1. B.F. SKINNER “Operant Conditioning”
BEHAVIORISM
B.F. SKINNER
“Operant Conditioning”

2. BEHAVIORISM studies • OBSERVABLE behavior and •VOLUNTARY behavior
The individual chooses how he or she will respond to positive or negative stimuli.

3. Operant conditioning is based on the idea that we make a conscious connection between our behaviors and rewards and punishments.

6. SHAPING BEHAVIOR
OPERANT CONDITIONING is so named because the goal is to OPERATE on the behavior and shape it into what is to be desired.

9. SKINNER BOX
Click on the name to view short video.

11. SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT

13. Fixed Interval schedule is applying the reinforcer after a specific amount of time.
Examples are getting paid every two weeks, getting a raise every year, and not in between, or a supervisor evaluating a person at the end of each month. These times are set or fixed.
A major problem with this schedule is that people tend to improve their performance just before the time period so as to “look good”.

14. Variable Interval schedules are when reinforcement is applied on an irregular or random basis – it varies at different times.
A boss might check the employee’s work periodically, or a professor might give pop quizzes to see if students are completing assignments. Coaches may perform random drug tests. You don’t know when these might happen. .

15. Variable schedules of reinforcement are more powerful and result in more consistent behaviors than fixed schedules.
You don’t know when the next ‘check-up’ might come, so you have to be working hard at all times in order to be ready.

16. SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
What do these look like in school?
How often are students’ behaviors reinforced?
Does it depend on the age level or other factors?

18. THE NEED FOR SHAPING BEHAVIOR
What about students who don’t really care about their behavior in general?

19. TARGET APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR : most of the class may already be doing these.
IDENTIFY BEHAVIORS THAT NEED TO CHANGE: maybe just a few students.

23. Reinforcements = STRENGTHEN BEHAVIOR
Punishments = DECREASE BEHAVIOR

24. Do not think of Positive as meaning ‘GOOD’.
Think of Positive to mean that something is ADDED to shape the behavior. ( +)
Think of Negative to mean that something is REMOVED or AVOIDED to shape behavior (-)

26. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT is different for each child. It can be:
• Extrinsically rewarding
(Students behave just to get the reward, and not concerned as much about the behavior itself)
• Intrinsically rewarding
(Students behave because they genuinely want to - it is the good thing to do, self-satisfying, and they find joy in learning)

27. The teacher may need to reinforce or SHAPE the behavior by positive and negative stimuli.
However, what may begin as extrinsic rewards are likely to lead to intrinsic development and growth of self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.

31. POSITIVE and NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT

32. TO DECREASE THE UNWANTED BEHAVIOR
Punishment has a goal to DECREASE undesirable behavior.
POSITIVE PUNISHMENT + adding an unpleasant thing OR
NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT – taking away a desired thing
TO DECREASE THE UNWANTED BEHAVIOR

33. PUNISHMENT
If the teacher wants you to stop talking so much in class, she might assign you more homework (adding something unpleasant), Positive Punishment
Or, make you go sit out in the hall (Time-out)
- (taking away your privilege of staying in the room with the others), Negative Punishment
Both of these things would DECREASE the behavior of talking so much.

35. Come up with two of your own examples of each:
Positive Punishment + (adding something unpleasant) to decrease bad behavior
Negative Punishment - (taking away a privilege or something the person likes) to decrease bad behavior

37. Punishment versus Reinforcement
Which one works better?
If a student comes late to class, they can be punished for being late, or be rewarded by getting points for coming on time.
Punishments can cause some problems.
•Delivered immediately after the behavior?
• Harshness? Unrelated to the behavior?

40. WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE?
DISCIPLINE IS MORE EFFECTIVE when the reinforcers or consequences happen immediately after the behavior:
WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE?
• Detentions assigned for a week later?
• Talk to the teacher after class/ end of the day?
• Immediate removal from class?
• Spanking/ paddling?
• Positive practices?

41. POSITIVE and NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENTS

44. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
+ ADDING something desirable to reinforce and increase behavior

45. Get to eat lunch with the teacher?
Grade school – yes
Middle school? NO

46. Positive Reinforcement
• Give targeted and specific feedback
(“Your use of examples strengthened your paper,” rather than “Good job.”)
• Reward irregularly and sparingly - much more effective than continuous praise. (*Variable schedule of reinforcement)
•Find opportunities to let each student know they are valued and you believe in them.

49. •Student is disruptive – is sent to the office.
•The next day, the student is disruptive, again, and is sent to the office, again.
Is this punishment to the student ?
-or-
Positive Reinforcement ?

50. Would you resort to Punishment
Would you resort to Punishment ? What else might you do that would be more effective in shaping the child’s behavior?

52. EXTINCTION

53. Kind of like the dinosaurs!
EXTINCTION
If a person does not receive any kind of particular reinforcement (positive or negative) then that behavior eventually disappears…
Kind of like the dinosaurs!

54. EXTINCTION

55. Examples of EXTINCTION:
•Ignoring a student who keeps tapping his pencil
•A teenager repeatedly texting her mom : “Mom.”
•A student who always has his hand up to answer!
Come up with your own examples of Extinction – No reinforcement is given and, hopefully, the behavior eventually disappears.

56. HERE’S WHERE WE LEFT ON IN CLASS ON MONDAY, OCT. 30.
View the rest of the Power Point and add to your vocabulary note cards.

57. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to increase good behavior.

58. We may not be positively rewarded for our behavior all of the time.
Sometimes we choose to behave a certain way to keep the negative things from happening to us.

59. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE REINFORCERS are the unpleasant things that people want to avoid or remove from a situation; therefore, they may keep their own behavior in line.

60. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A teenager cleans his room because he wants to AVOID or REMOVE his mom nagging at him.
Result: His behavior of cleaning his room is reinforced.

61. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A person slows down and follows the speed limits because she wants to AVOID or REMOVE the possibility of getting a speeding ticket.
Result: Her behavior of paying attention to the speed limit is reinforced.

63. From your classroom experiences, think of examples where student behavior was influenced by a fear of getting into trouble or a desire to avoid negative consequences?

64. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A student comes to class prepared with his books because he wants to AVOID or REMOVE the possibility of being called out by the teacher or losing points.
Result: His behavior of coming to class with his book is reinforced.

65. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A student who has his cellphone out wants to AVOID or REMOVE the possibility of the teacher walking over and standing by him.
Result: His behavior of putting away his cellphone is reinforced.

66. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A student wants to AVOID or REMOVE the possibility of being sent to the office for arriving late to class.
Result: Her behavior of being on time is reinforced.

67. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
NEGATIVE: Remove or avoid something that is unpleasant to reinforce good behavior.
• A student takes notes and does her assignments because she wants to AVOID or REMOVE the possibility of failing the class or being ineligible to play sports.
Result: Her behavior of studying and doing her assignments is reinforced.

68. Negative Reinforcement and Punishment are NOT the same thing.
Punishment occurs AFTER the behavior has happened and is done to make the behavior decrease.
Negative Reinforcement occurs when the learner’s behavior is adjusted to prevent bad consequences from happening to them; this reinforces their behavior.

70. PREMACK PRINCIPLE: Grandma’s Rule
Encourage less desired behavior by linking it with a pleasurable behavior.
You won’t get your dessert until you eat your peas.

71. Premack Principle
FIRST: Do your PRE –test THEN: You can have your Big MAC

73. PROVIDE CHOICES
This empowers students with a sense of ownership in their learning and in being responsible
• Can be occasional (Do the odds or even problems; Write your journal entry first or do math corrections)
• Should be purposeful (reach different learning styles)
• You (the teacher) are willing to live with them
• The choices still meet learning goals/objectives

77. CONTINGENCY CONTRACT
A written agreement (usually formed between teacher – student) of specific conditions and rewards for the student to show improvement in behavior. It is ‘contingent’ or dependent on whether the terms are met as a final result.

78. REINFORCEMENT PREFERENCE LIST
•Student and teacher decide on reasonable and desirable rewards for meeting goals in the contract:
-extra time on the computer
- games or special activity
- cellphone time at the end of the day, etc.
- Token Economies

80. TOKEN ECONOMIES
A motivational system to reward children for good behavior. They earn a token for reaching goals, which can be exchanged for larger rewards.
-sit in teacher’s desk
-buy a prize
-eat lunch with the teacher, etc.