skinners- operant

• operant conditioning 


  behaviour learnt via consequences
• when was skinners experiment

  1953
• method


  an animal was put in a controlled environment- box, inslide the box was a level which when pressed would release the food. the hungry rat when exploring would push the lever and have the food after a while the rat learnt the the level meant food = positive reinforcement
• AO3- strength


  research supports the operant conditioning theory and a practical application was another experiment (levin et al) used the theory from this experient to explain addiction of rats with nicotine
• AO3 strength


  the theory was used in the treatment of schizophrenia as a reward when they performed a desired behaviour
• AO3 limitation


  human and animals have different behaviours and have different influences so isnt a good representative of humans
• AO3 limitation


  ignores biology as the environment and biology can influence human behaviour
• what are the 3 types of reinforcment

  positive, negative and reinforcement
• positive reinforcemnt


  introducing a positive reward for a certain action
• negative reinforcement


  when a positive stimulus is removed