Operant Conditioning
A response that is followed by a reinforcer is strengthened and is therefore more likely to occur again (Ormrod, 2004).
The theory of operant conditioning states that behaviors of an organism are reinforced the behavior is more likely to occur more frequently. Through operant conditioning, Skinner devloped rats that could press metal bars and pigeons that would peck a button or turn in circles. The organisms did these responses because they were given food after the response. The term "reinforcement" is different from the word "reward" because a reward is something that is desirable and pleasant. A reinforcer, on the other hand, is simply a stimulus or event that increases a behavior.
Conditions for Operant Conditioning
For operant conditioning of an organism to occur, there are three main conditions that need to be met:
- The reinforcer must follow the response.
In order for a reinforcer to have an effect on a response it must be presented after the desirable behavior in order for it to have an effect. For example, two parents wants their children keep their room clean and plans to reinforce this behavior with cookies. The first parent gives the children the cookie first and then instructs them to clean up their room. These children are not going to increase the frequency that they clean their room becauses they already received the reinforcer. The second parent, however, waits until the children has cleaned their room before giving them the cookie. The children then learn that if they clean their room that they will receive a cookie. Therefore, they increase the frequency in which they clean their room to recieve more cookies
- The reinforcer must follow immediately.
Reinforcement is not as effective if the reinforcement of the behavior is delayed. This, in large part, is because the reinforcer is most likely to reinforce the behavior that occured immediately before reinforcement was given. In other words, if the organism did the behavior which was supposed to be reinforced but then did another behavior before receiving the reinforcement, the organism will attribute the reinforment to the wrong behavior and increase the frequency of that behavior. This is known as superstitious behavior and is discussed more in a different section. Immediate reinforcement is really important for young children.
- The reinforcer must be contingent on the response.
The reinforcer should not be presented unless the desired response has occured. For example, a parent can not tell a child that if they clean their room and take out the trash that they can go to the movies and then allow them to go to the motives after they have not met all of the requirements. By doing this, parents are not reinforcing the desirable behavior but, instead, showing children that they can break the rules and still get what they want.
Baseline, terminal behavior, and extinction
Free operant level (baseline)
The free operant level is the freqency in which the operant behavior occurs prior to any reinforcement. If a teacher was wanting to increase the amount of reading of a student, the free operant level would be the frequency in which the child reads before any reinforcemt was given.
Terminal behavior
A terminal behavior could be seen as the goal of the conditioning, or the amount in which a desired response occurs at the end of the reinforcement program. If the teacher's goal was to have a child read for 20 minutes a night, then that would be the terminal behavior of the reinforment program.
Extinction
Extinction can occur when a response stops being followed by a reinforcer. This response that is no longer being reinforced will eventually return to the baseline rate. For example, students that fail a test despite their intense studying may eventually stop studying. It is important to ensure that desirable behaviors are reinforced enought that extinction does not occur.
What can operant conditioning reinforce?
Operant condition can reinforce practically any behavior whether it be cognitive, affective, or psychomotor. It is important to remember that not only positive behaviors can be reinforced. When a person shoplifts, for example, they are reinforced by the items that they stole which will cause an increase in the person's shoplifting.
To learn more about the concepts of operant conditioning, click the links located at the top right.