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ROSAMIE G. NAVARRO
Reporter
TOPIC:
SKINNER’S OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Behaviorism
Burrhus Frederick Skinner
Books –
1. Walden Two – 1948
about Utopian society
based on operant conditioning.

2. Science & Human

Behavior – 1953 about the
principles of operant
conditioning function in social
institutions such as
Government, Law, Religion,
economics and EDUCATION.
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OPERANT CONDITIONING THEORY
Operant
Conditioning is a type
of associative learning
process to which the
strength of a behavior
modified by
reinforcement or
punishment. It is a also
a procedure that is used
to bring about such
learning
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Behaviorism 4
 Skinner just like Pavlov, Watson
and Thorndike – believed in the
stimulus-response pattern of
conditioned behavior. His theory
zeroed in only on changes in
observable behavior, excluding any
likelihood of any processes taking
place in the mind.
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Behaviorism 6
Reinforcement element of Skinner S-R theory

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Reinforcement – the reinforcer is anything
that strengthens the desired response.
Positive Reinforcer Negative Reinforcer
is any stimulus that is Is any stimulus that
given or added to results in the increased
increase the response. frequency of a response
when it is withdrawn or
removed.
Other examples include;
Ex; removing due to
verbal praises, star condition
stamps and stickers.
Punishment
is a consequence intended to result in reduced
responses.
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1. Shaping of Behavior -is a conditioning paradigm used
primarily in the experimental analysis of behavior. It involves
the reinforcement of successive approximations of the target
behavior.

2. Behavioral Chaining – comes about when a series of steps

are needed to be learned.

3. Reinforcement Schedules – Once the desired behavioral

response is accomplished, reinforcement does not have to be
100%, in fact, it can be maintained more successfully through
what Skinner referred to as partial reinforcement schedules.
Partial Reinforcement schedules include interval schedules
and ratio schedules.

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4. Fixed Interval Schedules- The target response is
reinforced after a fixed amount of time has passed
since the last reinforcement.
5. Variable Interval Schedules – similar to #4 but
the amount of time that has pass between
reinforcement varies.
6. Fixed Ratio Schedules – A fixed number of
correct responses must occur before reinforcement
may recur.
7. Variable Ratio Schedule – the number of the
correct repetitions of the correct responses for
reinforcement varies.
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Variable Ratio Schedules produce steadler, and
more persistent rates of response because the
learners cannot predict when the reinforcement
will come although they know that they will
eventually succeed.
Implications of Operant Conditioning. These implication are
given for programmed instruction.
1. Practice should take the form of question (stimulus)- answer
(response) frames which expose the student to the subject in
gradual steps.
2. Require that the learner makes a response for every frame and
receives immediate feedback.
3.Try to arrange the difficulty of the questions so the response for
every frame and receives immediate feedback.
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4. Ensure the good performance in the lesson is paired with
secondary reinforcers such as verbal praise, prizes and good
grades.

Principles Derived from Skinner’s Operant Condition;

1. Behavior that is positively reinforce will reoccur,
intermittent reinforcement is particularly effective.
2. Information should be presented in small amount so that
responses can be reinforced (shaping)
3. Reinforcements will generalize across similar stimuli
(stimulus generalization) producing secondary conditioning.

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 Thank You!!!!

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