Skinner

Burrhus
Frederic
Skinner
Proponent of Operant
Conditioning
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Who is B.F Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990)
 Born on March 20, 1904 – Died on August 18, 1990 because of Leukemia
 an American psychologist, behaviorist, inventor, and social philosopher.
 His father was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife
 He studied in the field of pyschology (behaviours)
 He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1958
until his retirement in 1974
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 Skinner started his career as an English Major, writing poems and short stories. After
this……
 Skinner attended Harvard where he got his masters in psychology (1930), and his
doctorate (1931), and stayed there to do research until 1936.
 In 1943, when his wife Yvonne was pregnant for their second child. Skinner designed the
“baby tender” , a crib that was designed to be safer that a normal crib
 In 1944, during World War II, Skinner worked on the “Project Pigeon” which trained
pigeons to direct bombs by pecking at a target
 Ten days before his death, he was given the lifetime achievement award by the
American Psychological Association and gave a talk concerning his work.
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 His encounter with John B. Watson's behaviorism led him into graduate study in
psychology and to the development of his own version of behaviorism.
Skinner developed behavior analysis, especially the philosophy of radical
behaviorism, and founded the experimental analysis of behavior, a school of
experimental research psychology. He also used operant conditioning to strengthen
behavior, considering the rate of response to be the most effective measure of
response strength. To study operant conditioning, he invented the
operant conditioning chamber (aka the Skinner box), and to measure rate he
invented the cumulative recorder. Using these tools, he and Charles Ferster
produced Skinner's most influential experimental work, outlined in their 1957
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book Schedules of Reinforcement.

B E HAV I O R I S M
It is the assumption that humans and animals can be
determine by reinforcement. They can acquire new
skills by classical or operant conditioning depending of
each specie. If the action has a positive outcome the
organism will continue to repeat this behaviour. If it is
a negative outcome the organism will less repeat the
behaviour.
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B.F SKINNER’S OPERANT CONDITIONING
 According to B. F. Skinner,
A behavior followed by a
through operant conditioning
rewarding stimulus is more
the consequences of a behavior
likely to recur, whereas a
produce changes in the
behavior followed by a
probability of the behavior’s
punishing stimulus is less likely
occurrence.
to recur.
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Skinner distinguished between two different types of
behaviors:
Respondent behaviors - are those that occur automatically and reflexively, such as
1. pulling your hand back from a hot stove or jerking your leg when the doctor taps
on your knee.
Operant behaviors - are those under our conscious control. Some may occur
2. spontaneously and others purposely, but it is the consequences of these actions
that then influence whether or not they occur again in the future.
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REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES
FIXED VARIABLE FIXED VARIABLE

INTERVAL INTERVAL RATIO RATIO
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These two learned
responses are known
as Escape Learning
and Avoidance
Learning
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Skinner identified 3 types of responses or operant that can follow
behaviour
NUETRAL OPERANT REINFORCER PUNISHER

- Responses from the
- Responses from the
environment that increase the
- Responses from the environment that decrease the
probability of a behaviour
environment that neither likelihood of a behaviour being
being repeated. Reinforcers
increase nor decrease the repeated. Punishment weakens
can be either positive or
probability of a behaviour behaviour.
negative.
being repeated.
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In social work, this
theory can be
applied in several
ways:
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BEHAVIO
UR FAMILY CLIENT
MODIFIC THERAP MOTIVAT
ATION Y ION
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In summary, B.F. Skinner's theory of operant
conditioning can be a valuable tool for social workers to
understand and influence human behavior. By applying
this theory in their practice, social workers can help
clients, families, and communities develop healthier,
more functional behaviors and relationships.
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“ I did not direct my life. I didn’t design it. I
never made decisions. Things always came up
and made them for me. That’s what life means. ”
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― B.F. Skinner
THANK YOU!!!!
CATHERINE MALANA.
ANGELICA L . MALLILLIN
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ANGELICA S. MALLILLIN

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Burrhus

 an American psychologist, behaviorist, inventor, and social philosopher.

 His father was a lawyer and his mother was a housewife

 He studied in the field of pyschology (behaviours)

book Schedules of Reinforcement.

FIXED VARIABLE FIXED VARIABLE

NUETRAL OPERANT REINFORCER PUNISHER

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