Operant Conditioning: A Tool for Learning

How to correctly apply rewards and consequences to promote learning

Operant Conditioning is a learning process where behaviors are influenced by rewards or punishments. When a behavior is followed by a positive outcome, like praise or a treat, it’s more likely to be repeated in the future. On the other hand, if a behavior leads to a negative outcome, it becomes less likely to occur again.

This article is part of a series on the different types of learning, where we explore the major types of learning and then see how we can apply them in practice to the learning of our students, our children, and ourselves.

In this article we will see how we can shape and modify behaviors through consequences. Let’s see how Operant Conditioning can be applied to promote learning.

Wait, “punishment”?

First things first: The concept of “punishment” has lately become a controversial topic because people think we mean it to be some sort of abuse such as corporal punishment. Let’s eliminate the concept of punishment within our discussion of Operant Conditioning: We can perfectly use negative reinforcement instead.

Negative reinforcement is when a negative outcome refers to the removal of something desirable or pleasant after a behavior occurs. Because you are taking away something desirable or pleasant when a behavior occurs, you decrease the likelihood of the behavior being repeated because the individual is motivated to avoid the negative outcome.

On the other hand, punishment involves the introduction of something unpleasant or aversive following a behavior. This could be scolding or a time-out.

Ok, so how do we replace a punishment with a negative outcome?

Instead of coming up with a punishment, you could identify an ongoing or potential unpleasant consequence that the learner would like to avoid or remove. This could be something like extra assignments, chores, or reduced play or screen time.

Let’s use negative outcomes instead of punishments.

Clarity, Consistency, and Fairness: Absolutely Critical for Operant Conditioning

Because Operant Conditioning is all about learning and internalizing behaviors for positive outcomes, the rules for attaining those positive outcomes must be clear, consistent, and they must be fair and attainable.

Clarity: The rules must be clear to the learner. This means they must be as simple as possible and they must be age-appropriate.

Consistency: Operant Conditioning is about learning which behaviors create good outcomes. It is extremely important to be consistent in creating the results the behaviors should result in.

Fairness: No one likes to play a game that cannot be won. No one likes to win a game and not receive the promised reward. Fairness is key.

In Operant Conditioning, we want the learner to win and obtain the reward every time. This means that the rules of the game must be understandable (clear), the game must be predictable (consistent), and playing the game well must yield the promised results (fairness).

Operant conditioning for parents and teachers

To effectively use operant conditioning with students, parents and teachers can follow these steps:

Identify target behaviors: Determine the specific behaviors you want to encourage or discourage in your learners. These could include active participation, completing assignments on time, adhering to classroom rules, etc.
Establish clear expectations: Communicate your expectations to your students, ensuring they understand the desired behaviors and consequences associated with them.
Choose appropriate positive and negative reinforcers: Select positive reinforcers (e.g., praise, extra credit, or small privileges) to reward desired behaviors and negative reinforcers (e.g., loss of privileges, extra assignments, etc.) for undesired behaviors.
Monitor and provide feedback: Observe your learners’ behaviors and provide feedback in a clear and timely manner.
Evaluate and adjust: Periodically assess the effectiveness of your positive and negative reinforcement strategies. If certain consequences are not producing the desired changes in behavior, try different positive and negative reinforcers. It’s also important to consider individual differences among learners: What works for one may not work for another.
Encourage self-management: Teach your students to monitor their own behavior and set personal goals. By fostering a sense of responsibility and self-regulation, students can learn to apply operant conditioning principles independently, leading to long-lasting behavioral change.

Remember that patience and persistence are crucial when using operant conditioning in the classroom. Behavioral change takes time, and it’s essential to remain consistent and supportive throughout the process.

Operant conditioning for Yourself

Operant conditioning seems to be something you apply to others. Can you apply operant conditioning to yourself to change your own behaviors? Yes, actually! You can do this through self-management and self-regulation. This involves setting personal goals, monitoring one’s own behavior, and applying rewards or consequences based on the desired outcomes.

Surely, it is more difficult to set up (and enforce!) an Operant Conditioning framework for yourself, but it is possible. To accomplish this, you should follow the same steps as you would for someone else:

Set a clear goal: For instance, studying for an hour each day.
Monitor your progress: Keep track of your study time and make a note when you achieve your goal.
Apply consequences: If you reach your study goal, reward yourself with a positive reinforcer, like a break, a favorite snack, or watching an episode of a TV show. If you don’t meet your goal, apply a mild punishment, like denying yourself a treat or adding extra study time the next day.

When are you done?

Ok, so is an Operant Conditioning effort actually ever done? How do you know you are done?

In a simple case, we can use a benchmark such as this one to know if we are “done”:

Consistent Desired Behavior: The desired behavior is exhibited consistently and reliably in response to the relevant cues or situations. This suggests that the behavior has been successfully learned.
Natural Reinforcement: The behavior continues even when artificial reinforcement (like rewards or removal of negative stimuli) is reduced or removed. This may indicate that the behavior has become self-reinforcing or is being reinforced by natural consequences in the individual’s environment.
Generalization: The behavior is generalized to different but relevant situations. For example, a child initially learns to say “thank you” when receiving a gift at home (the targeted situation), and then starts saying “thank you” when receiving something in school or other places (generalization).
Maintenance: The behavior persists over time, even in the absence of continuous reinforcement. This is often the ultimate goal of operant conditioning – a long-lasting change in behavior.

In practice, it’s often not black and white: We may start Operant Conditioning to adopt a habit of studying 30 minutes a day, but instead of declaring that effort over when attained, we may move on to more ambitious goals: Studying for an uninterrupted hour, covering more topics in one sitting, etc.

In and of itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does lend itself to never celebrating the wins. If you find your goals shifting instead of having closure on the original goal being attained, make sure to take some time to celebrate progress and reward your learner (or yourself!) by looking back on progress and rewarding advancement: This is positive reinforcement for completing long-term goals!