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REFLECTION PAPER

Name: Joe Aris S. Evangelista Subject: Theories of Personality Chapter: 12

B.F. Skinner: Reinforcement Theory

American psychologist B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) is renowned for his influence on

behaviorism. He was named the most significant psychologist of the twentieth century in a

2002 study of psychologists. According to B. F. Skinner, who called his ideology "radical

behaviorism," the idea of free will is merely an illusion and all human behavior is the direct

product of conditioning. "Reinforcement" in operant conditioning refers to any action that

makes a reaction more likely to occur. Everything that strengthens or improves a behavior

qualifies as reinforcement. There isn't a personality theory by Skinner that can be easily

contrasted and matched with the others covered in this book. He didn't even present a

personality theory, and his research didn't focus on personality in particular. In his writings, he

made an effort to use factual, descriptive language to account for all conduct, not just

personality. According to Skinner, psychologists must limit their research to the facts, or to

what they can observe, control, and quantify in the lab. The following narratives we will learn

about Skinner's various contributions to psychology, including his theory of learning, operant

conditioning, as well as his many inventions, and articles to better grasp who B.F. Skinner was.

To have a good grasp on Skinner’s theory let’s all first have to understand all the aspect

involved. We need to understand what is reinforcement, operant conditioning, primary and

secondary reinforcement, positive and negative reinforcement. We will describe Skinner’s life,

a review of reinforcement, and operant conditioning. Knowing all of these will give us better

understanding on different types of reinforcement contributing to behavior and learning.

 Skinner was raised under responsible parenting in Pennsylvania. His mechanical

creations included carriages, seesaws, carnival rides, slingshots, model planes, as well as a

steam cannon that fired carrot and potato pegs over nearby homes. He spent hours building

each of these machines. Skinner specialized in English and tried unsuccessfully to become a

novelist. He made the decision to use scientific approaches to investigate human behavior

rather than fictional ones. Skinner attended Harvard University where he studied psychology

and afterwards taught until 1936. He also lectured at the Universities of Minnesota and Indiana.

Behaviorist B.F. first explained operant conditioning. According to Skinner, who was a

behaviorist, examining one's own ideas and intentions is not actually important to understand

behavior. Instead, he advocated focusing solely on the observable, outside factors that influence

people's actions. "Reinforcement" in operant conditioning refers to everything that makes a

reaction more likely to occur. For instance, rewarding a child for putting their toys away with

praise is an example of reinforcement (the response). The child will become more inclined to

repeat the desired behavior in the future if praise is used to reinforce it. There are two types of

reinforcements: primary and secondary. Primary reinforcement, also known as unconditional

reinforcement, happens in the wild. Primary reinforcers frequently have an evolutionary

foundation since they help the species survive. As a result, they don't need to be learned in

order to function. For example, food, water air, sex, and sleep. When a stimulus is combined

with another reinforcing stimulus, it becomes secondary reinforcement. Another name for this

is conditioned reinforcement. For instance, praise and treats may be utilized as the main

reinforcers when training a dog. As an additional reinforcer, clicker noise can be added to praise

and treats. The clicker's sound eventually starts to function as a reinforcer on its own. There

are two distinct types of reinforcement in operant conditioning (beyond primary and secondary

reinforcements). Both have an impact on behavior, but in unique ways. The two varieties are,

Positive reinforcement which entails providing something to boost performance, like

rewarding a child with candy after they tidy their room. Negative reinforcement entails taking

away something in order to boost response, such as postponing a quiz in the event that students

turn all of their weekly assignments. The teacher aims to encourage the desirable behavior by

removing the negative stimuli (the quiz and homework). One can control the order in which

reinforcers are provided. Continuous reinforcement is frequently utilized in the early stages of

learning. This entails rewarding a behavior each time it manifests itself, like rewarding a puppy

every time it urinates outside. Using a fractional reinforcement schedule is possible once a

behavior has been learned.

The following are the four primary forms of partial reinforcement; Fixed-ratio

schedules: Furthering a behavior once a predetermined quantity of responses has taken place.

Fixed-intervals schedules: Furthering a behavior after a predetermined amount of time has

passed. Variable-ratio schedules: Furthering the behavior after the erratic number of responses.

Variable-interval schedules: Furthering the behavior after an erratic amount of time has passed.

In the process of operant conditioning, reinforcement is crucial. When utilized properly,

this could be a powerful teaching tool to promote positive habits and stifle negative ones. It's

crucial to keep in mind that everyone has a different definition of what reinforcement is. One

kid may find a goodie rewarding in a classroom context while another may not care for such a

reward. Furthermore, if a youngster only gets attention from parents while they are

reprimanding them, that attention may serve to reinforce the bad conduct. You can better grasp

how various forms of reinforcement affect learning and behavior by learning something about

how reinforcement functions.

Operant conditioning is still a crucial and frequently utilized strategy in the behavior

and learning modification process, even though behaviorism may not have the sway it once did

in the early 20th century. Natural outcomes can occasionally cause us to alter our actions. In

other cases, the administration of incentives and penalties may be done with the intention of
bringing about change. You may be able to immediately detect operant conditioning within

your own life, whether it's in how you raise your children or how you train the family dog.

Always keep in mind that learning takes time. Take into account the kind of reward or

punishment that might be most effective in your particular circumstance, and determine what

kind of reinforcement plan might produce the best outcomes.

In conclusion, we have tackled the works of B.F. Skinner. Learned about various

contributions to psychology, including his theory of learning, and operant conditioning.

Skinner was a brilliant author who produced over 20 books and close to 200 articles. He swiftly

rose to prominence as a leader of the behaviorist field in psychology as a result of his study

and writing. He made a significant contribution to the growth of experimental psychology as

well.
Reference.

SCHULTZ, D. P., & SCHULTZ, S. E. (2016). THEORIES OF PERSONALITY (11th ed.).

CENGAGE LEARNING.

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ALITY/Theories%20of%20Personality.pdf