Download Skinner: Operant Conditioning

Ashley Trogdon
Paige Shrum
Burrhus Frederic Skinner
 Attended Hamilton College for English Literature
 He struggled as a writer
 Inspired by Watson and Pavlov, he enrolled at Harvard
University
 Became Psychology Department Chair at the
University of Indiana in 1945
 In 1948, he joined the psychology department at
Harvard University
Operant Conditioning
 Skinner believed that the best approach to
comprehending behavior is to observe the causes of an
action and its outcome
 Operant conditioning means changing of behavior by
the use of reinforcement which is given after the
desired reaction
Main Points of Behavioral Theory
 Cognitive Domain of Learning
 Systematic method of learning and teaching
 Explicit teaching and direct instruction
 ABC Model of Instruction
 Focus is on measureable learning behaviors that can
be observed and documented
 Desired behaviors are acquired by shaping and
modeling
 Consistency is key
How It Applies
 Set up reinforcement schedules
 Create a reward system
 Deprive students of educational tasks
Examples
 http://youtu.be/I_ctJqjlrHA
 http://youtu.be/YNNa0y6GpHI
 http://youtu.be/2UFJNxFTq-4
The Flaws
 Fails to find motivation in the absence of a promised
reward
 Puts down the very suggestion that memory is not
influential in human choice
Bibliography
 Cherry, K. (2011). B. F. Skinner Biography (1904-1990). Retrieved
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
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August 28, 2011, from
http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_ski
nner.htm
"Classroom Management Theorists and Theories/Burrhus Frederic
Skinner." WikiBooks. WikiMedia, 04 Mar 2011. Web. 30 Aug 2011.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Classroom_Management_Theorists_a
nd_Theories/Burrhus_Frederic_Skinner.
Groepl, J. (n.d.). Major Classroom Management Theories. Retrieved
August 28, 2011, from http://www.ehow.com/about_6573859_majorclassroom-management-theories.html
Mcleod, S. (2007). Skinner: Operant Conditioning. Retrieved August
28, 2011, from Simply Psychology:
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html
"Operant conditioning." YouTube, 20 Mar 2007. Web. 30 Aug 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA&feature=youtu.be.
Bibliography Cont.
 Paris, J. L., & Paris, J. L. (2009). Praxis II: Elementary
Education. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
 "Positive Reinforcement ." YouTube, 26 Oct 2009. Web. 30
Aug 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNNa0y6GpHI&featur
e=youtu.be.
 "Skinner Theory - Positive Reinforcement ." YouTube, 23
Jun 2010. Web. 30 Aug 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFJNxFTq4&feature=related.
 Vargas, J. S. (2005). A Brief Biography of B. F. Skinner.
Retrieved August 28, 2011, from
http://www.bfskinner.org/BFSkinner/AboutSkinner.html