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Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is a form of learning where a response increases in frequency due to being followed by reinforcement. It involves making a response, providing reinforcement immediately after, and only providing reinforcement when the response occurs. Teachers should use reinforcement rather than punishment, select reinforcers carefully based on immediacy, source, frequency, and learners, and have students make active responses to promote learning.

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192 views

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is a form of learning where a response increases in frequency due to being followed by reinforcement. It involves making a response, providing reinforcement immediately after, and only providing reinforcement when the response occurs. Teachers should use reinforcement rather than punishment, select reinforcers carefully based on immediacy, source, frequency, and learners, and have students make active responses to promote learning.

Uploaded by

Yunran
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Operant Conditioning

What is Operant Conditioning?


 The form of learning where a response
increases in frequency as a result of it
being followed by a reinforcement.
 Students often learn and demonstrate new
behaviors for the consequences that those
behaviors bring.
• Example: Sandy studies hard for her Accounting
test. She gets an A on the test.
Terms
 Operant – an action that operates on the
environment to produce a change in the
environment
 Reinforcer – an event when which made
upon the occurrence of an operant
increases the probability of the operant
 Punisher – an event when which made
upon the occurrence of an operant
decreases the probability of the operant
Operant Conditioning
 A theory used by many different people.
 B.F. Skinner and John Watson
 Reinforcement is a main concept of the
theory
 One distinctive aspect of Skinners theory
is that it attempted to provide behavioral
explanations for a broad range of
phenomena.
Operant Conditioning
 Operant conditioning has been widely
applied in clinical settings as well as
teaching and instructional development.
Operant Conditioning
 Appropriate and productive behaviors are
acquired because of the desirable
outcome that may occur.

 Many inappropriate and undesirable


behaviors may be acquired for the same
reason.
Three Essential Conditions for
Operant Conditioning
 The individual must make a response.
 Behaviorists say that little is accomplished
when the students just sit and listen to
their teacher.
 Students are more likely to learn when
they are making active responses within
the classroom.
• Example: Students will learn their cursive letters
more easily by writing them.
Three Essential Conditions for
Operant Conditioning
 A reinforcer must follow the response.
 To be most effective, the reinforcer should occur
immediately after the response.
 The closer it occurs to the response the more
effective it will be to the students.
 Example: A teacher gives her students several
minutes of free time after they complete an
assignment.
 Delayed reinforcers are more likely to be
effective with older students.
Three Essential Conditions for
Operant Conditioning
 The reinforcer must be presented only
when the response has occurred.
 Example: A teacher who praises her students
only when they behave appropriately.
 The reinforcer should never occur when
the response does not occur.
 Example: A teacher who laughs at
inappropriate behavior of her students.
Types of Reinforcers
 Positive Reinforcement – the basis of all
conditioning.
 Negative Reinforcement – involves the removal
of a bad consequence when the response is
performed.
 Positive Punishment – involves the presentation
of a bad consequence when the response is
performed
 Negative Punishment – involves the removal of
a good consequence when the response is
performed
Operant Conditioning vs. Classical
Conditioning
 Classical conditioning also contains a
stimulus and a response.
 Operant conditioning varies in two ways
 The order of the stimulus and the response.
 The nature of the response.
How teachers should use Operant
Conditioning in the classroom
 Use reinforcement rather than
punishment, otherwise use them together,
if at all possible.
 Select reinforcers carefully
• Immediacy
• Source
• Frequency
• Learners themselves
Sources
 http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html
 http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/behsy
s/operant.html
 http://www.general.uwa.edu.au/u/kraepeln/
bs/bs130/operant.htm

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