B.F. Skinner

B.F. SkinnerHeather Blake and Madelyn Harriger

About B.f. SkinnerBurrhus Frederic SkinnerBorn March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna, PennsylvaniaHamilton College and Harvard UniversityMarried Yvonne Blue and had two daughtersUniversity of Minnesota, Indiana University and Harvard UniversityDied August 18, 1990

Operant ConditioningDefine: changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response; looking at actions and consequences

Stemmed from Thorndikes Law of Effect

Skinner Box

Skinner boxExamplesWorking hard and getting a promotion increases the behavior of working hard because people want more chances of promotions

When someone has the window open and hears the traffic so they turn on the radio and dont have to listen to the noise outside

Parents give you $20 for every A you receive as a final grade so you continue to work hard and get straight AsReinforcersResponses from the environment that increase the probability of a behavior being repeated

Terminal behavior is the desired behavior at the end of a planned reinforcement

Types of reinforcersPrimary (Natural):Unconditioned; learned naturally without learning

Secondary: associated with primary; direct desire

Positive: Associated with rewards

Negative: Associated with avoidance and elimination

Positive ReinforcementsStrengthens behavior by providing a consequence an individuals finds rewarding

Ideally more preferred and effective

Examples:Dress nice and a cute guy compliments More likely to dress niceGet good grades and parents give you money Keeps getting good gradesLittle kid is behaves in public and gets candy Will behave more often

Negative ReinforcementsWhen a particular behavior is strengthened by the removal of an adverse stimulus; avoiding and eliminating

A process not an action

More common than positive

Example: You clean up your room so your parents will not nag you about itIt rains and you get wet, next time you bring an umbrella when it rains (Religious) To avoid Hell we are taught to be live a Christ-driven life

PunishmentWeakens or eliminates a response

Removes a positive reinforcer or introduces a negative reinforcer

Example:Get bad grades and phone is taken awayMisbehave and get spanked

Comparing

VideoOperant ConditioningEducation ApplicationDiscuss with partner how you can use positive reinforcements in the classroom

Positive Education applicationLunch with the teacher

Treasure box

Bonus points

Pizza/Movie day

Education applicationDiscuss with your partner how you can use negative reinforcements in the classroom

Negative education applicationThe students take a quiz at the end of every week and they are told that if all assigned homework is turned in then there will be no quiz. The behavior to complete homework is strengthened to avoid the quiz

Pop quizzes if students are not paying attention or are talking during the lesson. If they pay attention and ask questions then there is no pop quiz

What did we learn?B.F. Skinner

Operant Conditioning

Skinner Box

Positive vs Negative Reinforcement

Negative Reinforcement vs Punishment

Questions?ReferencesSkinner, B. F. (2011). B.f. skinner foundation: A survey of operant behavior. Retrieved from http://www.bfskinner.org/bfskinner/SurveyOperantBehavior.html

Conversation with B.F. Skinner. (1973). Organizational Dynamics, 1(3), 31-40.

Elias, J. L. (1974). B F Skinner and religious education. Religious Education, 69(5), 558-567.

McLeod, S. (2007). Simply psychology: Skinner-operant conditioning. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

Moore, J. J. (2011). BEHAVIORISM. Psychological Record, 61(3), 449-465.