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C) Operant Conditioning
OPERANT CONDITIONING
“Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.” - B.F Skinner
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Try this first!
How do you respond when your teachers give rewards and punishments?
SYNOPSIS
Operant conditioning, commonly referred to as instrumental conditioning, is the process through which both people and animals learn how to act in order to reap rewards and avoid punishments. In experimental psychology, it is also the name of the model used to study these learning and action selection processes. B.F. Skinner, a behavioral scientist, initially described and researched operant conditioning. Skinner carried out numerous well-known operant training studies on animals.
Operant conditioning is a behavioral psychology learning theory that places a strong emphasis on the importance of reinforcement in conditioning. It highlights the impact that rewards and punishments for specific behaviors can have on a person's future actions.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After this lesson, the students are expected to:
Identify the operant conditioning and terminologies at the end of this module Relate to terminologies by sharing their experiences. Apply the lessons learned in real-life situations.
Operant Conditioning is also referred to as “instrumental conditioning.” It is a learning in which an individual’s behavior depends on the outcomes or consequences of their action. A reinforcement or punishment consequence either increases or decreases the chance of a certain reaction occurring. Hence, reinforcement increases the reproduction of behavior, and punishment decreases it. Skinner defined the term operant as any “active response or behavior that acts on the environment to produce consequences.” This theory attempted to explain how humans acquire the wide variety of learned behaviors that they exhibit on a daily basis.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner was a prominent American psychologist who influenced behaviorism. He is the main proponent of Operant Conditioning. According to Skinner, who referred to his own ideology as "radical behaviorism," the idea of free choice is really an illusion. He thought that all human behavior was a direct outcome of conditioning. Instead of internal motivations and thoughts, he believed in observable and external causes of behavior.
In Skinner's operant conditioning process, an operant was any activity that operates on the environment and results in consequences. He distinguished between responsive behaviors, or everything that happens instinctively or automatically, such as pulling your finger back when you accidentally touch a hot pan, and operant behaviors, or the activities that we can control.
The Skinner Box, commonly known as an operant conditioning chamber, is an effective experimental setting for examining the more natural flow of behavior. It is also a useful tool for learning behavior. It has made significant contributions to our knowledge of the effects of reward and punishment.
How does a Skinner Box work? There is typically a lever or key within this chamber that an individual animal may use to access a food or water source inside the room as a reinforcer. It's possible that when the lever is pulled, reinforcements like food, water, or another kind will be sent. It is also possible to offer other stimuli, such as lights, sounds, and pictures. The chamber is linked to electrical devices that capture the animal pecking at keys or pressing levers, allowing accurate measurement of behavior.
Terminologies:
Reinforcement: The process of encouraging or establishing a belief or pattern of behavior, especially by encouragement or reward.
Positive Reinforcement: Positive punishment entails rewarding someone for behavior by giving them the desired reward. This could involve giving compliments, money, or other rewards.
Negative Reinforcement: Negative reinforcement is the removal of the unwanted event or stimulus that acts as the reward for doing the action.
Example: Your teacher gave you money for participating in her activity.
Example: Student A does her homework ahead of time ( the behavior) to avoid submitting it beyond the deadline ( removal of the aversive stimulus).
Example: You heard on television that it will rain today but you still did not bring an umbrella, now you’re wet because of the rain.
Example: Rachel’s mother took her gadget away because she got failing grades.
Positive Punishment: Positive punishment can simply be an inevitable consequence of a certain action.
Negative Punishment: Negative punishment includes removing something pleasant or desirable in order to minimize the occurrence of a particular action.
The Principles Behind the Operant Conditioning
Respondent Behavior: This type of behavior happens automatically and reflexively. There is no need to learn these behaviors because they occur naturally and involuntarily.
Operant Behavior: Our environmental behaviors and the consequences of those acts are an essential part of the learning process.
Organize your thoughts
Directions: Read each sentence and write the correct answer on the blank provided.
__________ 1. He is a behavioral scientist and the main proponent of Operant Conditioning. __________ 2. It increases the behavior. __________ 3. It occurs when a response is accompanied by an unfavorable outcome. __________ 4. These behaviors occur naturally and involuntarily. __________ 5. It removes negative effects or stimuli in order to enhance certain behaviors. __________ 6-7. Give the 2 Principles Behind the Operant Conditioning.
__________ __________ 8. Commonly referred to as instrumental conditioning. __________ 9. It decreases the behavior. __________10. Removing a child's video game after misbehavior is an example of what?
Let yourself explore
Directions: Give a specific situation then present the Positive Reinforcement and Punishment, and the Negative Reinforcement and Punishment. Complete the table below.
Example: The dog pooped on the carpet.
Positive
Negative Reinforcement
Add something pleasant like dog treats to increase the likelihood of a behavior.
Increase the desired behavior, this time, by removing something unpleasant like the leash. Punishment
Adding an unpleasant response to decrease behavior.
Decrease behavior now by removing something pleasant like the comfortable carpet.
Situation A: _________________________________________________.
Reinforcement Punishment
Positive
Negative
Situation B: _________________________________________________.
Reinforcement Punishment
Positive
Negative
Situation C: _________________________________________________.
Reinforcement Punishment
Positive
Negative
REFERENCES
sQUIZ your Mind
Direction: Determine the given situation if it is Positive Reinforcement, Negative Reinforcement, Positive Punishment, or Negative Punishment. (2 points each).
1. Max’s mother decreased her allowance after she failed most of her tests. __________ 2. Teacher Janine caught her student using the phone in class, she immediately confiscated it. __________ 3. Teacher Jill gives chips to a student if he/she answers the question correctly. __________ 4. Teacher Ace adds a red star on the student's chart whenever they misbehave.
What type of Reinforcement or Punishment have you experienced? Explain in no more than 5 sentences. (2 points)
Cherry, K. (2005, November 6). What is operant conditioning and how does it work? Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/operant-conditioning-a2-2794863
Mcleod], [saul. (2007). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html
Guide Question: As a pre-service history teacher, how do you guide your students in integrating their learning in history?
CHAPTER 4: SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY AND NINE LEVELS OF LEARNING Teacher Raja's POV
It was already dismissal time. Some of my students approached me for an interview, which I gladly accepted.
“Good day, Teacher Raja! We would like to interview you for a research study. As a pre-service history teacher, how do you guide your students in integrating their
learning in history?” At first I marveled at what a beautiful question they had asked. And by that moment, I gave them the best answer that I could give.
“What a great question. As a history teacher, my subject is pretty much long and full of events and dates that need to be remembered. But with the help of Mr. Bandura and Mr. Gagne, their theories helped me to create and develop my teaching processes that guide you to understand my lessons. History is full of dates so how can I help you remember? Mr. Bandura proposed a theory that he called Social Learning Theory stating that we learn by what we observe and copy
this behavior to be part of our learning, attitude, and response." I smiled as I looked at the faces of my students that were full of curiosity and excitement for what I am going to say.
“I remember my students last school year. I conducted a graded recitation in our classroom. At first, only one student was actively participating. So I told them that those who will actively participate will get higher marks than those who did not. Aside from that, the top 3 students will get an extra prize from me. After that
announcement, every student is eager to listen and answer the questions.” I smiled seeing them laser focus on what I’m going to say next.
“Remember the discussion we had when we watched a short play about Noli Me
Tangere?” they immediately nodded as they recalled the discussion. “What we had
read in Rizal’s Novel, and what we had watched in the play, helped us remember and fully visualize what the novel says. For example, when Rizal said in the novel that Padre Damaso got angry because of the piece of chicken leg in Tinola that was given to him. When we read that, the class laughed. But when we watched the scene, we realized that Padre Damaso did not get angry just because of the chicken leg but because he thinks that it is part of looking down on him since Ibarra got the big piece of the chicken. We learn, we adapt and we create new
knowledge and understanding of what we are doing and observing”.
As the students showed a sign that they understood what I have said, one of them raised a hand, “Yes, Ada?” I asked and she immediately responded, “Teacher Raja, I
just want to ask this out of curiosity. If learning can be formed through interaction
then why do we struggle in school?” I smiled as I thought that this is another great question. “One person, my dear students, Mr. Robert Gagne, created the nine levels of learning.” The three were surprised. “It’s like video games or even drama series.
In order to get the attention of my students, I need to do something. In my case, it’s either I let them watch something or we play a game.”
One of them asked, “I also observed that, Teacher Raja. We learn faster when we
watch or play before the lesson itself.”
“Good observation! That is because the nine levels of learning is a step-by-step approach that can assist you to become more engaged and remember the concepts of learning material you were studying. By this method, you can easily understand the lesson but just like what Mr. Bandura proposed in his Social Learning Theory: We possess social learning skills that we are most likely to give our attention to something we want and are curious about. That is what makes the topic easy or hard to understand."
They added, “I also observed that whenever I like something, for example, video
games, I tend to find it easier to learn all about it than mathematics but Teacher Raja, why do we find it easy to learn what you are discussing?”
The question widened my smile and I cheerfully replied, “It flatters me that you learn
easily in my teaching class, but I think because I let you enjoy learning through different teaching strategies.”
I continued, “These teaching processes were developed by different theories and
these two theories were just part of the teaching processes. These theories have the stories that reside among the proponents, their experiences, and observations that we can relate to. These helped me so I can create frameworks to integrate more suitable learning for you guys because every one of you is unique in your learning styles. And what we had, all of these discussions is the perfect example of how learning is formed. I hope I answered your questions meaningfully.”
“Yes, Teacher Raja! Thank you so much for your time. Have a great day!” I smiled and started sorting my books, preparing to leave with a big smile on my lips.
