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What is operant conditioning?

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Quick answer

Operant conditioning is learning through consequences: behaviors followed by rewards are repeated, and behaviors followed by punishments fade. B. F. Skinner described how rewards and penalties shape voluntary behavior. Reinforcement (reward) increases a behavior; punishment decreases it. 'Positive' means adding something; 'negative' means removing something.

Key things to understand

  1. Reinforcement (reward) increases a behavior; punishment decreases it.
  2. 'Positive' means adding something; 'negative' means removing something.
  3. It explains habits, animal training, and app/game design.
  4. It differs from classical conditioning, which links stimuli to automatic responses.

People also ask

What's the difference between operant and classical conditioning?
Operant changes voluntary behavior through consequences; classical links a stimulus to an automatic reflex.
What is reinforcement?
Anything that increases the likelihood of a behavior — a reward (positive) or removing something unpleasant (negative).
Who discovered operant conditioning?
Psychologist B.F. Skinner, building on earlier work by Edward Thorndike.