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  • Essay / Analysis of learning method based on operant conditioning theory

    It is a learning method that depends on rewards and punishments for behavior. This type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. Burrhus Frederic Skinner is an American psychologist, he developed the theory of operant conditioning of learning. Skinner's theory based on the environment. The organism may have a particular type of stimulus that is a reinforcing stimulus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Skinner believed that studied behaviors were the only path to psychology, not internal mental processes. According to Dr. Vince Berger: “The behavior is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the tendency of the organism to repeat the behavior in the future.” Skinner's box is the famous operant conditioning experiment. The experiment began by placing the rat in a special box with a pedal on a wall. When the rat pressed this pedal, it released the food. In a short time, the rat learns that if it presses the pedal, it gives it food. So, it's learning by repeating, the first time it was an accident then we knew that the results of the pedal pressed are food. This leads to one of the principles of operant conditioning which is behavior followed by a reinforcing stimulus. Furthermore, Skinner did the experiment on the same rat, but in a different way and he used light and electric current, which are negative reinforcement. Moving forward, there are four main concepts in operant conditioning. The first concept is positive reinforcement, which involves giving something pleasant as a reward after a behavior. This reward will lead to an increase in the likelihood that the behavior will continue. As an example, by pressing a lever in Skinner's box experiment, the rat received food as a reward for acceptable behavior. Another example from our life, when the student answers correctly and the teacher compliments him, it will encourage him to answer another question. This therefore leads to an increase in good behavior. The second concept is negative reinforcement, which involves removing something unpleasant that is not good due to acceptable behavior. This reinforcement therefore aimed to increase the behavior. For example, subjecting the rat to an unpleasant electric current which causes some discomfort. So when the rat moves around the box and accidentally and immediately touches or bumps the lever, the electricity goes out. The rat will learn to go directly to the lever after a while to escape the assured electric current. Then the rat will repeat this act over and over again. Therefore, Skinner taught this rat to avoid the electric current by turning on the light, so the rat learned very quickly when the light on it pressed the lever to stop the electric current. These two learned responses are known as escape and avoidance learning. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Another example from real life is the student who takes (A) in the Biology test didn't need to dissect a frog. Additionally, the third concept is positive punishment, which means that the purpose of this punishment is to decrease the bad behavior and present something unpleasant after the behavior. The example from Skinner's box experiment is that when the rat..