Remembering and Learning - Essay Example

When the response produces a favorable consequence, the individual is likely to repeat the response. Skinner reasoned that it is rational to observe the causal conditions of actions and the consequences they put forth when trying to understand the behavior because understanding mental functions were complicated. He observed that the consequences of a certain behavior determine whether the behavior persists or not. He then elaborated ways in which altering the consequences of behavior modified desirable behavior or halted unfavorable behavior.

A clear example of operant conditioning occurs in the workplace. Employers reward the most competent employees, and this reward encourages them to remain competent. There are different aspects of operant conditioning, as this paper will analyze (Pastorino, & Doyle-Portillo, 2012). One of the concepts of operant conditioning is reinforcement. Reinforcement involves measures taken to increase the chances of the repetition of behavior. According to skinner, an individual often repeats behavior that produces positive or desirable consequences.

However, for effective reinforcement, the consequences and the behavior must have a relation. Rewarding an individual after portraying desirable behavior is one form of reinforcement. There are two forms of reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves presentation of rewards after an individual exhibits a certain behavior. The reward presented is a reinforcer, and it must have the potential to encourage a repeat of the behavior. The behavior in question must prove measurable in terms of rate of repetition.

One can measure the effectiveness of the reward depending on how many times the individual repeats the behavior after withdrawal of the reward. For example, a student who gets positive appraisal from the teacher or parent for being top of the class is likely to remain at the top for sometime even long after the appraisal. It is worth noting that behavior change is voluntary (Coon et al, 2010). In addition, there is a possibility to increase the chances of repetition through negative reinforcement.

This involves the elimination of negative environmental stimuli. This occurs when the consequences of a certain behavior include the removal of an undesirable condition. The more an individual repeats the behavior, the more unfavorable conditions get out of the way. The fact that the repetition of behavior leads to the elimination of a negative condition motivates an individual to persist in the behavior. For example, majority of drivers often hoot when other drivers ahead of them do not move when the traffic lights indicate they should move.

For the driver behind, a negative condition exists. He cannot have his way because the drivers ahead are not moving. If hooting causes the drivers ahead to move and pave the way, the driver is likely to persist in hooting so that he gets his way out. A different concept in operant conditioning involves punishment. Punishment seeks to minimize or reduce the occurrence of a certain behavior. According to Skinner, the consequences of some actions are likely to lead to repeat of a certain behavior.

The crucial objective in any form of punishment is stopping the persistence of undesirable behavior. In positive punishment, a certain behavior often results to unfavorable consequences as Stangor (2010) explains. Because the individual finds these consequences undesirable, he or she does not