operant conditioning

• operant conditioning is the process by which behavior is strengthened or weakened through its consequences
• partial reinforcement is when the reinforcer is only present for a part of the response
• continuous reinforcement is when a behaviour is reinforced after every response
• primary reinforcers are reinforcers that are naturally occurring and are not learned, like food, water, and sex
• secondary reinforcers are reinforcers that have acquired their value through association with primary reinforcers, such as money or grades
• negative punishment involves removing something pleasant to decrease an unwanted behavior
• positive punishment involves adding something unpleasant to decrease an unwanted behavior
• negative reinforcement is when a behaviour is rewarded when it is avoided
• positive reinforcement is when a behaviour is rewarded with a positive outcome
• Shaping behavior is an aspect of behavior analysis that gradually teaches new behavior through the use of reinforcement until the target behavior is achieved. In order for shaping to be successful, it is important to clearly define the behavioral objective and the target behavior.