Skinner's operant conditioning theory posits that behavior is shaped by its consequences rather than driven by internal processes or stimuli. Through experiments using a Skinner box, he found that rats would learn to press a lever when rewarded with food pellets. Their behavior was conditioned and reinforced through positive reinforcement. Operant conditioning is a process of learning whereby behaviors are strengthened if followed by rewarding consequences or weakened if followed by unpleasant consequences, with the goal of increasing or decreasing certain behaviors.

1. Skinner’s
Operant Conditioning Theory
SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
Mr. Parshant Sharma Latu Pathania
M.Ed.

2. INTRODUCTION
 This theory was given by skinner in 1938.
 According to him, the behavior of human being or animal is not a
passive reflex.
 Skinner revolt against no stimulus, no response theory.
 In their life we do not wait for things to happen.
 Most of our responses cannot be attributed to known stimulus.

3. CONCEPT OF OPERANT CONDITIONING
a) Operant-> Operant is an act which constitute an organism for doing
something.
b) Responses -> Skinner put forward the idea that most of our
responses cannot be attributed to unknown stimulus.

4. responses
Elicited behavior Emitted behavior
(Respondent Behavior) (Operant behavior)
Response to known stimuli Response to unknown stimuli

5. Re-inforcement
&
Re inforcer
Positive Re-inforcement Negative Re-inforcement
Increases the likelihood of Removal of which increases
Particular behavior The likelihood of behavior

6. OPERANT CONDITIONING
 Kind of learning process where a response is made
more probable or more frequent by re-inforcement.

7. SKINNER’S EXPERIMENT WITH RAT
 Skinner developed a special apparatus known as skinner’s box.
 This box has a grid floor, a system of light or sound produced at the
time of delivery of a pellet of food, in the food cup, on the pressing of
lever.
 Skinner placed a hungry rat in the box.
 In this experiment, pressure on the bar in a certain way, by the rat
could result in the production of a click and emergence of a food
pellet.
 The rat was rewarded for each proper pressing of the lever.
 The rat repeated this process, and ultimately learned to press the
lever as desired by the experimenter.

8. MECHANISM OF OPERANT CONDITIONING
 Shaping: The process of building a chain of responses through a
step by step process called shaping.
 Chaining: Chaining refer to a process in which required behavior or
task is broken down into small steps for its effective
learning.
 Discrimination: It is a process of using signals, clues to determine when
behavior is likely to be re-inforced or punished.
 Generalization: It refer to the ability of an organism dealing with the
perception of response to, similar stimuli.

10. THANKS……
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