Invitation to Psychology

320 Chapter 9 Learning and Conditioning

negatively reinforce studying. But we hope you

won’t punish your efforts by telling yourself “I’ll

never get it” or “It’s too hard”!

Watch the Video The Basics 2: Operant

Conditioning: Learning from Consequences at

MyPsychLab

tug on the collar punishes the act of walking; re-

lease of the collar negatively reinforces the act of

standing by your side.

You can positively reinforce your studying

of this material by taking a short break. As you

master the material, a decrease in your anxiety will

makes an undesired response (see Figure 9.6). In

modern versions, a computer records responses

and charts the rate of responding and cumulative

responses across time.

Early in his career, Skinner (1938) used the

Skinner box for a classic demonstration of operant

conditioning. A rat that had previously learned to

eat from the pellet-releasing device was placed in

the box. The animal proceeded to scurry about the

box, sniffing here and there, and randomly touch-

ing parts of the floor and walls. Quite by accident,

it happened to press a lever mounted on one wall,

and immediately a pellet of tasty rat food fell into

the food dish. The rat continued its movements

and again happened to press the bar, causing an-

other pellet to fall into the dish. With additional

repetitions of bar pressing followed by food, the

animal began to behave less randomly and to press

the bar more consistently. Eventually, Skinner had

the rat pressing the bar as fast as it could.

Watch the Video Classic Footage of B. F. Skinner

and the Skinner Box at MyPsychLab

You are about to learn...

•    some important features of operant

conditioning.

•    why it’s not always a good idea to reinforce a

response every time it occurs.

•    how operant principles help explain

superstitious behavior.

•    what it means to “shape” behavior.

•    some biological limits on operant conditioning.

principles of Operant

Conditioning LO 9.10

Thousands of operant conditioning studies have

been done, many using animals. A favorite experi-

mental tool is the Skinner box, a chamber equipped

with a device that delivers a reinforcer, usually

food, when an animal makes a desired response, or

a punisher, such as a brief shock, when the animal

Recite & Review

Recite: Say out loud everything you know about operant conditioning, reinforcement, punish-

ment, secondary reinforcers and punishers, positive versus negative reinforcement, and positive

versus negative punishment.

Review: Next, go back and read this section again.

Now take this Quick Quiz:

What kind of consequence will follow if you can’t answer these questions?

1. Brittany nags her father for a cookie; he keeps refusing. Finally, unable to stand the nagging
   any longer, he hands over the cookie. For him, silence from Brittany is a __. For
   Brittany, the cookie is a __.


2. Robert, who is not disabled, has paid a large fine for parking in a handicapped space, and no
   longer does it. The loss of money is a __.


3. Identify which of the following are commonly used as secondary reinforcers: quarters spilling from
   a slot machine, a winner’s blue ribbon, a piece of candy, an A on an exam, frequent-flyer miles.


4. During late afternoon “happy hours,” bars and restaurants sell drinks at a reduced price and
   snacks are often free. What undesirable behavior may be rewarded by this practice?
   Answers:

Study and Review at MyPsychLab

punisher—or more precisely, a negative punisher (because something desirable 2. negative reinforcer; positive reinforcer1.

One possible answer: The reduced prices, free snacks, and 4. All but the candy are secondary reinforcers.3. was taken away)

cheerful atmosphere all reinforce heavy alcohol consumption just before rush hour, thus possibly contributing to binge drinking

and drunk driving.