What Is Operant Conditioning and How Does It Work?
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Operant conditioning is a learning process due to a person’s actions and consequences. The actions used to condition a person are often called “reinforcers.” The consequences of those actions can be anything from positive (such as receiving a treatment) to negative (such as being scolded).
The key to operant conditioning is that the person receiving the reinforcement (the “conditioned” person) must do something the trainer wants them to do. The trainer will often provide instructions (called a “reinforcement schedule”) that tell the conditioned person what to do to receive the reinforcement. For example, the conditioned person might be instructed to press a button whenever they see the word “puppy.”
Once the conditioned person understands the reinforcement schedule and is doing what the trainer wants them to do to receive the reinforcement, the trainer will start giving the conditioned person less reinforcement (referred to as “extinction”) for doing things that are not part of the reinforcement schedule. This eventually leads the conditioned person to stop doing what is not part of the reinforcement schedule and start doing things that are part of the reinforcement schedule. This is why trainers need to keep the reinforcement schedule fresh – by gradually removing the reinforcement for certain behaviors; the conditioned person will eventually learn to associate those behaviors with no reinforcement.
Operant conditioning is an important tool that can teach humans various things, including how to behave in specific situations, respond to various stimuli, and learn new information. It is often used in training animals, such as dogs and cats, and in training people, such as children and adults.