Operant Conditioning In Psychology Essays

Operant Conditioning in Psychology Essays
Operant Conditioning in Psychology
An Example of Operant Conditioning
As a student at USC, one can assume that I've always taken schoolwork seriously and may even infer that I partake a considerable degree of
enjoyment from it, which is by all means an accurate assumption. However, in my early childhood I was often characterized as unruly, uncooperative
and impulsive in nature. At that age I had been more interested in social endeavors more so than anything relating to studying or doing schoolwork. It
was always a negative issue when I brought it up in a conversation, and that assumption was reinforced through subsequent agreement amongst my
peers. Coupled with negative criticism from my teachers of the purported "attitude" I had in...show more content...
In addition to that my mom would come home on Wednesdays and Fridays to pick me up from school and help me out with schoolwork. Those
two factors aided me with my schoolwork and I met with triumph as I received my first progress report which translated into $40. My parents
continued to pay me until the end of the semester and then stopped, yet their praise of how well I was doing and their increased attentiveness to
my schooling was enough to keep me motivated through the rest of that school year. After receiving that initial push from my parents, my
motivation concerning school work began to rise. I had discovered that when I put forth a bit of effort, I could easily excel in nearly any subject.
The combination of not really knowing anyone too well at that school plus the discovery that I could actually do better than most in a few subject
areas kept me really focused on doing well in school. By that point, school became something that I did just for the sake of it like I would have a
sport, rather than just something I "had" to do in order to avoid punishment or gain a reward. Associations like that have motivated me to excel
academically and have given me the opportunity to be taking courses such as this at a University that I have great respect for.
Analysis of the Conditioning Experienced
The type of conditioning observed in this case would be Operant Conditioning, because
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Operant Conditioning
You are asked by a roommate to help him devise a weight loss program to increase his chance of making the football team. What would be a good
way to create a one month behavior modification program based on the principles of operant conditioning, which will get him started towards his goal.
Explain how you will measure, your roommate progress and what schedules of reinforcement will be included in your program.
Operant conditioning is one's attempt to modify behaviors, which are generally voluntary in nature and can be maintained. Because the known
consequences/responses as opposed to classic conditioning is a way that one can deal with the conditioning of the automatic/reflexive behavior, which
are not maintained by consequences. Operate conditioning can be a method of learning, that can occur through rewards and also punishments for
behavior. In other words, it is a type of learning, in which an individual's behavior may change in form, frequency, or strength. Conditioning one may
attempt to reach their goal and keep the process going even after the goal has been met. We see that with positive reinforcement an outcome can be
strengthened by getting a praise or direct reward. By measuring...show more content...
This will ensure that you stay on the correct regimen and receive the proper outcome of the goal that you have set. For example, when it comes to a
weight loss regimen you can measure progress by using a scale to keep track of the weight loss. Furthermore writing it down is the best way to
measuring progress. It helps to make sure that goals are being met and shows what changes need to be made. Measuring progress also gives you the
opportunity for personal development in the future, help to justify the time that you have put into your routine for proper reflection. If you feel that
your goal has not been met to satisfy your standard schedules of reinforcement may be of some

Operant Conditioning Examples
EXAMPLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING
Example of Operant conditioning, is when you decided to snooze the alarm in the morning after partying all night long. Finally you decide to get
up to go to work you are running 15 min late. And decide to step on gas pedal. You are now driving 50 mph on a 35 mph road. You think you are
fine and won 't get caught because everyone else is driving fast also. All of sudden a cop is hidden in between the trees and bushes. You try to brake,
in order to slow down a bit, but it 's too late.... The cop has turn on the lights and tail–gating you already. You pull over and you try to convince him that
you had a "tough night"... even though it 's a lie, and to let you off with a warning. The cop tells you he doesn 't care and you should know better.
Therefore he gives you a speeding ticket of about two hundred dollars and a court date if you decide to fight it. In order to go to court you will have to
miss work, which means you won 't get paid. Then you have to pay for all the additional court fees if you want to go to clear your record; your
insurance will go up, have to pay for driving school and miss more work also. You will have to go through all this trouble, time and money. Just for
being too lazy and "tired" to get up on time.
This type of Operant Conditioning is called positive punishment where you decrease and/or limit bad habits behaviors by adding an unpleasant outcome
and/or consequence after the unwanted behavior. Now when you decide to stay

Determining the best way to raise and teach children is a topic that has been discussed and debated for a long time. As psychology has developed, so
has our understanding of how organisms learn and how we can apply that to our lives. One method of teaching is operant conditioning, giving either
rewards or punishments after a certain behavior to promote or discourage it. This method could be used to teach children; for example, teaching
children to say please when asking for items. Operant conditioning relies on consequences to behaviors, and one of the consequences is reinforcement.
Reinforcement has two options: positive and negative. Positive reinforcement consists of the presentation of a stimulus that strengthens the probability
of the

Classical and Operant Conditioning Essay
While many people may believe that learning is just a natural response that all animals are capable of, there is actually a more complex explanation
on how we learn the things we do in order to survive in the world. Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are both basic forms of learning,
they have the word conditioning in common. Conditioning is the acquisition of specific patterns of behavior in the presence of well–defined stimuli.
Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to transfer a natural response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral
stimulus. Classical conditioning is achieved by manipulating reflexes. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which the likelihood of a...show
more content...
Organisms will be inclined to comply to the desired response if they are rewarded for doing so. If an organism is punished for a certain behavior they
will not risk the same punishment recurring.
In operant conditioning, it is possible to strengthen responses by either presenting positive reinforcement or by the removal of negative reinforces.
"New responses can be learned by organisms by gradually reinforcing closer and closer approximations of the desired response" (Weiten p. 238). This
is what is meant by shaping, It is the gradual use of reinforcement until the desired response has been reached.
Reinforcement is the main contributing factor in operant conditioning. There is more than one way to go about establishing reinforcement, if a delay
occurs between the response and the reinforcement the response may not become strengthened. It is likely that if the reinforcement occurs immediately
after the response that there will be a definite strengthening of the response. Continuous reinforcement is when reinforcement occurs at every instance
of the desired response. Intermittent reinforcement occurs when a response is reinforced some of the time. The different schedules of reinforcement
influence patterns of response. Intermittent schedules offer greater resistance to extinction than continuous schedules.

Psy 390 Operant Conditioning Essay
Dena Couch
PSY 390
July 30, 2012
Dr. Thauberger
In this paper there will be an examination of the Operant Conditioning theory. It will describe the theory, and compare and contrast the positive and
negative reinforcement. It will determine which form of reinforcement is the most effective, and will give an explanation of the reasoning behind that
choice. It will also give a scenario in which operant conditioning is applied and how it shapes behavior. It will show a schedule that could be used in
the reinforcement of the selected behavior in the scenario.
The theory of operant conditioning is that a response can be conditioned in a person and become a learned behavior by reinforcing the...show more
content...
Both forms of reinforcement have an achieved end result and both forms of reinforcement also have a draw back because if you discontinue the
reward for the behavior there is the potential for that behavior to not be exhibited anymore. Like if you took the bonus away from the salesperson
they would not be as eager to exceed the sales goal like they did when they were receiving the bonus. With the barking dog if you discontinue the
wearing of the collar eventually the dog will figure out that they can bark again and not be shocked so the barking will increase because there is no
shock being received from the barking. For this writer using positive reinforcement is more effective because by using a positive reinforcement it
encourages the person to want to continue the behavior and do better because they are being rewarded and not punished for that behavior. In my
opinion it is easier to get a person to exhibit a conditioned response if you give them a positive reward for that response and it is easier for them to
want to continue that behavior because they are being rewarded in a positive manner and not being punished for it.
A scenario in which operant conditioning is applied and how it shapes behavior would be house breaking a dog. If you take the dog to potty when
waking up and after each meal you are conditioning them to go potty after waking up and eating so as to not potty in the house. By giving the dog a
reward for actually

Advantages Of Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning has its weaknesses as it only focuses on visible reasons why a human would behave such. Skinner recommendation was only to
focus on visible possibilities without studying the inside behaviour of one. Operant explanation of being such is, his belief that inner thinking and
persuasion cannot be used to rationalise actions. I would disagree on this as, I personally belief that, how we think is how we act. Motivation and
thoughts one has, would definitely affect ones behaviour be it positively or negatively. For example, a student might be rebellious in school towards
teachers. There might be many reasons to explain why he or she is behaving such. That particular student might have family issues or even school
issues itself. For example, he or she would not want to focus and give concentration in class due to the mental and emotional disturbance of family
issues. That student might be even called up by the teacher for dreaming often and not participating in class. If this situation prolongs, his or her teacher
might even let him or her serve punishments for acting such. At certain circumstance, that particular student might not accept it and tend to be even
more strong headed....show more content...
The strengths of positive reinforcement in shaping Jane's students are that students would be encouraged to be more participative and focus. Students
are more likely to attentive especially when they know they would be awarded for what they have done. It would be a mini sense of achievement for
students although the reward might only be a bar of chocolate. It motivates them to be more participative during lessons and the activities that are
being conducted in class. Jane's students would find it livelier as they know they are being addressed in for what they know. Meaning the bar of
chocolate would be a mini acknowledgement for them for answering questions in

The brain is constantly changing behavior or thought as result of experience. This phenomenon is called learning. Learning occurs more than one may
realize, for instance learning a new behavior. Learning a new behavior occurs through behavior modification, a technique used to increase or decrease a
certain behavior, dependent on conditioning. Operant conditioning is a form of learning, managed by the consequences of the organisms behavior. Using
operant conditioning and behavior modification I will create a weight loss program that incorporates positive reinforcement and negative punishment
under a fixed ratio schedule to attain my roommate's goal of making the football team.
Positive reinforcement is presenting an organism with a stimulus, increasing the probability of that behavior. For my roommate, I will present him
with a new video game if he has lost three pounds at the end of one week. This should result in him wanting to lose more weight in order to receive a
new video game. If he does not lose this amount of weight then he will not receive anything, which will allow him to learn to lose the weight in order
to receive the reward. Another form of conditioning I will use is negative punishment. Negative punishment is removing something in order to decrease
a behavior. For my roommate, I will remove an...show more content...
At the end of three weeks if he has lost nine pounds he will receive three video games along with a bonus video game. This will encourage him to
continue the behavior of losing three pounds each week, in order to receive the bonus video game by the end of the three weeks. I will repeat this
process twice. By the second three weeks, he should have learned how to successfully lose three pounds a week. This behavior will greatly increase
his chances of the football team. Recording all data is crucial, in order to ensure he is following the program week by

Operant Vs Classical Conditioning Essay
Operant and Classical Conditioning are very similar, yet very different. You must be careful when observing both the stimulus and the stimuli that go
hand in hand, when discussing the two. One way to tell you know the difference of understanding the two is being aware that in classical conditioning,
expectations are built about stimulus events in the environment, but their behavior does not influence the stimuli that occur.
Classical conditioning is defined as a neutral stimulus being paired with a stimulus that leads to a reflexive response. These are events that happen
in the everyday world and we predict them to happen, anticipating what's to come next. Pavlov's dogs have been served as an infamous example of
classical conditioning, as they would salivate when he opened the door to feed them. My example is not of with Pavlov's dogs, but of my own.
Although, my dog is very playful and has a plethora of toys. Using his toys, usually come in handy when trying to...show more content...
This is called operant conditioning. Operant conditioning typically has both a reinforcer and punishment. A stimulus that increases the occurrence of a
response is a reinforcer. As to presenting an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the occurrence is a punishment. An example of a negative reinforcement
would be the car beeping to signal to fasten a seatbelt. Some of us are quicker than others to put on a seatbelt when first entering a car. If that car
signals that you have not put on your seatbelt in a timely fashion, you may hear that annoying "ding ding" as a reminder. Until your seatbelt is
fastened, the annoying noise will continue as a negative stimulus. Now, in the future if you're ever in the car and you fasten your seatbelt immediately
because you want to avoid the "ding ding", you may just realize it's just because you have been conditioned to do

Introduction
The presence of operant conditioning strategies in the classroom modifies undesired behaviors and creates a positive classroom climate. These
strategies focus on the intentional action and their effect on the surrounding environments. With operant conditioning strategies a student's response
can be shaped by an instructors reward. Within this broad spectrum of operant conditioning strategies includes two main categories: rewards and
instructions. Paring operant conditioning strategies with Positive Behavior interventions, teachers can identify, and individualize different methods to
teach children of all abilities. This review will focus on contingent instruction and group contingency strategies and how they are used to encourage
positive behaviors in students. These proactive interventions for the classroom increases the probability of repeated behaviors and bring about
desirable changes that teaches students to take accountability for their actions.
Doug
Doug, a second grader, engages in avoidance behaviors and has difficulties beginning tasks independently. Doug is a kinesthetic learner, and works
best when he is moving and this is reflected through his interests in science, mathematics, and robots and computers games. Scaffolding processes of
contingent instructions is a quick approach for error corrections. Specific directions are given to decrease undesired behaviors and encourage Doug to
engage in more appropriate behaviors.
Encouragement strategies

Operant Conditioning Essay
Operant Conditioning Overview: The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in
behavior are the result of an individual's response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. A response produces a consequence such as defining
a word, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem. When a particular Stimulus–Response (S–R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is
conditioned to respond. The distinctive characteristic of operant conditioning relative to previous forms of behaviorism (e.g., Thorndike, Hull) is that
the organism can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus. Reinforcement is the key element in...show more
content...
Parenthetically, it should be noted that Skinner rejected the idea of theories of learning (see Skinner, 1950). Example: By way of example, consider the
implications of reinforcement theory as applied to the development of programmed instruction (Markle, 1969; Skinner, 1968) 1. Practice should take
the form of question (stimulus) – answer (response) frames which expose the student to the subject in gradual steps 2. Require that the learner make a
response for every frame and receive immediate feedback 3. Try to arrange the difficulty of the questions so the response is always correct and hence a
positive reinforcement 4. Ensure that good performance in the lesson is paired with secondary reinforcers such as verbal praise, prizes and good
grades. Principles: 1. Behavior that is positively reinforced will reoccur; intermittent reinforcement is particularly effective 2. Information should be
presented in small amounts so that responses can be reinforced ("shaping") 3. Reinforcements will generalize across similar stimuli ("stimulus
generalization") producing secondary conditioning www.udayton.edu/~psych/DJP/histsys/pdfhs/hsbehavior2.pdf www.public.iastate.edu/~hdfs502
/powerpoint_files/Thomas_07.PDF B.F. skinners' theory is based on the idea that learning is the function of

Positive Reinforcement In Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is a kind of conditioning which examines how often a behavior will or occur or will not occur depending on the effects of the
behavior (King, 2016, pg. ). There are four different ways that positive, negative, reinforcement and punishment are applied in operant conditioning.
They are used as either positive and negative reinforcement or positive and negative punishment (King, 2016). Although, positive and negative apply
more significance to the words reinforcement or punishment. Positive is the addition of something to the stimulus, while negative is the removal of
something from the stimulus (King, 2016). For instance, with positive reinforcement, this is the addition to a factor that impacts the behavior to
increase the amount of times that the behavior occurs (King, 2016). An example of positive reinforcement is when a child is given an allowance for
completing their household chores; the positive reinforcement is the allowance which helps to increase the behavior of doing chores at home. In
contrast with negative reinforcement which increases the possibility of a behavior occurring by removing something from the factor that is
influencing the behavior (King, 2016). For example, scolding a student in the library every time they bring food into the library, results in the student
not taking anymore food into the library to avoid a scolding. The behavior that was prompted to occur more was the student no longer bringing food
into the library and it was

1)Operant conditioning–Operant conditioning teaches certain behaviors through either rewards that increase wanted behaviors or punishments that
decrease unwanted behavior. 2)An example of Operant conditioning in my life would be that when i was younger my mom would hug and praise
me whenever i got good grades but when i got bad grades as a punishment she would talk to me and show that she was disappointed in me. 3) In my
example there are both positive reinforcement and negative punishment. My mom hugging and praising me would be positive reinforcement since i
got me to keep on trying to get good grades and it's a positive reinforcement because the rewarding stimulus was love and appraisal.My mom showing
that she was disappointed in

Operant Conditioning Paper
Introduction Operant conditioning is described as the way of learning in which the future likelihood of a particular behavior is affected by it
consequences. Interested in animal intelligence, the first experimental studies of operant conditioning were attempted by Edwin L. Thorndike in the
1890s (Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013). Of the many experiments Thorndike conducted with animals, the most famous experiment involved cats
(Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013). Thorndike placed cats in an enclosed puzzle box and placed a dish of food outside of the puzzle box for the
cat. The mail goal of the experiment was to see how quickly the cat could learn to escape the puzzle box to reach the food. After many repeated trials
the cat eventually...show more content...
It is also possible that some consequences that seem to act as positive reinforcements, may actually be more of an aversive stimulus. When the rat
finally learns to press the lever down with enough force, it closes the switch that enables the food magazine to release a reinforcement pellet. After a
few more trials where the rat receives a pellet for pressing down on the lever when it is hungry, that rat has managed to learn an entirely new behavior
through shaping (Powell, Honey, & Symbaluk, 2013).
Methods
The operant conditioning experiment included one female rat (K13). My hypothesis for the experiment is that K13 will be conditioned to press the
lever in the Skinner operant chamber 2,000 times in a 30 minute time period. K13 was weighed before starting operant condition, weighing in at
233g. The rat's weight was multiplied by 0.85 in order to calculate her goal weight for the experiment; making the goal weight 199g. The first two
trials were used to determine if the rat responded quicker to a FR or a VR, and in to familiarize the rat with the type of positive reinforcement that she
would be rewarded with. The first trial in the

Operant and Classical Conditioning As humans grow and develop, certain behaviors are added to the daily routines and form of living. The stage in
which humans start associating and behaving according to their needs and environment is at their youngest age. Here different behavior patterns can be
witnessed and corrected as well. Within these behavior patterns, classical and operant conditions can be identified. Classical conditioning for instance,
is considered to be a form of learning that involves autonomic actions and causes elicited responses. (Journal of Psychology, 2004) This sort of learning
can best be described as an "associative" type of learning. It is where humans first start observing objects, situations, and come to the conclusion of a
reaction towards the stimulation that is provoked by such observations and events. A process in which various stimuli's are put together is what creates
the classical conditioning. Usually, a neutral conditioning or conditioned stimuli (CS), occurs with the presence of an unconditioned stimuli (US).
Once the interaction between these two...show more content...
A simple example of operant conditioning in humans would be when a child goes to kindergarten, and is presented with the classroom rules on a daily
basis. When the child follows the daily rules, the teacher rewards the child with gold start. When the child does not follow the rules, having the gold
start taken away punishes the child. In this way, the child will now behave in a rewardingly.
Conclusion
Classical and Operant conditioning are behavioral attributes that will ultimately be demonstrated on behalf of the organism being conditioned. Both
conditions can be manipulated and learned. The ultimate goal of these two conditions is to identify how and if the organism being tested has the ability
to associate, identify and learn a responsive behavior to various

Reflection On Operant Conditioning
Before beginning this chapter on operant conditioning, I had a slight knowledge of the four quadrants and how they are used in dog training but I
rarely applied this knowledge to situations involving the people I encounter daily. Now that I have gained a stronger understanding of operant
conditioning, I have begun to watch for connections that I can observe in my own daily life. The conscious effort I am attempting to make in
becoming more aware of operant conditioning is giving me better insight into my interactions with both humans and animals. I have realized that we
are often oblivious to the operant conditioning that occurs in our everyday life. I understand this in reference to my current experience with it as
well as in speaking with my mother about her own personal memories involving the relationship between operant conditioning and myself as a child.
Being a quiet, complaisant child, I did not often develop severe target behaviors that needed to be changed. However, certain instances do exist in
which I can recall my mother using positive punishment or negative punishment. These situations may have involved an aversive stimulus being
presented, such as an extra chore, or having an appetitive stimulus removed for a period of time, such as a chance to play with a friend or watch
television. Because I was fairly sensitive to consequences, the necessary operant conditioning that I did receive to change target behaviors were often
successful. In comparison, I believe that I received a substantial amount of positive reinforcement as a child and it attributed to many altruistic qualities
that I hold today. Within the positive reinforcement that utilized my extrinsic motivation, the appetitive stimulus I received was often the approval
given for completing the desired behavior. I believe the operant conditioning I received as a child from my mother caused an increase in many
favorable behaviors I still exhibit today. Now that I am not longer a child, it is interesting to consider how operant conditioning is still consistently
occurring not only in my life at home but also in my regular interactions with the outside world. With the natural consequences involved in everyday
life, I have obtained and

Operant Conditioning Examples
Operant conditioning is summed up in the text as "If I do this, what's in it for me?" It is mostly just playing off of a organism's natural knowledge of
cause and effect, in my opinion. For example, if you annoy your older brother, you get sat upon. If you push said brother into a pool at a later date,
you will get dunked. Eventually you learn to just leave your brother alone. Why? Because you don't want bad things to happen to you. Like burning
your hand on a hot pan on the stove, that your mother just finished saying not to touch. There are of course good things that can happen form our
actions. Nobody would do anything if there weren't. Maybe if you got good grades on a science project, your parents take you out to get ice cream.
Maybe...show more content...
Associating pain with a bad action. It worked for sure. As we got older, the pain was, as we quickly discovered, not as bad as we thought. It turns
out the threat of the spanking was always worse than the actual spanking. So our parents turned to other options. For example, we all liked some
really old PC games we had. So if we didn't do right, bye–bye computer for a week. Now it's mostly lectures about why it was wrong. I really miss just
being spanked and being done. When I have kids, will I use operant conditioning on them? Yeah. Everything I like about myself today is because my
parents used operant conditioning. If my parents didn't use operant conditioning on me, I wouldn't even want to hang around me. I'd be pretty
humorless. I truly believe that many convicts and other "societal outcasts" so to speak, are caused because of parents who didn't take the time to
teach their children right and wrong. Teach them they can't just do anything they want to. Are all of the people who grew up with poor, or MIA
parents bad? Nope, sure aren't. And to that point, not all people who had amazing, loving, very good parents, turn out to be any good. Some people
ignore what they have been

Learning can happen in numerous ways, but all fall under the category of being either classical conditioning or operant conditioning when we are
dealing with Psychology terms. These two habituation methods are very comparable in nature, but do possess very specific distinctions in their
differences. The major difference between classical and operant conditioning is the type of behaviors being conditioned. Classical is focused more on
reflex and automatic actions whereas operant deals more with voluntary actions. Classical and operant conditioning are also different in the way they
are taught. Classical conditioning involves introducing the subject to a neutral signal before reaction. Classical conditioning has four basic principles
...show more content...
This is called the unconditioned stimulus because it is a stimulus that is initially neutral and produces no reliable response. The conditioned response in
this situation would be the child becoming hungry after smelling the food that is the conditioned response.
"'Conditioning' simply means learning, and the term 'operant' refers to something that acts upon something else. Operant conditioning, then, is a form
of testing in which an animal learns that a response, such as pressing a lever, results in a consequence, such as a food pellet being delivered to the
animal (Pritchett & Mulder, 2004)." In operant conditioning, there are two categories: reinforcement and punishment. Both can be utilized using either
positive or negative strategies. In reinforcement tactics, the behavior is attempted to be increased. A positive example of this would be praising a
child if they say something that resembles mama or dada for their first words. A negative example would be the parents not responding or even chiding
the child for mumbling or not being very coherent. Each action is strengthened by the parents reinforcement of praise when saying the correct words or
their disregard when the child does not sound coherent. In the positive example, praise is being offered so the child is receiving something, therefore
making the reinforcement positive. When the parents ignore the wrong words that the child speaks, we describe

Skinners Operant Conditioning Theory Essay
Skinners Operant Conditioning Theory
B.F Skinner (1904–1990), an American psychologist who was the leading exponent of the school of psychology know as behaviourism, maintained the
idea that learning is a result of any change in overt behaviour. Changes in behaviour are determined by the way an individual responds to events
(stimuli) in the environment. Skinner described this phenomenon as operant conditioning. Action on part of the learner is called a response. When a
desired stimulus–response pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to respond in a certain way, and learning takes place.
Reinforcement is a vital element in Skinner's Stimulus–Response Theory. A reinforcer is...show more content...
Skinner proposes two types of reinforcement that increase the likelihood of a response occurring: positive, and negative. Positive reinforcement
(reward) involves a positive consequence of behaviour. In contrast, a negative reinforcement (Relief) involves a behaviour that results in the elimination
or prevention of a negative outcome. (Lefrancois, 1995).
Punishment
Like reinforcement, punishment can also determine the probability of whether behaviour will occur again. There are two types of punishment. One can
be termed negative punishment, and involves the cessation of a positive event as a result of responding (Kentridge, 1995). For example, a reprimanded
for bad behaviour. The other can be termed punishment, and involves a negative or aversive event in relation to responding (Kentridge, 1995). For
example, receiving a fine for exceeding the speed limit. Punishment tends to suppress behaviour rather than strengthen.
Reinforcement Schedules
Studies of Reinforcement Schedules identify the various ways in which the environment makes reinforcement determine how we behave. There are
four basic schedules that produce different response patterns: Fixed–Ratio (FR)

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Operant Conditioning In Psychology Essays