Operant Conditioning Superstition

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In the late nineteenth early twentieth century, psychologist Edward Thorndike introduced the law of effect. The law of effect proposes that any behavior that has a good consequence will likely be repeated, and behavior that has negative consequences will subside. In the 1930s, B. F. Skinner a famous psychologist, went with this idea and began to study what we call operant conditioning. (SparkNotes.2015) Operant Conditioning also known as instrumental conditioning and Skinnerian conditioning is a method of learning that has been used by psychologists that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Using operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and the consequence for that behavior. Psychologists use a method…show more content…
B.F Skinner designed what is known as Skinners Box to perform his study on operant conditioning. Skinner placed mice inside the chamber and began trying to teach them different behaviors. If and when the mice performed the action that Skinner had been trying to reach he rewarded them with a treat. This is positive reinforcement. The mice over time realized that by completing the task they received what they wanted. As parents, we often use these reinforcements as well. If a child who usually has lower grades in school, a parent will use an incentive such as money, snacks, television/computer time to encourage the child to try harder for better…show more content…
Negative reinforcement is a term described by B. F. Skinner in his study of operant conditioning. During negative reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative outcome or stimulus. Negative stimuli tend to involve some type of discomfort, which are either physical or psychological. Behaviors are negatively reinforced when they allow you to escape from the negative stimuli that are already present or allow you to completely avoid the stimuli all together before they happen. One of the best ways to remember negative reinforcement is to think of it as something being taken away or removed from the situation. When you look at it in this way, it may be easier to identify examples of negative reinforcement in the real-world. For example, when your dog acts up in the house, the first attempt at punishment is to put them their kennel, which ultimately removes their freedom. After so many times of losing that freedom, the dog will realize the negative effect its behavior was

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