Skinner- Operant Learning Theory

• What is Skinners(1937) rat experiment?

  Positive reinforcement- rats were given food when a button was pressed, reinforcing the desire to press it more.

  Negative reinforcement- when a button was pressed, the electrical current in the floor of the rats cage was deactivated which taught the rats to turn the button off.
• What is operant conditioning?


  learning from the consequences of actions
• what is positive reinforcement?


  receiving something pleasant for behaviour, so we repeat it.
• what is negative reinforcement?


  the avoidance of something unpleasant, so we do it again.
• How does operant conditioning link to crime?


  PR- if someone gets a thrill from stealing they are more likely to do it again.

  NR- if a drug dealer is able to avoid competition by beating up a rival drug dealer, then they will repeat this behaviour.
• What are the two types of punishment?

  Positive punishment- occurs when there's a negative consequence for certain behaviours. e.g. someone sent to prison for criminal behaviour is less likely to repeat their actions.

  Negative Punishment- occurs when something pleasant is taken away as a result of criminal behaviour e.g. if someone is removed from a criminal gang as negative punishment due to them denying participating in certain activities.
• What are primary reinforcers?

  -must satisfy one of a persons basic needs such as food treats for children.

  -People who commit crimes for money (stealing) because they live in poverty may behave in this way due to their desire to satisfy a basic need.
• What are the ABCs of behaviour?

  Antecedent- the emergence of a desirable stimuli (food for skinner rat)

  Behaviour-the repetition of an action to gain the stimuli(pressing the button for more food)

  Consequence- by repeating the behaviour the stimulant continues to occur (the rat learns to keep pressing the button)
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Adding a pleasant stimulus to increase/maintain behaviour
• What is negative reinforcement?


  Removing negative stimulus to increase/maintain behaviour.
• What is positive punishment?

  Adding a negative stimulus to decrease behaviour.
• What is negative punishment?


  Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour.
• What are the strengths of Skinner's operant conditioning theory?

  -Applicable to a variety of different crimes.

  -Explains how social approval can be a vital enforcer in peer groups.

  -Can explain how punishment works in removing undesirable behaviours (how procedures work in the CJS in the UK)
• Weaknesses of Skinner's Operant Conditioning theory

  -Not all crimes are committed due to reinforcement/ punishment as criminal behaviour is more complex (including other factors such as personality and genetic inheritance.

  -Behaviour is often reproduced when there had been no reinforcement or punishment (other reasons such as revenge) theory does not consider this type of criminal motivation

  -Animals are not the same as humans

  -Too deterministic (ignores free will)