Key Concept: Operant Conditioning

Definition:
Operant conditioning is a learning process described by B.F. Skinner in which the likelihood of a behavior increases or decreases depending on the consequences that follow it.

Reinforcement (positive or negative) increases behavior.

Punishment (positive or negative) decreases behavior.

Shaping can be used to guide behavior gradually through successive approximations.

Example in Practice
Classroom Behavior Management

A teacher wants students to raise their hands before speaking.

How operant conditioning appears here:

Positive Reinforcement: Every time a student raises their hand and waits to be called on, the teacher praises them (“Great job raising your hand!”). Over time, students are more likely to raise their hands because the praise reinforces the behavior.

Negative Reinforcement: If students who habitually call out lose a privilege (e.g., staying in from recess to review expectations), but this requirement is removed once they start raising their hands, the removal of an unpleasant condition increases the desired behavior.

Shaping: A student who struggles with impulse control might first be reinforced simply for pausing before speaking, then later only when raising their hand fully.

Outcome:
Students learn the classroom norm through consistent consequences rather than internal reasoning alone — the hallmark of behaviorist learning theory

Reference: Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. Macmillan..