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B. F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning describes positive reinforcement. In positive reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by rewards, leading to the repetition of the desired behavior. The reward is a reinforcing stimulus.
The behaviorist theory is only concerned with observable stimulus-response behaviors, as they can be studied in a systematic and observable manner. Some of the key figures of the behaviorist approach include B.F. Skinner, known for his work on operant conditioning, and John B. Watson, who established the psychological school of behaviorism.
Skinner’s theory of language development, also known as behaviorist theory, suggests that language is acquired through operant conditioning. According to Skinner, children learn language by imitating and being reinforced for correct responses.
Skinner developed his theory of operant conditioning by identifying four different types of punishment or reward. To test the effect of these outcomes, he constructed a device called the “Skinner Box,” a cage in which a rat could be placed, with a small lever (which the rat would be trained to press), a chute that would release pellets of ...
Skinner devised a method of rewarding positive behavior called the Skinner box (Dezfouli & Balleine, 2012). Essentially, this skinner box consists of a reinforcer — a lever or button that, when pressed in a certain way, delivers a reward such as food or water — and a tracker.
Unlike Skinner, Bandura (1977) believes humans are active information processors and think about the relationship between their behavior and its consequences. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that people learn new behaviors by observing and imitating others.
Skinner’s work involved the systematic study of how the consequences of a behavior influence its frequency in the future. He introduced the concepts of reinforcement (both positive and negative) and punishment to describe how consequences can modify behavior.
Schedules of reinforcement are rules that control the timing and frequency of reinforcement delivery in operant conditioning. They include fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval, and variable-interval schedules, each dictating a different pattern of rewards in response to a behavior.
Their most forthright and articulate spokesman has been B. F. Skinner. Concepts like “free will” and “motivation” are dismissed as illusions that disguise the real causes of human behavior. In Skinner’s scheme of things, the person who commits a crime has no real choice.
Eysenck (1952, 1967, 1982) proposed a theory of personality based on biological factors, arguing that individuals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and adapt to the environment. During the 1940s, Eysenck was working at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in London.