Operant conditioning

• Skinner -

  positive reinforcement - add pleasant stimulus to increase behaviour eg- sticker
• Negative reinforcement - removing something unpleasant to increase a behaviour.
• Positive punishment - add unpleasant stimulus to decrease behaviour.
• negative punishment - remove pleasant stimulus to reduce behaviour
• Primary reinforcers - occur naturally and do not need to be learned (e.g: things that satisfy basic survival needs: water, food, sleep)
• Secondary reinforcers - linked to primary reinforcers- they are rewarding because of the powerful link to primary reinforcers (e.g: money-linked to ability to buy food)
• Strengths of OC

  • supported by many studies- skinner’s rats - pressed lever got food as pleasant stimulus - reinforcement - causing rat to press lever again
  • COUNTERPOINT - mainly focused on rats - humans much more complex - not applicable
  • highly practical learning theory - system of reinforcements and punishment used in schools , nurseries - real world applications - education
• Weaknesses of OC

  • only explains how existing behaviours are strengthened or weakened but not were behaviours originate from - explains wider range of behaviour that cc - but sill partial explanation