Operant Conditioning Paper

Operant conditioning, which some may also refer to as “instrumental conditioning”; is a theory that emphasizes on how learning is a result of rewards and punishments as consequences for certain behavior. Operant conditioning shines a light on the relationship between an individual’s behavior and its consequences. The famous behaviorist, B.F Skinner (1904 –1990), was the first to emerge with the operant conditioning theory, which is why some people still refer to it as “Skinnerian conditioning”. This paper will help shine a light on operant conditioning, explaining it elaborately, and exploring it a bit further with the hopeful results of gaining a better understanding of this timeless theory. Unlike what some people may believe, Skinner was

On the other hand, negative reinforcement is the removal of a negative, intervening variable between emitted behavior and a response which makes the future likelihood of that response increase (Hergenhahn &Olson, 2009). To further elaborate, giving food to an animal after a certain behavior is probably going to result in the repetition of that specific behavior in order to receive the positive reinforcement (food); that said, the removal of an already existing positive reinforcement, such as regularly scheduled food, light, etc., will probably end up in demolishing the undesired behavior. In order to determine which, form of reinforcement is the most effective; one has to have a good understanding of both methods, along with their consequences. Negative reinforcement emphasizes on the elimination of an aversion in order to be affective, which would mean that the form of punishment (negative reinforcement) is crucial to be used in order to construct a situation where the negative reinforce is able to be moved. That said, punishment doesn’t happen without certain possible consequences; lack of motivation, emotional distress, aggression, etc. are all possible downfalls to this method. So

In my personal opinion, I do not believe that punishment ends with good results, even though it might work with others, it never worked with me. Punishments such as spanking, only end up with the child being scared and filled with fear; instead of what was intended, which is to shape their behavior; however, I do believe that negative reinforcement works like magic. In conclusion; B.F Skinner introduced the world to what was then a whole new theory and method of shaping one’s personality. The theory of operant conditioning, just like any other theory, is naturally faced with those who disagree with it; some may think that all a person needs to shape their behavior is their intentions and thoughts. That said, there is no doubt that Skinner’s contributions to the field of Psychology have been immense, and that until this very day, they are used in our everyday