Meaning of operant conditioning Skinners box/maze Laws of learningOperant Conditioning A Skinners type of learning IntroductionSkinner is an influential and radical American behaviorist. He believes that: mind is irrelevant in understanding the learning process. Behavior is the result of association between stimulus and response but the association between response and consequence is more important. Meaning: Operant Conditioning is the use of pleasant and unpleasant consequences to change behavior.Meaning of Operant ConditioningConsequence is the result of operant behavior operating in the environment without using an unconditioned stimulus such as food. In operant conditioning, the learner controls his initial behavior unlike classical conditioning by which the UCR is automatic,. The stimulus events follow rather than precedes the behavior.Skinners experimentSkinner was usually using rats or pigeons. In one of his experiments he used a box or maze containing a simple apparatus.An apparatus consisted of a bar which is easy for the rat to press and a food dispenser. The dispenser contained a pellet of food. The apparatus was set up so that when the rat happened to press a bar it would receive a pellet of food.After few accidental bar pressing, the rat could start pressing the bar frequently receiving food each time. Wondering aimlessly in the box decreased. The rats behavior of bar pressing has been conditioned and was strengthened by the pellet of food the (the consequence). In the experiment: food is a consequence, bar pressing is response, continuous bar pressing is the new behavior which has been conditionedStimulus: Anything in the environment that stimulates action (iron bar) Response: Action stimulated by some conditions in the environment (bar pressing).Consequence: condition that follows a behavior and affects the frequency of future behavior. Rein-forcer: pleasurable consequence that maintains or increases the occurrence of behavior (food) .Punishment: unpleasurable consequence that follows the response and stops the initiated behavior.Laws of learningLaw of reinforcementLaw of punishmentLaws of generalization, discrimination and extinctionPremacks principle Law of reinforcement: any behavior contingently followed by a pleasant consequence is likely to occur again in the same way. Types of rein-forcers; primary and secondary rein-forcersPrimary rein-forcer: A consequence that satisfies human needs and important for physical survival; food, security, attachment, water Secondary rein-forcer: their value as rein-forcers are gained through association with primary rein- forcers. Three kinds of secondary rein-forcers:1.Social: praise, attention, smile, hugs, relationship2.Activity: games, fun activities, change from regular procedures.3.Symbolic (token): material things-prizes, grades, marks, moneyRein-forcers can also be categorized into positive and negative rein-forcers. Positive rein-forcer: a pleasant stimulus that when added increases the likelihood of the repetition of the response. Examples of positive rein-forcers Approval in speakingImmediate feedbackTeacher attention and supportGood grades and valuing students workKnowledge of the accomplishment of workPeer approvalGiving tokens Negative rein-forcer: an unpleasant stimulus that when is removed in the situation, increases the probability that the desired response will occur. Example: a teacher says to the student who is interruptive in class, if you do it this again you will spend the whole day outside the class.Being interruptive (undesired behavior); spending outside the class is unpleasant stimulus. The student will want to avoid spending outside the class (unpleasant stimulus), so will behave acceptably (being not interruptive). It is a situation to be avoided and in so doing the desired behavior occurs. It should not be overusedPunishmentLaw of punishment: an unpleasant or painful consequence that stops or reduces the occurrence of initiated behavior. Punishment may be painful physically or/and psychologically. Punishment may be:1.Denying or removing pleasant stimulus2.Giving unpleasant stimulusAn unpleasant stimulus becomes a punishment only when it stops unwanted behavior. Punishment should not be overused, used frequently or too painful. It must be the last resort, first use positive rein- forcer, then negative rein-forcer and lastly punishmentLaw of extinction: If a learnt behavior is no longer followed by a rein-forcer, it will stop. To extinguish the unwanted behavior, study and identify the rein-forcer that stimulates the behavior. Then remove the rein-forcer.Premack principle: If the less desired activity is linked with more desired activity, the organism will likely develop desire with the previously less desired activity. Law of discrimination: An organism is more likely to