Operant conditioning involves voluntary behaviors that are reinforced or punished to increase or decrease the likelihood of occurring again. B.F. Skinner developed this concept in the 1930s and used a Skinner Box to study reinforcement through positive and negative stimuli. Reinforcers strengthen behaviors while punishments weaken them, but punishment is less effective and can promote aggression, so reinforcement is generally preferable for modifying behavior.

1. Reinforces & Punishment
Vital Concepts in Operant Conditioning
Vital Concepts in Operant Conditioning

2. Operant Conditioning
Can be defined as a way of learning in which a voluntary response becomes more
likely to occur again or less likely, depending on its favorable to unfavorable
consequences. This type of conditioning applies to voluntary responses, which is
produced so that a potential favorable outcome will occur. This was termed by B. F.
Skinner in 1937, and thereafter, inspired many future studies and revalations. The
Skinner Box was his most common invention, which is based on the process he
called 'reinforcement.'
B. F. Skinner
B. F. Skinner The Skinner Box
The Skinner Box

3. This charts helps explain how reinforcement and punishment help
in training a dog.

4. Reinforcement is the process in which a
stimulus increases the probability that a
preceding behavior will occur again. A
reinforcer can be defined as the stimulus that
increases during reinforcement.
Reinforcers can be either negative or
postitive.

5. POSITIVE REINFORCER
This is a stimulus that is ADDED to the environment
that brings about an increase in a preceding
response.
Examples of this include:
Getting to watch TV after all homework and chores
are completed.
(the TV is added so that the homework and chores
get finished)
Giving a dog a treat to get him to 'sit.'
(the treat is added so that the dog will perform the
desired trick)

6. NEGATIVE REINFORCER
This is an unpleasant stimulus whose removal leads to an increase in the
probability that a preceding response will be repeated in the future.
An example of this includes:
Taking Tylenol to get rid of a headache. ( By adding Tylenol, you will get rid of
the unpleasant headache)

7. POSTIVE PUNISHMENT
Weakens a response throught the application
of an unplesant stimulus.
Examples of this include:
Going to jail to serve time after shoplifting.
(Going to jail to prevent crime in the future)
Getting a ticket after a cop pulls you over for
speeding. (Getting a ticket would prevent
further speeding)

8. NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
The removal of something pleasant.
Examples of this include:
Taking away a child's TV program because he
did not do his chores. (TV taken to prevent
further disobedience)
Taking a child's fun time from him to write
sentences of the board for disrupting class.
(Fun time taken aways to prevent further
disruption)

9. Punishment has several disadvantages, including:
It's frequently ineffective
It can convey the idea that physical aggression is permissable
and/or desirable
It also does not present an option to act through a different, more
appropriate behavior.
B.F. Skinner advocated against using punishment. Reinforcement is
a much better psychological tool, and simpler to utilize. When you
weigh the side effects which are possible with punishment, versus
the possible success of reinforcement, the choice is clear. In certain
cases, punishment is necessary, but only after reinforcement
oriented behavior modification has repetitively failed.
Reinforcement VS Punishment

10. SOURCES
Information
Psychsmart text by McGraw-Hill
Essortment (website)
Pictures
Google Search (Operant learning)