B.F. Skinner
psychologist, behaviorist, author, inventor, and
social philosopher
Life
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Born March 20, 1904
Died August 18, 1990 of leukemia
1926 received a B.A. in English Literature from Hamilton College
Skinner was struggling as a writer when he discovered the works
of John Watson and Ivan Pavlov
Skinner was extremely interested in Pavlov’s work on Classical
Conditioning
This interest made Skinner decide to quit writing and enter a
psychology graduate program at Harvard University in 1928
1931- Skinner received his PhD from Harvard
1936-Skinner married Yvonne Blue and had 2 daughters
1948-Skinner joined the Psychology Department at Harvard
University
He remained at Harvard for the rest of his career
Accomplishments
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Wrote 200 articles
Wrote 20 Books
Won many awards for his research:
1966- Edward Lee Thorndike Award, American Psychological
Association
1968 - National Medal of Science from President Lyndon B.
Johnson
1971 - Gold Medal of the American Psychological Foundation
1990 - Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to
Psychology
Skinner’s work is used today by many people including
teachers, animal trainers, and mental health professionals
Operant Conditioning Theory
 Skinner believed that thoughts and motivation could not
be used to explain behavior. He suggested that we should
look at the external observable causes of human
behavior.
 Skinner's theory explained how we acquire the range of
learned behaviors we exhibit each and every day.
 Sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning
 Through operant conditioning an association is made
between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior
Skinner Box
 Skinner is often referred to as the Father of Operant
Conditioning.
 He studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments
in what now is called Skinner Box.
 Skinner Box is a box that an animal is placed in that has a bar
or a key that the animal can press in order to get food or
water as a type of reinforcement.
 Rats and pigeons were mostly used in these experiments.
Skinner Box
 The point of these studies were to exhibit that behaviors can
be learned through reinforcements and punishers.
 He used rats to show that this was an innate trait present that
all animals would exhibit.
 Skinner believed that humans learn behaviors in exactly the
same ways that other animals do.
 The learning was done by way of “shaping” the individual.
Skinner Box
This picture shows Skinner
performing this experiment
Operant Conditioning Theory
 Skinner used the term operant to refer to any “active”
behavior that operates upon the environment to generate
consequences.
 Principle reinforcement: implies that consequences
of behavior would influence whether the behavior would
occur in the future or not. There are two kinds of
reinforcements.
 Positive reinforcement
 Negative reinforcement
Reinforcements
 Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases
the behavior it follows.
 Positive reinforcements are favorable events or outcomes
that are presented after the behavior. In situations that reflect
positive reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened
by the addition of something, such as praise or a direct reward.
 Negative reinforcements involve the removal of an
unfavorable events or outcomes after the display of a behavior.
In these situations, a response is strengthened by the removal of
something considered unpleasant.
Reinforcements
 The effectiveness of the reinforcement is directly correlated
to the schedule in which it is presented.
 Continuous reinforcement: reinforcement is presented after
every occurrence.
 Partial reinforcements: reward is only presented occasionally,
based on a schedule
 Fixed interval: pertaining to time.
 Fixed ratio: pertaining to number of responses.
Punishments
 Punishment, on the other hand, is the presentation of an
adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the
behavior it follows. There are two kinds of punishment:
 Positive punishment, sometimes referred to as punishment
by application, involves the presentation of an unfavorable event
or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows.
 Negative punishment, also known as punishment by
removal, occurs when an favorable event or outcome is
removed after a behavior occurs.
Theory Application
 Theory Examples:
 Scenario 1:Your father gives you a credit card at the end of
your first year in college because you did so well. As a result,
your grades continue to get better in your second year.
 Answer:The credit card is a positive reinforcement because it
is given and it increases the behavior.
 Scenario 2: A lion in a circus learns to stand up on a chair and
jump through a hoop to receive a food treat.
 Answer: The food treat is a positive reinforcement because it
is given and it increases the behavior.
Theory Application Cont.
 Scenario 3: A professor has a policy of exempting students
from the final exam if they maintain perfect attendance
during the quarter. His students’ attendance increases
dramatically.
 Answer: The exemption from the final exam is a negative
reinforcement because something is taken away that increases
the behavior (attendance).
A Case Study Employing Operant Conditioning to Reduce Stress of Capture for
Red-Bellied Tamarins (Saguinus labiatus).
Visual Representations of Theory
Memory Tools
 Operant conditioning focuses on one’s behavior and the way
one “operates”
 “Operate” sounds like Operant
Works Cited
 B. F. Skinner (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:04, Jul 16,
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2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/bf-skinner-9485671.
Buggey, T. (2007, Summer). Storyboard for Ivan's morning routine. Diagram. Journal of
Positive Behavior Interventions, 9(3), 151. Retrieved July 14, 2013, from
Academic Search Premier database.
Cherry, Kendra (2013). B.F. Skinner Biography (1904-1990). Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skin
er.htm
Cherry, Kendra (2013). Skinner Box Definition. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/g/def_skinnerbox.htm
Good Therapy.org (2013). B.F. Skinner (1904-1990). Retrieved from
http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/bf-skinner.html
McLeod, S. A. (2007). B.F. Skinner Operant Conditioning - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant conditioning.html
Shteingart, H., Neiman, T., & Loewenstein,Y. (2013). The Role of First Impression in
Operant Learning. Journal Of Experimental Psychology. General, 142(2).