Operant Conditioning
A little history.
Skinner was not the first.
Edward Thorndike first studied repeating behaviours with the aid of a puzzle box.
Edward Thorndike
First studied hungry cats which were placed in puzzle boxes and observed their reactions. He quickly realized that the cats would repeat certain behaviors that allowed them to escape faster. This led him to develop the Law of Effect which states that any behaviour that is followed by something pleasurable is likely to be repeated. However, when a behaviour is followed by something unpleasant, the behaviour is unlikely to be repeated.
B. F. Skinner
Expanded Thorndike’s research to explain how animals learn behaviour through reinforcement and punishment which he coined the term operant conditioning. A reinforce is anything that increases the chance of a particular behaviour and a punisher is anything that decreases the chance of a particular behaviour. Overall, Skinner coined four methods of changing behaviour: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment.
