Lesson 12 Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory

       


     Like other behaviorists, Burrhus Frederick (B.F.) Skinner believed in the stimulus-response pattern of conditioned behavior. Compared to the classical conditioning theory of Pavlov, the operant conditioning theory involves voluntary behaviors in operating on the environment.

Lucas and Corpuz (2013), explained that operant conditioning is based upon the notion that learning is a result of change in overt behavior. Change in the behavior are the results of an individual’s response to the events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. When a particular response made is rewarded the individual will most likely to repeat it. Skinner’s operant conditioning is dichotomized into reinforcement and punishment. Each of this two is further divided into positive or negative.

Reinforcement

            Schultz (2006) in Bulusan, et al. (2019), stated that reinforcement is defined as something that strengthens the behavior or is sometimes called as the response strengtheners. Positive reinforcement is defined as the addition of a pleasant stimulus. As illustrated in Skinner’s box, the dispense food became a positive reinforcement that caused the rat to continuously repeat the behavior. This idea is the reason behind teachers stamps in pre-school.

            Meanwhile, negative reinforcement is taking away something from a situation that subsequently increases the occurrence of the response. In other words, is the taking away of an unpleasant consequence to cause the behavior to happen again. An example of this is when your mother exempts you from washing the dishes when you are doing your homework.

            Reinforcement can also be scheduled for the purpose of encouraging repeated actions. It can be continuous, intermittent and ratio. Continuous reinforcement is given every time the desired response is made. Intermittent reinforcement can be fixed or variable: fixed refers to the time interval that is constant from one reinforcement to the next; variable means time interval varies from occasion to occasion around some average value. Ratio schedule reinforcement on the other hand means giving reinforcement after every nth response. It is also classified as either fixed or variable: fixed ratio if n is constant and variable if n is not constant.



Punishment

            If reinforcement is defined as something that strengthens the behavior, punishment in contrast is something which aims to weaken the repetition of performance. In the experiment with rat, the electric shock is the punishment given. However, Merrett and Wendall (1984), pointed out that does not necessarily eliminate the behavior, when the threat of punishment was removed, the punished response may recur.

            Like reinforcement, punishment can either be positive or negative. Positive punishment is the addition of an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the occurrence of unwanted behavior while negative punishment is the removal of a pleasant stimulus to result on the same decrease of unwanted behavior. Example of positive punishment is the giving of additional learning activities for the students with failing grades. Meanwhile, negative punishment example includes the removal of privileges.

Alternatives to Punishment

            Punishment even though has a good intention, sometimes result in negative effect on students’ upbringing. This is the reason why some alternatives to harsh punishments are offered. Below are some of which as enumerated by Bulusan, et al. (2019):

  1. Change the discriminative stimuli. Move misbehaving student away from other misbehaving students.
  2. Allow the unwanted behavior to continue. Have students who stands when he/she should be sitting continue to stand.
  3. Extinguish the unwanted behavior. Ignore minor misbehavior so that it is not reinforced by teacher attention.
  4. Condition an incompatible behavior. Reinforce learning progress, which occurs only when a student is not misbehaving.

 

Teaching Implications of Operant Conditioning

            Lucas and Corpuz (2013), identified the following implications below focusing on programmed instructions.

  1. Practice should take the question-answer frame which expose the student to the step in gradual steps.
  2. Requires the earners to make response for every frame and receives immediate feedback
  3. Try to arrange the difficulty of the questions so that the first part will encourage the learners to continue.
  4. Ensure that good performance in the lesson is paired with reinforcers like verbal praise, prizes and good grades.

References

  • Aquino, A. M. (2009). Facilitating human learning (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
  • Bulusan, F., Raquepo, M. R., Balmeo, M. L., & Gutierrez, J. C. (2019). Facilitating learner-centered teaching (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
  • CMO No. 75 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd), p. 39
  • CMO No. 80 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd), p. 24
  • Lucas, M. R. D., & Corpuz, B. B. (2013). Facilitating learning: a metacognitive process (3rd Edition). LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.
  • Ornos, P. S., Gonzaga, E. P., Esgra, C. B., Gomez, N. G., Tarinay, A. R., & Verde, S. P. (2008). Facilitators of the learning process. Grandwater Publications.
  • Vega, V. A., & Prieto, N. G. (2012). Facilitating learning (Revised Edition). Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.

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