operant conditioning

• Skinner in his theories on operant conditioning, negative reinforcement is the removal of an unwanted outcome in order to strengthen a behavioural response.
• Operant conditioning is a learning process that uses rewards and punishments to modify behaviour. e.g. learning by consequences
• In operant conditioning, behaviors that are rewarded are likely to be repeated, while behaviors that are punished are less likely to happen
• positive reinforcement


  A reward is given for a desired behavior, which encourages the behavior to be repeated. For example, a hungry fish may be rewarded with food after approaching a specific stimulus.
• reinforcement


  something in the environment that strengthens a behaviour making it more likely to be repeated
• negative reinforcement


  a technique that encourages a desired behaviour by removing or avoiding a negative stimulus, like turning off an alarm.
• punishment


   a change in the environment that reduces the likelihood of a behavior happening again.
• positive punishment


  A stimulus is ADDED to discourage a behaviour, such as criticism, scolding
• negative punishment


  An appealing stimulus is taken away, such as grounding or removing access to a favourite technology or pastime
• The Skinner Box is a chamber, often small, that is used to conduct operant conditioning research with animals. Within this chamber, there is usually a lever or key that an individual animal can operate to obtain a food or water source within the chamber as a reinforcer