Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement example essay topic

The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the concept that learning is a change in behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of the individual's reaction to events, or stimuli, that take place in his surroundings. A response is followed by a consequence, for example, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem. When a Stimulus-Response pattern is rewarded, or reinforced, the individual is taught to respond. The unique characteristic of operant conditioning in comparison to past forms of behaviorism is that the individual can produce a response instead of only responding because of an outside stimuli.

A important component in Skinner's Stimulus-Response theory is reinforcement. A reinforcer is something that strengthens a desired response. It could be anything from verbal praise to a good grade, or a feeling of success. The theory also covers negative reinforcers. When negative reinforcement is used the occurrence of a response is more frequent because the reward is withdrawn and the individual strives to do better. Negative reinforcement is not to be confused with aversive stimuli.

Aversive stimuli results in reduced responses due to punishment. Another important factor in this theory deals with schedules of reinforcement and their effects on creating and maintaining behavior. There are two different types of reinforcement schedules, continual reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement. Continual reinforcement schedules are when every time a behavior is produced it is reinforced.

Intermittent reinforcement schedules consist of rewarding only a predetermined number of responses. These are divided into two other categories: interval and ratio schedules. Interval schedules are based on time, for example, reinforcement is used every couple of minutes. There are two kinds of interval schedules: fixed and variable.

Fixed schedules are when a reinforcement is given after the same passage of time every time using the same variables. Variable schedules are when a reinforcement is given after times that are not always the same. Ratio Schedules of reinforcement are determined by the amount of times the behavior is done. These can also be fixed or variable.

Intermittent reinforcement is said to be more effective than continual reinforcement. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Skinner's theory is that it attempted to make behavioral explanations for a variety of cognitive facts. For example, Skinner explained motivation as a result of being deprived of reinforcement and reinforcement schedules. In 1957, Skinner tried to explain verbal learning and language through the operant conditioning model, but his effort was rejected by linguists and psycholinguists. Operant conditioning has been generally applied in clinical settings for behavior modification, as well as teaching for classroom management and instructional development.

Operant conditioning can be put into action by requiring the learner to respond to a question and then for them to receive immediate feedback. Another way could be to try to arrange the difficulty of the questions so the response is always correct in a way and in turn they receive positive reinforcement. And finally, ensuring that good performance in the lesson is complemented by secondary reinforcers like verbal praise, prizes and good grades, therefore increasing the strength of the reinforcement the individual receives.