It is a learning method that depends on rewards and punishments for behavior. This type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. Burrhus Frederic Skinner is an American psychologist, he developed the operant conditioning theory of learning. Skinner's environmentally based theory. The organism may have a special type of stimulus that is a reinforcing stimulus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essaySkinner believed that studied behaviors were the only way to psychology, not internal mental processes. According to Dr. Vince Berger: “The behavior is followed by a consequence and the nature of the consequence modifies the organism's tendency to repeat the behavior in the future”. Skinner box is the famous operant conditioning experiment. The experiment began by placing the rat in a special box equipped with a pedal on a wall, when the rat pressed this pedal it released the food. In a short time the rat learns that if he presses the pedal it gives him food. So you learn by repeating, the first time it was an accident then you learned that the results of the pedal being pressed are food. This leads to one of the principles of operant conditioning which is behavior followed by a reinforcing stimulus. Furthermore, Skinner performed the experiment on the same rat but in a different way and used light and electric current, which represent negative reinforcement. Moving forward, there are four main concepts in operant conditioning. The first concept is positive reinforcement, which is giving something pleasant such a reward after the behavior. This reward will increase the likelihood that the behavior will continue. For example, by pressing a lever in the Skinner box experiment, the mouse received food as a reward for acceptable behavior. Another example from our life, when the student answers correctly and the teacher compliments him, this will encourage him to answer another question. So it is led to increase good behavior. The second concept is negative reinforcement, which is taking away something unpleasant that is not good as a result of acceptable behavior. So this reinforcement was intended to increase the behavior. For example, subjecting the rat to an unpleasant electric current that causes some discomfort. So, when the mouse moves around the box and accidentally touches or hits the lever, the electricity immediately turns off. The rat will learn to go directly to the lever after some time to escape the secured electric current. Then the mouse will repeat this act again and again. Therefore Skinner was taught the rat to avoid the electric current by turning on the light, so the rat learned very quickly when the light on him pressed the lever to cut off the electric current. These two learned responses are known as escape and avoidance learning. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Another example from real life is the student who gets (A) in On the biology test it was not necessary to dissect a frog. Furthermore, the third concept is positive punishment, which means that the purpose of this punishment is to decrease the bad behavior and present something unpleasant after the behavior. The example of the Skinner box experiment is that when the rat received a wrong answer he received a mild electric shock. Also, as a real life example: My little sister gets spanked when she puts her hand in the candy jar.