Operant conditioning

• What is operant conditioning?


  Learning through consequences
• State the three types of consequences

  • Positive reinforcement

  • Negative reinforcement

  • Punishment
• Which two consequences increase the likelihood of behaviour?

  Positive and negative reinforcement
• Which consequence decreases the likelihood of behaviour?

  Punishment
• What was the punishment in Skinner's box?

  Receiving an electric shock if the rat pressed the lever
• What was the positive reinforcement in Skinner's box?

  Receiving a food pellet when the rat pressed the lever
• What was the negative reinforcement in Skinner's box?

  Pressing the lever to stop the electric shock
• What is Postive reinforcement?

  When a desirable consequence leads to behaviour being repeated
• What were skinners findings?


  • Positive reinforcement- when the rat learns to press the lever after repeatedly receiving a food pellet when they press it.

  • Negative reinforcement- when the rat learns to press the lever after repeatedly experiencing the cessation of electric shocks when they press it.

  • Punishment- when the rat learns to stop pressing the lever after repeatedly receiving an electric shock when they press it.
• Operant conditioning


  A process where behaviour is shaped and maintained based on its consequences
• Skinner's investigation of how rats learn through operant conditioning

  1. Place rats in Skinner boxes

  2. Punishment occurs when rat learns to stop pressing lever after repeatedly receiving electric shock

  3. Positive reinforcement occurs when rat learns to press lever after repeatedly receiving food pellet

  4. Negative reinforcement occurs when rat learns to press lever after repeatedly experiencing cessation of electric shocks