instrumental conditioning

Instrumental conditioning is a learning process that uses reinforcement or punishment to increase or decrease the probability of a behavior. It is also known as operant conditioning, a term coined by B.F. Skinner. Learn how instrumental conditioning works, its history, and its applications in various fields. Instrumental conditioning is a form of behaviorist learning that involves using reinforcement to affect the likelihood of an action happening again. Learn the four schedules of reinforcement, the explanation and examples of instrumental conditioning, and the origin of the concept by B. F. Skinner. Operant conditioning is a theory of learning where behavior is influenced by its consequences. It is based on the law of effect, which states that behavior that is reinforced (rewarded) will likely be repeated, and behavior that is punished will occur less frequently. Learn how operant conditioning works with examples, schedules of reinforcement, and applications in psychology. Operant conditioning, also called instrumental conditioning, is a learning process where voluntary behaviors are modified by association with the addition (or removal) of reward or aversive stimuli. The frequency or duration of the behavior may increase through reinforcement or decrease through punishment or extinction. Let's take a look at some of the most basic differences. Classical Conditioning. First described by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist. Focuses on involuntary, automatic behaviors. Involves placing a neutral signal before a reflex. Operant Conditioning. First described by B. F. Skinner, an American psychologist. In simple terms, classical conditioning involves placing a neutral stimulus before a naturally occurring reflex. One of the best-known examples of classical conditioning is Pavlov's classic experiments with dogs. In these experiments, the neutral signal was the sound of a tone and the naturally occurring reflex was salivating in response to food. operant conditioning, in psychology and the study of human and animal behaviour, a mechanism of learning through which humans and animals come to perform or to avoid performing certain behaviours in response to the presence or absence of certain environmental stimuli. The behaviours are voluntary—that is, the human or animal subjects decide ... Instrumental conditioning (also called operant conditioning) is a procedure in which a reinforcement, such as food, is delivered contingent upon a response, although it may also be contingent upon the time of occurrence of a previous stimulus or reinforcement. From: International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences, 2001. Operant/instrumental conditioning. Operant conditioning was clearly demonstrated by Skinner, working a little before Pavlov, through his work with rats in mazes. He was the first behaviourist to make a distinction between respondent behaviour (that which is triggered automatically) and operant behaviour (that which occurs voluntarily). Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning or Skinnerian conditioning, is a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior. Through operant ... Classical works on reflexes and operant on voluntary actions. Stimuli vs consequences: Classical conditioning focuses on associating two stimuli together. For example, pairing a bell (neutral stimulus) with food (reflex-eliciting stimulus) creates a conditioned response of salivation to the bell.