Skinner Box (Skinner, 1948)

• Skinner


  Regarded as the father of Operant Conditioning
• Skinner's work was based on Thorndike’s (1898) law of effect
• Behaviour followed by pleasant consequences


  Is likely to be repeated
• Behaviour followed by unpleasant consequences


  Is less likely to be repeated
• Reinforcement


  A new term introduced by Skinner into the Law of Effect; behaviour that is reinforced tends to be repeated
• Behaviour that is not reinforced tends to die out or be extinguished
• Skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments using animals in a “Skinner Box”
• Skinner Box


  A device used to objectively record an animal’s behavior in a compressed time frame
• Skinner Box


  • Can reward or punish animals for engaging in certain behaviors
  • Similar to Thorndike’s puzzle box
• Neutral operants


  Responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the probability of a behaviour being repeated
• Reinforcers


  Responses from the environment that increase the probability of a behaviour being repeated; can be positive or negative
• Punishers


  Responses from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated; punishment weakens behaviour
• Skinner conducted several experiments with pigeons to demonstrate the principles of operant conditioning
• Skinner conducted research on hungry pigeons whose body weights were reduced to 75% of their normal weight
• Non-contingent reinforcement


  A method in which rewards are delivered independently of the individual's behaviour
• Method of Skinner's Superstition Experiment

  1. Pigeons reduced to 75% weight

  2. Placed in a cage with a food dispenser

  3. Food presented at regular intervals regardless of behaviour
• Shorter intervals between food presentations led to more rapid conditioning
• Once a behaviour was established, the interval between reinforcements could be increased without diminishing the behaviour
• The experiment demonstrates that behaviours can be conditioned without a direct cause-and-effect relationship
• Skinner's study draws parallels between animal and human behaviours in the face of random reinforcements
• Skinner's theory may not be very useful in explaining learning in humans due to ignored cognitions
• Ethical issues arise from Skinner's research due to stressful and harmful conditions for animals
• Contributions of Skinner’s theory to Psychology

  • Operant conditioning process
  • Schedules of reinforcement
  • Response rates as a dependent variable
  • Cumulative recorder to track response rates
• Skinner's legacy has impacted psychology and other fields, including philosophy and education
• Mental health professionals utilise Skinner's operant techniques when working with clients
• Teachers use reinforcement to shape behaviour in the classroom
• Animal trainers rely on Skinner's techniques to train dogs and other animals