Operant conditioning is B.F. Skinner's systematic account of how consequences shape voluntary behavior: reinforced behaviors increase in frequency, unreinforced or punished ones decline. Formalized across the 1930s to 1950s from Thorndike's earlier law of effect, it grounded programmed instruction, material broken into small sequential steps with active responses and immediate reinforcement, delivered originally through Skinner's teaching machines. Chomsky's 1959 review of Verbal Behavior became a landmark of the cognitive revolution that displaced strict behaviorism, though reinforcement techniques remain standard in behavior management and mastery-based instruction.
Facts
Core ClaimSourced to the subject's own accountLearning can be shaped by arranging reinforcement so each correct response is rewarded promptly, with material broken into small ordered steps that let a learner respond actively and receive immediate knowledge of results. 1 Origin YearSourced to the subject's own account1954 marks Skinner's The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching, which applied operant conditioning to programmed instruction; the underlying principle of operant conditioning itself dates to his 1938 book The Behavior of Organisms. Cross-Tradition Connections
Held Differently
Offers a different, cognitively mediated account of how behavior is acquired than strict operant conditioning, incorporating observation and self-efficacy alongside reinforcement.
Developed By
Additional Source WikipediaOperant conditioning, lead section In Approach
Additional Source WikipediaOperant conditioning, lead section In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural Learningstructural-learning.com/post/skinners-theories, programmed instruction sectionQuote, structural-learning.com/post/skinners-theories, programmed instruction section
Behaviourism focuses on observable behaviour and the power of repetition, cues and reinforcement.
1. Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural Learningstructural-learning.com/post/skinners-theories, programmed instruction section, second referenceQuote, structural-learning.com/post/skinners-theories, programmed instruction section, second reference
Each learner to respond actively. Material would appear in a careful order, with prompt knowledge of results.
1. Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationOperant conditioning, lead sectionQuote, Operant conditioning, lead section
Operant conditioning, also called instrumental conditioning, is a learning process in which voluntary behaviors are modified by association with the addition (or removal) of reward or aversive stimuli.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationOperant conditioning, HistoryQuote, Operant conditioning, History
Operant conditioning originated with Edward Thorndike, whose law of effect theorised that behaviors arise as a result of consequences as satisfying or discomforting.
InstructionalDesign.org
Operant Conditioning page, opening definitionQuote, Operant Conditioning page, opening definition
Learning is a function of change in overt behavior.
InstructionalDesign.org
Operant Conditioning page, scope and critiqueQuote, Operant Conditioning page, scope and critique
Skinner (1957) tried to account for verbal learning and language within the operant conditioning paradigm, although this effort was strongly rejected by linguists and psycholinguists.
InstructionalDesign.org
Operant Conditioning page, development chronologyQuote, Operant Conditioning page, development chronology
Skinner (1971) deals with the issue of free will and social control.
InstructionalDesign.org
Operant Conditioning page, educational application namingQuote, Operant Conditioning page, educational application naming
Operant conditioning has been widely applied in clinical settings (i.e., behavior modification) as well as teaching (i.e., classroom management) and instructional development (e.g., programmed instruction).
InstructionalDesign.org
In Category: Learning Theory and Concepts, Operant Conditioning pageQuote, In Category: Learning Theory and Concepts, Operant Conditioning page
The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior.
InstructionalDesign.org
Developed By: B.F. Skinner, Operant Conditioning page, Skinner attributionQuote, Developed By: B.F. Skinner, Operant Conditioning page, Skinner attribution
The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior.
InstructionalDesign.org
In Approach: Behaviourism, Operant Conditioning page, behaviourist schoolQuote, In Approach: Behaviourism, Operant Conditioning page, behaviourist school
The distinctive characteristic of operant conditioning relative to previous forms of behaviorism is that the organism can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus.
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