Operant conditioning, also referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of associative learning that focuses on the strength of behavior and how it is modified through reinforcement (positive/negative) or punishment. This theory is used today by the world’s top
Operant conditioning, also referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of associative learning that focuses on the strength of behavior and how it is modified through reinforcement (positive/negative) or punishment. This theory is used today by the world’s top psychologists and behaviorists but also by everyday individuals. Operant conditioning can be used on adults, children, and even animals to obtain “rewards” and avoid punishment. Its use is prevalent in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy.
The History of Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning dates back to the beginning of twentieth-century psychology. Its foundation is rooted in the studies conducted by Edward L. Thorndike, who researched and developed the “Law of Effect.”
The Law of Effect, as defined by the American Psychology Association, is the “principle that consequences of behavior act to modify the future probability of occurrence of that behavior.” This concept laid the original foundation for positive reinforcement and punishment related to operant conditioning within developmental, educational, and behavioral psychology. Thorndike was one of the original psychologists to lay the groundwork for what would later be referred to as “Behaviorism.”
John B. Watson’s, the father of behaviorism, work focused on outward and external behaviors rather than the traditional psychological focus of internal emotions.
His studies were further explored at Yale, by Clark Hull, and at Iowa, by Kenneth Speech. These two psychologists fell into the category of neobehaviorists. They studied the mathematical laws that surround learned behavior.
The last psychologist in our history is B.F. Skinner, founder the theory of operant conditioning. Skinner disagreed with neobehaviorism and sought other explanations for external behaviors and how they could be reinforced or modified.
Skinner’s theory hinged on Watson’s theories within behavioral psychology. That internal thoughts and motivations did not always explain behaviors. Instead, behaviorists should look only at the external influences and objective observations of one’s environment and the possible causes of their behavior. Skinner took Watson’s original concept of behaviorism and layered the idea of consequences on top. Skinner was focused on how the consequences of people’s actions played a role in their future behavior. This is where reinforcement and punishment come into play.
Skinner’s operant conditioning went on to take the world of psychology by storm in the early 20th century and is still practiced today in several subfields within psychology and behaviorism. For example, the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy utilizes early behaviorist theories in its daily clinical work.
Fundamentals of Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning theory believes the best way to understand people is through their behaviors because they are observable. It is a way to quantify data, analyze it, track it, and formulate strategies to change or modify it. In fields like ABA, data is the cornerstone of how providers understand and help their clients. ABA clinicians rely on observable data to understand their clients, what they need, and what might help them and use clinical data to chart progress.
Reinforcement of Good Behavior
Not every positive example of behavior needs to be modified, but it needs to be reinforced to happen more often. Operant conditioning utilizes positive and negative reinforcements to “condition” someone to do more or less of any given behavior. It is an excellent tool for ABA therapists to use with their clients–usually individuals on the autism spectrum.
Diminishing Bad Behavior
Skinner believed that through reinforcements and punishments, negative or disruptive behavior could be eliminated or unlearned. That the reason an individual acts the way they do is modifiable. In ABA therapy, a clinician might use operant conditioning strategies to steer their client away from disruptive tendencies.
How Environment Impacts Behavior
Operant conditioning also functions under the idea that one’s environment directly correlates to how one behaves. A great example of this in ABA therapy is when a child starts to act disruptively in a specific class or environment but not another. The environment of the first-class elicits a behavior; environmental considerations may need to be addressed within a curriculum plan.
How Behaviors are Learned
Operant conditioning gives clinicians and psychologists insight into how behaviors are learned. Skinner understood external behaviors through the lens that they are learned and do not develop on their own. A negative behavior might have started when a child began to associate something with feeling bad or negative.
Reinforcement and Punishment
The idea of reinforcement and punishment are foundational to the practice of operant conditioning. For example, an individual will want to work harder at their job if they get great feedback from their employer (positive reinforcement). Conversely, that same individual will not want to do a good job if their hard work goes unrewarded (negative reinforcement). The same is true for a child in school–positive feedback related to a behavior will motivate them. Operant conditioning also teaches the opposite: punishment or negative feedback for a bad job at