Operant conditioning is when there is an association made between behaviors and their resulting events. Psychologist B.F. Skinner came up with this idea and he believed that it was not internal thoughts and motivations that explained behavior instead it was observable causes of human behavior. He researched operant conditioning by performing experiments that put animals in boxes and training them to do unnatural behaviors. He came up with the idea that different types of reinforcers and punishments can strengthen or weaken behaviors.
There are two types of reinforcers including positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and two types of punishment including positive punishment, and negative punishment. Reinforcement is used to increase a behavior. Specifically, positive reinforcement is when you increase a behavior by adding a positive stimulus. Negative reinforcement is when you are increasing a behavior by taking away something unwanted. On the other hand, punishment is used to decrease behavior. Positive punishment is when you add something unwanted to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment is when you take away something to decrease a behavior.
I am an assistant dance teacher. Using operant conditioning has allowed me to teach young dancers right from wrong in dancer technique at a young age. Specifically, one of the most challenging tasks the dancers had was being able to point their feet in a step called a tendu. They understood what the step was and how to do it properly, but they never actually did it correctly during the dance. Therefore, I came up with an operant conditioning system to train them to do this step correctly and point their feet during the dance. It was a trio, so I was able to watch them dance and when this step came along if the dancer did it properly, they gained a tally point. If the dancer got five tally points, they got a lollipop at the end of class. However, if they did it incorrectly (without pointing their feet), they had a tally point removed. Their gaining of tally points and being rewarded a lollipop at the end of class is an example of positive reinforcement because I was adding something that the dancers liked to increase their behavior. Taking away a tally point was an example of negative punishment because I was taking away something that the dancers liked to decrease their behavior.
