Operant Conditioning

Class,

There is another type of learning you may be familiar with. In this type of learning, you learn the consequences of your actions.For example, did you ever do something as a kid and get grounded for it? What did you learn from that experience? Chances are, you either learned not to do the behavior again or you learned how to be sneakier to get away with it next time, right? (I see some of you smiling right now)!

B. F. Skinner was the main researcher to write about this type of learning. He used animals to demonstrate operant conditioning. For example, he placed food outside of a cage with a cat in it. There was a lever in the cage which the cat accidentally stepped on. This opened the cage and allowed the cat to get the food. Each time Skinner put the cat back in the box, the more and more quickly the cat on caught on that pressing the lever would get it to the food. This is operant conditioning. The reinforcer in this case is the food - > the food increased the likelihood that the cat will press the lever.

Think about your own upbringing. In what ways did you parents use operant conditioning on you? If you currently have kids, how do you use or might you use operant conditioning to get them to do a behavior? I am interested to read your contributions!

Professor Elliott

NOTE!! Please respond to the above substantively in the first-person point of view. Thanks.