RANDYSON J.

RESPONSO
BACHELOR OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY- MAIN CAMPUS

Burrhus Frederic Skinner was an American psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and social
philosopher. He was a professor of psychology at Harvard University from 1958 until his retirement in
1974.

Born: 20 March 1904, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: 18 August 1990, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

NoFull name: Burrhus Frederic Skinner

Known for: Operant conditioning, Radical behaviorism, Applied behavior analysis.

Operant conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of learning that
employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made
between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for that behavior..

4 types of Operat conditioning

This type of learning creates an association between a behavior and consequence for that behavior. The
four types of operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative
reinforcement, and negative punishment.

Positive Reinforcement

The examples above describe what is referred to as positive reinforcement. Think of it as adding
something in order to increase a response. For example, adding a treat will increase the response of
sitting; adding praise will increase the chances of your child cleaning his or her room. The most
common types of positive reinforcement or praise and rewards, and most of us have experienced this
as both the giver and receiver.

Negative Reinforcement

Think of negative reinforcement as taking something away in order to increase a response. Taking
away a toy until your son picks up his room, or withholding payment until a job is complete are
examples of this. Basically, you want to remove or withhold something of value in order to increase a
certain response or behavior.

Punishment (Positive Punishment)

What most people refer to punishment is typically positive punishment. This is when something
aversive is added in order to decrease a behavior. The most common example of this is disciplining
(e.g. berating) a child for misbehaving. The reason we do this is because the child begins to associate
being punished with the negative behavior. The punishment is not liked and therefore to avoid it, he
or she will stop behaving in that manner.

Negative Punishment

When you remove something in order to decrease a behavior, this is called negative punishment. You
are taking something away so that a response or unwanted behavior is decreased. Putting a child in a
time-out until they can decrease their aggressive behavior, for instance, is an example of a negative
punishment. You're removing interactions with others in order to decrease the unwanted behavior.

Research has found positive reinforcement is the most powerful of any of these. Adding a positive to
increase a response not only works better, but allows both parties to focus on the positive aspects of
the situation. Punishment, when applied immediately following the negative behavior can be
effective, but problems may result when it is not applied consistently. Punishment can also invoke
other negative emotional responses, such as anger and resentment.