Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning is a form of learning. In it, an individual changes its behaviour because of the consequences (results) of the behaviour.

The person or animal learns its behaviour has a consequence. That consequence may be

1. Reinforcement: a positive or rewarding event. This causes the behaviour to occur more often
2. Punishment: a negative or punishing event. This causes the behaviour to occur less often
3. Extinction: no event follows, so the behaviour has no consequences. When a behaviour has no consequences, it will occur less frequently.

There are four different contexts in operant conditioning. Here, the terms 'positive' and 'negative' are not used in their basic sense; positive means that something is added, and negative means something is taken away:

1. Positive reinforcement (often just "reinforcement") occurs when there is a reward for a form of behaviour. This will increase the frequency at which the behaviour occurs. In the Skinner box experiment, the reward is in the form of food when the rat presses a lever.
2. Negative reinforcement (sometimes "escape") occurs when an aversive stimulus is removed. This will increase the frequency at which the behaviour occurs. In the Skinner box experiment, there was a loud noise, which was removed when the rat pressed the lever.
3. Positive punishment occurs when a stimulus is added, which results in the behaviour occurring less often. Example stimuli may be loud noise, electric shock (rat), or a spanking (child).
4. Negative punishment occurs when a stimulus is taken away, which results in the behaviour occurring less often. An example might be a child's toy taken away after the child does an undesired behaviour.

The idea of operant conditioning was first discovered by Edward Thorndike,^[1] and analyzed by B.F. Skinner.

Operant conditioning is different from Pavlov's classical conditioning. Operant conditioning deals with the voluntary modification of behaviour; classical conditioning with training a reflex.

1. ↑ Thorndike E.L. 1901. Animal intelligence: an experimental study of the associative processes in animals. Psychological Review Monograph Supplement, 2, 1–109.