Name(s) : Nombuso Malindzisa : Khanyiso Magongo : Landokuhle Tsabedze : Wandile Kunene : Nhlakanipho Mtsetfwa Course : Educational Psychology Course Code : EDU 102 Lecturer : Mrs Dlamini Operant Conditioning In this assignment we will aim at discussing about operant conditioning. In the discussion we will look at how operant conditioning can be used and how it can make learning more effective in the classroom environment. Definition of Terms Operant- Having influence or producing an effect/ how an organism operates on the environment/active behaviour that operates upon the environment to generate consequences. Conditioning- A learning process in which an organism’s behaviour becomes dependent on the occurrence of a stimulus in its environment(trains an animal to behave in a certain way). What is Operant Conditioning? This theory was invented by an American psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner, who was commonly known as B.F. Skinner. However, the true father of this theory was Edward Thorndike. Operant conditioning can also be referred to as “Instrumental Conditioning.” It is described as a form of learning where an individual changes his/her behaviour because of the results of their behaviour. In operant conditioning, the acquisition and further performance of an action depends on the consequences experienced upon its completion. This type of learning is called “operant” because the behaviour operates on the environment: it is “instrumental” because the behaviour is instrumental in producing reward. Briefly, Operant Conditioning can be described as a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviour. Through operant conditioning an association is made between a behaviour and a consequence for that behaviour It is a type of learning that affords the animal some degree of control over its environment in that it has an ability to produce changes in its situation by performing an appropriate action. In Operant Conditioning, B.F. Skinner sees learners as active, not as passive as viewed by Pavlov’s classical conditioning. To demonstrate his point, Skinner experimented with a rat which was placed in a box which is called the Skinner Box. The box had a lever and pellets placed inside the box. In the course of exploring its environment, the rat discovered that if it pressed the lever, it was rewarded with a pellet. The reward (pellet) reinforced the behaviour of pressing the lever. In this theory therefore learning is explained as a process by which learned responses are strengthened through reinforcements and weakened through punishments. Consequences of a response determine whether it will be repeated or not. Operant Conditioning falls under “Operant behaviour” which is behaviour under conscience control. Some may occur spontaneously and other purposely, but it is the consequences of these action that then influence whether these actions occur again in the future or not. The actions on the environment and the consequences of that action play a very important role in the learning process. Types of Behaviour Operant Conditioning is under conscience control thus under Operant Behaviours. Some behaviours may occur spontaneously and others purposely, but it is the consequences of these actions that then influence whether or not they occur again in the future. Our actions on the environment and the consequences of that action make up an important part of the learning process. Principles of Operant Conditioning Reinforcement: process of strengthening desired behaviour. Positive reinforcement Giving a reward after a desired behaviour has been displayed so that it can be repeated. According to Skinner positive reinforcement strengthens a behaviour by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding. E.g. When a teacher gives a sweet to learners who completed their homework, they will be more likely to repeat this behaviour in the future thus strengthening the behaviour of completing their homework. Negative reinforcement Strengthening desired behaviour by removing something that prevents the individual from displaying the desired behaviour. For negative reinforcement to work, whatever is taken away must be taken away immediately after the behaviour in question. The end result is to get whatever behaviour is happening to continue and even increase. E.g. When a teacher complains to students for not doing their homework, the students will then do their homework in order to avoid the complains of the teacher. Punishment An uncomfortable stimulus is given to the individual after an undesirable behaviour has been displayed; this is done to weaken the undesired behaviour. E.g. If a student does not do his/her homework then as a punishment the teacher assigns the student to clean the school toilets that day. In the future the student will do the homework to avoid cleaning the school toilets. Extinction When a behaviour is not reinforced such that it gradually disappears Shaping The process of positively reinforcing behaviour that progressively move closer and closer to the desired behaviour. Timeout Process of weakening undesired behaviour by temporarily withdrawing positive reinforcement Implications of Operant Conditioning Skinner’s Operant Conditioning indicates that: Learners are active. They learn by operating on and within their environment. This is why Skinner’s approach is called operant/instrumental conditioning – it is learners themselves who are instrumental to their behaviour just as the rat was instrumental to its acquisition of pellets. Rewards/reinforcements play a critical role in learning. They sustain the learner’s efforts. The rat continued its behaviour of pressing the lever because it was being rewarded with pellets. This suggests the use of rewards to motivate learners. The consequences of one’s behaviour can either encourage or discourage one’s efforts. Hence, if children are to enjoy learning, they must have good end results like tasting success. You should give learners opportunities to explore both their physical environment (classroom, learning materials, learning aids) and social environment (being allowed to interact with peers, the teacher, etc). Desired behaviour or good performance in learning is dependent on the learner being rewarded To conclude on Behaviourism, it is important to note that though behaviourists have been criticised for using animals in their experiments, their theories shed a lot of light on how children learn. Behaviourism is Central to the role of the environment, the learner himself/herself and of reinforcement. References Dr. John E. R. Staddon and Dr. Yael Niv: www.verywellmind.com (2008) S Malindzisa & TD Mushoriwa: Introduction to Developmental and Educational Psychology(2010) Florentin Woergoetter and Bernd Porr(2008)
