Operant Conditioning Principles

Outline the key principles and educational applications of Operant Conditioning. Refer to relevant literature and applications to the post-primary classroom.
Operant conditioning is a process of learning that occurs through the enforcement of rewards and punishments for behaviour. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behaviour and a consequence for that behaviour. When a positive reinforcement is received by students in response to their behaviour, they are likely to repeat this behaviour. Similarly when students receive a punishment in response to their behaviour they are decreasingly unlikely to repeat that behaviour. There are four types of operant conditioning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive

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A classroom example would be when a teacher is doing verbal questioning and answering with the students and a student puts up their hand to answer the question after being instructed to do so. This student is then positively reinforced by the teacher by verbal praise and will most likely follow this rule in future lessons. This is an example of positive reinforcement. .
Edward Thorndike also contributed greatly to the basis of operant conditioning and help inspire Skinner to probe further into the theory. Thorndike’s main theory is called The Law and Effect. In essence of his theory states that a response which produces a satisfying effect to a situation is very likely to occur again. Responses with a negative effect in a situation is less likely to occur again. Thorndike states: “punished connections do not behave alike, but that the ones that are nearest to a reward are strengthened and that the strengthening influence of a reward spreads to influence positively not only the connection which it directly follows…but also any connections which are near enough to it” (Thorndike, 1933,

Examples include, when a student has a favourite class and are sent away to the principal for misbehaviour this is an example of negative punishment as the desired class is taken away from the student. During class a student’s phone rings loudly, the teacher scolds the student in front of the class and asks the student to turn off the mobile device. This is an example of positive punishment as a negative consequence was presented after unacceptable behaviour was demonstrated by the student. Positive punishment is modelled on try adding a negative consequence after an undesired behaviour is demonstrated to decrease future responses. Negative punishment is modelled on taking away a certain desired item after the undesired behaviour happens in order to decrease future