He conditioning It is a form of learning by association of stimuli, discovered and defended by authors who support behaviorism. The most important types of conditioning are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. He operant conditioning is a type of learning and behavior modification technique that uses positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, omission, and punishment to produce the acquisition or extinction of a behavior.
In this Psychology-Online article about operant conditioning, we explain what it is, its definition and we show you some examples. In addition, we also tell you how to apply operant conditioning.
Definition of operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a form of learning that consists of associate a stimulus with a response with the aim that the response occurs more or less. That is, a behavior occurs and after the behavior there is a consequence, something that happens afterwards. Then there are two options: that the consequence be positive or negative.
- If the consequence is considered positive that behavior will have more likely to occur in the future, since the behavior is being associated with the good event that happened later.
- If, on the contrary, the consequence is negative the behavior will have less likely to occur in the future, since the behavior is associated with the bad event. This connection between behaviors and consequences results in a behavior modification technique that serves to ensure that a behavior is repeated or not. There are different types of operant conditioning.
Types of operant conditioning
- He positive reinforcement: when a good event occurs after the behavior, it will therefore produce an increase in the presence of the behavior.
- He negative reinforcement: when after the behavior a bad event that is already happening does not occur or stops occurring, which will also increase the presence of the behavior.
- The omission: when a good event does not occur after the behavior, the presence of the behavior will decrease.
- He punishment: when a bad event occurs after the behavior, which will also decrease the presence of the behavior.
Thondrike’s instrumental conditioning
As we have mentioned previously, he is the most important author of operant conditioning, which Edward Thorndike later called with the term instrumental conditioning. The conceptual difference is based more on the name than on the nature of learning.
What can we achieve with operant conditioning?
What we can achieve with operant conditioning is the known. The most important concepts are:
The acquisition
Acquisition is the behavioral learning process in which the behavior is associated with positive reinforcement and/or negative reinforcement. Due to the reinforcement, the behavior occurs more and more quickly, more times and is less likely to disappear.
The extinction
Extinction consists of suppressing the reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior. When you stop reinforcing the behavior, its frequency decreases. It is an effective procedure for definitively reduce the behaviors, but it is slower than others, so the behavior cannot be expected to disappear immediately. The reduction of the behavior is gradual and depends on:
- The history of the behavior to be extinguished: extinction is faster when the origin of the behavior is recent and slower when the behavior has a long history of occurrence and is well established.
- The reinforcement that the behavior to be extinguished has received: it is faster when the behavior has received reinforcement continuously and it is slower when it has received reinforcement intermittently.
- The level of reinforcement deprivation: the more time has passed between reinforcement occurrences, the slower the extinction will be.
- The intensity of reinforcement: the greater the reinforcer used, the longer it will take to extinguish the behavior.
- The effort required to issue the response: the more effort it requires, the easier it will be to extinguish.
It must be taken into account that the application of extinction produces an increase in the frequency and intensity of the behavior in the first moments of application, it is called “extinction burst“. Aggressive or emotional behaviors may also increase when the procedure is implemented, the so-called “extinction-induced aggression.” It is important to persist in the application of extinction, as it ensures its effectiveness.
Furthermore, the response can reappear punctually after a period of time in which the behavior had disappeared, this phenomenon is called “spontaneous recovery“. By maintaining extinction, it will eventually disappear definitively.
How should extinction be applied?
- It is advisable to explain and specify the conditions of extinction.
- Identify all the reinforcers that maintain the behavior.
- Being able to control the presentation of reinforcers. To achieve this, extinction must be applied to all the people in the environment in which the behaviors are emitted so that they do not reinforce them.
- Prevent people involved in the extinction program regarding the initial increase in the undesirable response, possible aggressive responses when not receiving the expected reward and the effects of spontaneous recovery.
- Be constant, because if extinction is used intermittently it is equivalent to reinforcing it intermittently.
- Use, along with the extinction of inappropriate behavior, the reinforcement of alternative behaviors, if possible, incompatible with the one you want to eliminate. For example, if we want to extinguish the behavior of consuming sugary drinks, we will reinforce each time water is drunk.
Examples of operant or instrumental conditioning
Both Thondrike and Skinner and the other authors who theorized about operant or instrumental conditioning defined some examples to better understand this procedure. Below, we offer some types of operant conditioning with clear examples:
Examples of positive reinforcement
- give a prize of food to a dog when it sits. She gets the dog to learn to sit and do it more.
- To congratulate to a child when he has finished his plate of vegetables. Get the child to learn that eating vegetables is something positive and increase this behavior.
- Charge commissions. Get a worker who receives extra money for each sale to increase the behaviors necessary to sell.
Examples of negative reinforcement
- stop arguing to a child when he gets a good grade. Get the child to increase the behaviors necessary to have better grades.
- Wash the dishes (your partner’s task) because he or she has cooked before. Get your partner to cook more.
- Let out of class early to the children who have participated in the class. It manages to stimulate the participation of children.
Examples of omission:
- Not paying attention to a child when he or she is behaving badly, for example, throwing a tantrum in the street. If performing the behavior does not receive attention, the behavior is more likely to be reduced.
- Do not answer to a child when he speaks badly, for example when he shouts or uses bad words. By ignoring him when he performs this behavior, we cause its frequency to decrease.
- Do not interact with our pet when he barks. Stopping paying attention makes the behavior decrease.
Examples of punishment
- Give extra work to students who have interrupted class. Get students to interrupt less.
- Remove the console to the son who has not picked up the clothes. It reduces the behavior of not picking up clothes.
- Scold to a child when he or she has had a bad grade. Get bad grades reduced.
Difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning
Another type of conditioning is classical conditioning, whose main author is Ivan Pàvlov and consists of associating an unconditioned stimulus, that is, a stimulus that by itself already generates a response, with a neutral stimulus, which by itself does not provoke this response. When the stimuli are associated, that is, they are presented together repeatedly, the neutral stimulus (which did not cause the response) now does. With an example it will be easier to understand.
Example of Pavlov’s classical conditioning
- The unconditioned stimulus (food) causes the response (dogs producing saliva); while the neutral stimulus (seeing the caregiver) does not produce the response (it does not make him salivate).
- The unconditioned and neutral stimuli are presented together (the caregiver brings the food) repeatedly and the unconditioned stimulus is associated with the neutral stimulus (the caregiver is associated with the food).
- Now, the neutral stimulus (seeing the caregiver) also causes the response (salivating). Now the dog salivates when he sees the handler, whether he sees the food or not.
The main difference between the classical conditioning and operant conditioning is that it focuses on modifying the stimulus that causes a behavior, while operant conditioning focuses on modifying the behavior through a stimulus.
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Bibliography
- De la Mora Ledesma, JG (1979). Psychology of learning (Vol. 1). Progreso Publishing House.
- Domjan, M. (2007). Principles of learning and behavior. Paraninfo Editorial.
- Tituana, S., & Dayse, B. (2017). Modification of aggressive behavior in children, Skinner’s postulates according to the theory of operant conditioning, regarding punishment.