Operant Conditioning/Behavior Modification
The idea of operant conditioning for humans was first developed by Burrhus Frederick Skinner, who looked at work using operant conditioning with animals. He concluded that using operant conditioning, or behavior modification, with humans was possible, and that all if all external factors were controlled, internal mental processes would not be a significant factor. He believed that all human behavior was shaped by the principles of operant conditioning: stimulus and response (Hutchinson, 2003).
Another way of talking about stimulus and response are to consider antecedent and consequent events -- what happens, and how the child responds to that event or events (Simpson, 1998). However, Skinner's pure approach of ignoring thought processes does not work with human beings.
For classroom, the assumption when using behavior modification is that the child is using maladaptive responses to cope with the events around him or her. Further, the assumption is that the child's behavior meets some specific need. Although the child's behavior may well be triggered by environmental events, the child's perceptions of those events as well as his or her thought processes play an important role in how the child responds. The behavior modification approach assumes that the child's maladaptive behaviors have been learned, and consequently, can be unlearned. Since that is the case, by carefully observing and measuring behaviors, as well as their antecedent events and other environmental factors, adults may be able to determine what triggers the unacceptable behavior. By changing the trigger, or stimulus, adults can cause a change in the child's response, or behavior. This requires careful evaluation and precise management of both stimulus and reward when a more desired response is given by the child. By rewarding the improved behavior, behavior modification can make it more likely that the child will use the newer, better behavior in the future.
Simpson (1998) specifies four steps to follow when using behavior modification in the classroom. The first step is to clearly identify the problem, including identifying the student; a description...
Then, on seeing that the rearing has become a little bit familiar to him, sniffy is therefore, reinforced when he rears at a point with the bar. After several attempts of the previous steps, sniffy was encouraged to rear up nearer to the bar as possible. During the regular training observation, incase sniffy rears so close to the bar this increases the likelihood that sniffy will press on the bar.
Conditioning Classical and operant conditioning are types of behavioral learning. Subsets of behavioral psychology, classical and operant conditioning show how a subject (animal or human) can exhibit relatively permanent changes in behavior due to certain types of experiences. According to Cryver (2000), learning is a "fundamental process" in all animals. Classical conditioning is also known as "learning by association." Association in this sense refers to the association of a behavior with a
Hypothetical Experimental Scenario and Real-Life Application in School: A typical operant conditioning experiment featuring positive reinforcement would include one in which an animal is rewarded on a ratio schedule of pressing a lever. In that scenario, the subject receives a food reward for pressing a lever a specific number of times. Four presses of the lever rewarded by a single food pellet would be a ratio reward schedule of 4:1. The
In using operant conditioning to modify temper tantrums, the most effective and efficient method uses a system of positive reinforcement that rewards a child for reacting to a situation in a manner other than a tantrum, and a negative reinforcement that involve taking away something a child if the child throws a tantrum. When the child is presented with a situation that usually would result in a tantrum, the ideal
This technique is called shaping, as the teacher starts with information students already know and then new information is broken into small pieces. In teaching vocabulary, the teacher is more likely to suggest or work with the textbook, and the setting of a democratic environment based on common agreement is not such an important fact as in the humanistic approach. The lesson starts with a revision and review of the information
Operant Conditioning is based on the idea that an individual's response to external stimuli can be modified, or changed, depending upon the consequences of that individual's response. Formulated by famed psychologist B.F. Skinner, operant conditioning deals mainly with voluntary behavior, or operant behavior. While classical conditioning deals mainly with involuntary, or reflex, behaviors, Skinner's theory maintains a system of consequences for reactions which are called punishment and reinforcement. Punishment is
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