The theory of B.F. Skinner: behaviorism and operant conditioning

Behaviorism is a branch of psychology that, as its name suggests, is based on the observation of behavior and the analysis of it. Behaviorism emerged as a contrast to psychoanalysis and was intended to provide a scientific, demonstrable and measurable basis to psychology. Pioneers such as Watson or Pavlov began to carry out experiments with various animals that laid the foundations for behaviorism and conditioning.

A few years later, the psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner added a great discovery to this branch of psychology: operant conditioning. You want to learn the theory of B.F. Skinner on behaviorism and conditioning? Then we recommend you continue reading this article on Psychology-Online.

Index

1. The behaviorist theory of B.F. Skinner
2. Skinner's box
3. Skinner and operant conditioning
4. Criticisms of Skinner's behaviorism

Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) was a leading American psychologist, inventor, and writer recognized throughout the world for bringing scientific rigor to psychology. In 1938 he wrote the first study of him called "

In this book, Skinner explains the fundamentals of behavior analysis and how his experiments with animals can be extrapolated to psychological therapy in humans. The author explains to us how psychology can be understood from an operant point of view and how our behavior affects our thoughts.

Simple Watson and Pavlov conditioning

As we have discussed previously, behavioral psychology was born years before Skinner published his studies. Two great pioneers of this branch of psychology with John Watson and Ivan Pavlov they studied what we know today as simple conditioning.

Simple conditioning is a procedure by which we can induce a reflex or response to an animal (and in some cases, a person). With experiments such as Pavlov's dogs or Watson's induction of a phobia in a child, It was intended to show that the human mind could be measured, observed, and modified through behavior.

If you want to know more about the beginnings of behaviorism, we recommend you read the following article: the classical conditioning process.

Behavioral psychology

The four basic principles of behavioral psychology are:

1. Psychology is a scienceTherefore, it will use an empirical and demonstrable experimental methodology.
2. This methodology is characterized by using measurable variables (example: measure anxiety by the number of beats per minute)
3. The results of experiments carried out in a laboratory can extrapolate to real life
4. The behavior is learned, there is no form of innateness (total rejection of other branches of psychology)

The contribution of Skinner's conditioning to this discipline is very important, he added the principle of reinforcement, concept of reward and defined operant conditioning, all through experiments such as the famous box of Skinner.

In the following image we can observe the process of classical conditioning, where a salivation response to a dog (Pavlov's experiment).

Officially called the "operant conditioning chamber", skinner's box It is one of the best known inventions in the history of psychology. It was created with the aim of demonstrating that the behavior of an animal (in the first place, it used a rat) could be induced and modified by external stimuli. The box is one of the pillars on which the well-known skinner behaviorism.

Parts of the box

The box had the following items:

• Two lights
• A speaker
• A button
• Electrified ground (in some cases)
• Food dispenser

How the Skinner Box Works

1. A rat inside the box (usually they were deprived of food before so that their motivation to eat would be greater)
2. The rat experiments in its new environment until I discovered the button and pressed it. Automatically a unit of food was coming out (pellet) of the dispenser after pressing the button
3. The rat, motivated to get more food, modified its behavior and quickly learned to press the button to receive food (association of behavior-stimulus and positive reinforcement)
4. Conditioning could also occur by omission of a negative stimulus (negative reinforcement). In this case, the rat was introduced into the box with the ground electrified, if he pressed the button, the current would stop passing through the ground. In this way, the rat learned to press the button to stop feeling pain.

As we have seen, operant conditioning is somewhat more complicated than simple Watson and Pavlov conditioning. In this case, the association is not between a stimulus and a reflex, but rather between a encouragement, a behavior and a reinforcement.

That is, in the case of operant conditioning, learning about what happens after the behavior is required. For example, in the case of Skinner's box, the rat learns that after pressing the button receives a prize.

Positive and negative reinforcement

Since behaviorism is based on measuring behaviors, everything that happens in Skinner's conditioning is thoroughly analyzed and categorized. Therefore, we can distinguish two types of reinforcement in the theory of B.F. Skinner on behaviorism and operant conditioning:

• Positive reinforcement, an element that acts as a reward, usually satisfies some basic need or generates a pleasant response.
• Negative reinforcement, an element that generates a response of pain, displeasure or discomfort, this factor acts as a punishment.

We can find examples of operant conditioning in Our day to day. For example, we make an effort to study because we have learned to receive a reward afterwards (good grades and recognition) or, we take a medicine to avoid headache, just like the rat presses a button to avoid the pain of the floor electrified.

Despite being a measurable and empirical model, lto B.F. Skinner on behaviorism and conditioning It is quite reductionist to speak of the human mind.

The main criticism of behaviorism is the lack of inner vision and simplicity From his model, it is not very credible that the human psyche can be measured and understood through experiments carried out on other animals.

Therefore, today it is proposed the cognitive-behavioral model, which unites the cognitive branch (thought) with behaviorism. If you want to know more about the therapeutic application of this new model, we recommend that you read the following article on the third generation therapies.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to The theory of B.F. Skinner: behaviorism and operant conditioning, we recommend that you enter our category of Experimental psychology.

1. The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis, 1938.
2. Skinner, B. F., & Ardila, R. (1977). About behaviorism. Fontanella.