Skinner

• Skinner's Reinforcement Theory


  Theory developed by B.F. Skinner on how behavior change and learning occur through the outcomes or effects of punishment and reinforcement
• Radical behaviorism


  Skinner's philosophy that the concept of free will is an illusion and all human action is the direct result of conditioning
• Operant conditioning


  Theory that behavior change and learning occur as the outcomes or effects of punishment and reinforcement, with immediate reinforcement of the response being key
• Reinforcement


  Any event that strengthens a certain behavior, can be positive (providing a stimulus) or negative (removing an unfavorable outcome)
• Shaping


  Procedure where the experimenter or environment first rewards gross approximations of the behavior, then closer approximations, and finally the desired behavior itself
• ABC model

  Model with Antecedent (event/factor before behavior), Behavior, and Consequence (event/symptom after behavior)
• Schedules of reinforcement

  • Fixed-ratio
  • Variable-ratio
  • Fixed-interval
  • Variable-interval
• Punishment


  Application of an adverse outcome to decrease or weaken a specific behavior, can be positive (presenting a negative reinforcer) or negative (removing a positive reinforcer)
• Skinner's theory of Operant conditioning is widely used in teaching and clinical settings</b>
• Skinner concentrated on classical conditioning (operant conditioning) to observe overt behavior of children
• Skinner's contributions to psychology

  • Operant conditioning process
  • Schedules of reinforcement
  • Introduction of response rates as a dependent variable in research
  • Creation of the cumulative recorder to track response rates
• 5 steps to implement behavior change

  1. Behavioral goal setting

  2. Determine reasonable ways for behavior reinforcement

  3. Select techniques to change behaviors

  4. Apply selected techniques and record results

  5. Evaluate and improve if needed
• There is very little evidence to show the positive effects of punishment on individuals, and Skinner explained many negative effects of punishment in his operant conditioning theory