Operant Conditioning is a learning process described by B.F. Skinner, where behaviors are shaped and maintained by their consequences. Behaviors followed by positive outcomes tend to increase in frequency, while those followed by negative outcomes or no reinforcement tend to decrease.
Key Points:
- Basic Components:
- Reinforcement (positive or negative): Increases the likelihood of a behavior.
- Punishment (positive or negative): Decreases the likelihood of a behavior.
- Applications in Mental Health: Behavioral therapy interventions use operant principles to encourage positive behaviors (e.g., rewarding social interactions) and discourage maladaptive ones (e.g., substance use).
- Criticisms & Expansions: Modern frameworks integrate cognitive and social factors, acknowledging that humans aren’t just shaped by external rewards/punishments but also by thoughts, expectations, and observational learning.
