess. Do something with the new knowledge or skill and take ownership of it

3. Behaviourism and Behaviouristic learning Theory The basic idea of behaviorism is that learning consists of a change in behaviour due to the acquisition, reinforcement and application of associations between stimuli from the environment and observable responses of the individual. Behaviourists are interested in measurable changes in behaviour. Behaviourism is a school of psychology, which maintains that psychology can describe and measure only what is observable, either directly or through the use of instruments.

4. Thorndike’s Trial and Error Theory Thorndike, one major behaviourist theorist, put forward that (1) a response to a stimulus is reinforced when followed by a positive Rewarding effect and (2) a response to a stimulus becomes stronger by exercise and repetition. This view of learning is akin to the drill-and-practice programmes.

5. Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Theory Pavlov demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus, such as the sound of bell, with an automatic behaviour, such as salivating to food. Once the association was formed, the sound of the bell alone would make the dog salivate. Pavlov enthusiastically believed he had discovered the mechanism by which all behaviour are learned.

6. Operant Conditioning Responses are acquired and strengthened by the efforts, organism have in the Environment. The organism operates on the environment instead of simply reacting to the stimuli. The operant conditioning is defined as a form of learning in which response come to be controlled by their consequences. The response itself is called an operant response or an opponent.

7. Skinner’s Theory Skinner, the founder of operant conditioning believed that the causes of behaviour are in the environment and do not result from inner mental events such as thoughts, feelings or perceptions. Skinner argued that these inner mental events are themselves behaviours, and like any other behaviours, are shaped and determined by environmental forces. The organism, while going out its everydays activities, is in the process of “operating on the environment”.

8. Continuing.... 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 behaviour occuring just before the reinforcer. This is operant conditioning: “ the behaviour is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behaviour in the future .” A behaviour followed by a reinforcing stimulus results in an increased probability of that behaviour occuring in the future.

9. Key Terms: Skinner defined two types of responses: The one elicited by a known stimuli which is called as “ respondent behaviour ” and the other elicited by the unknown stimuli which is called as “ Operant behaviour ”. Examples of operant behaviour may include all reflexed such as jerking one’s hands when jabbed with a pin and the pupillary constriction on account of bright light or salivation in the presence of food Operant : Skinner considers and operant as a set of acts which constitutes an organisms doing something e.g.; raising its head, walking about, pushing a lever etc.

10. Skinner’s Experiment

11. Skinner Box and Pigeon

12. Components of Operant Conditioning

13. Mechanism of Operant Conditioning

14. Educational Implications

15. Formative assessment

16. Identify schedule of reinforcement

17. Identify the reinforcement schedules.

18. Thank You 😊