Skinner

One of the first experiments done by the American psychologist B. F. Skinner was done in 1948. Skinner placed a pigeon in a cage and randomly dropped food into the food hopper. The pigeon began to repeat whatever it was doing right before the food was dropped into the cage. Skinner labeled the bird’s behavior superstitious, which later became one of his contributions called “Superstitious Behavior”. Humans can also learn this behavior by trying to repeat a pattern, or wear a piece of clothing worn during a positive incident. Some people call these items lucky charms, they are suppose to bring good luck to whoever possesses it.

In 1953 B. F. Skinner researched the psychological effects of behavioral control using punishment. He found that punishment only suppresses behavior and does not replace it with a more desirable one. Once the threat of punishment is removed the negative behavior may return. Punishment can also have a negative on a child’s learning ability when not applied correctly. If a child is scolded every time they mispronounce a word, the child may become overwhelmed and not want to read anymore. The over use of punishment can cause depression and antisocial behavior. Punishment can convey the notion that causing someone pain is justifiable.

In operant conditioning Skinner introduced, what is known as a Skinner box. Operant conditioning is when reinforcement follows a desired response. A skinner box is used to limit the amount of available responses to increase the chances of the desired response. Reinforcement is given for successive approximation to the desired behavior. This approach may have varied results depending on the species and environment in which it’s used. A primary reinforcer is usually a item like food or water that is used as a reward for good behavior. Sometimes even money is used as reinforcement for a desired behavior.