Operant Conditioning Refers to Behavioral Thesis

Total Length: 563 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 6

Page 1 of 2



Hypothetical Experimental Scenario and Real-Life Application in School:

A typical operant conditioning experiment featuring positive reinforcement would include one in which an animal is rewarded on a ratio schedule of pressing a lever. In that scenario, the subject receives a food reward for pressing a lever a specific number of times. Four presses of the lever rewarded by a single food pellet would be a ratio reward schedule of 4:1. The relative effectiveness of this type of positive reinforcement would be much greater where the subject is hungry than where the subject is relatively satiated already (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008).

Stuck Writing Your "Operant Conditioning Refers to Behavioral" Thesis?

One useful application of operant conditioning would be to reward students for good conduct with additional recess time (positive reinforcement), or to eliminate homework assignments for students who participate in class (negative reinforcement).

.Conclusion:

Generally, both positive and negative reinforcement are equally effective because the relative effectiveness of each is largely dependent on the intensity of the pleasure provided by the positive reinforcement or the intensity of the negative experience that the negative reinforcement reduces or eliminates (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2007). Both types of reinforcement work best where the consequences (whether positive or negative reinforcement) are particularly appreciated by the.....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Operant Conditioning Refers To Behavioral" (2009, July 05) Retrieved May 22, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/operant-conditioning-refers-behavioral-20782

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Operant Conditioning Refers To Behavioral" 05 July 2009. Web.22 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/operant-conditioning-refers-behavioral-20782>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Operant Conditioning Refers To Behavioral", 05 July 2009, Accessed.22 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/operant-conditioning-refers-behavioral-20782