Behaviour therapy

Behaviour therapy involves changing the behaviour of the patients to reduce the dysfunction
and to improve the quality of life.

• The principles of behaviour therapy are based on the early studies of Classical
conditioning by Pavlov (1927) and operant conditioning by Skinner (1938).

What Is Operant Conditioning?

Operant conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning, is a method of
learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an
association is made between a behavior and a consequence (whether negative or positive) for
that behavior.1
For example, when lab rats press a lever when a green light is on, they receive a food pellet as a
reward. When they press the lever when a red light is on, they receive a mild electric shock. As
a result, they learn to press the lever when the green light is on and avoid the red light.
But operant conditioning is not just something that takes place in experimental settings while
training lab animals. It also plays a powerful role in everyday learning. Reinforcement and
punishment take place in natural settings all the time, as well as in more structured settings
such as classrooms or therapy sessions.

The History of Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning was first described by behaviorist B.F. Skinner, which is why you may
occasionally hear it referred to as Skinnerian conditioning.1 As a behaviorist, Skinner believed
that it was not really necessary to look at internal thoughts and motivations in order to explain
behavior. Instead, he suggested, we should look only at the external, observable causes of
human behavior.
Through the first part of the 20th century, behaviorism became a major force within
psychology. The ideas of John B. Watson dominated this school of thought early on. Watson
focused on the principles of classical conditioning, once famously suggesting that he could take
any person regardless of their background and train them to be anything he chose. 2
Early behaviorists focused their interests on associative learning. Skinner was more interested
in how the consequences of people's actions influenced their behavior.
Skinner used the term operant to refer to any "active behavior that operates upon the
environment to generate consequences." Skinner's theory explained how we acquire the range
of learned behaviors we exhibit every day.
His theory was heavily influenced by the work of psychologist Edward Thorndike, who had
proposed what he called the law of effect.3 According to this principle, actions that are followed
by desirable outcomes are more likely to be repeated while those followed by undesirable
outcomes are less likely to be repeated.
Operant conditioning relies on a fairly simple premise: Actions that are followed by
reinforcement will be strengthened and more likely to occur again in the future. If you tell a
funny story in class and everybody laughs, you will probably be more likely to tell that story
again in the future.
If you raise your hand to ask a question and your teacher praises your polite behavior, you will
be more likely to raise your hand the next time you have a question or comment. Because the
behavior was followed by reinforcement, or a desirable outcome, the preceding action is
strengthened.
Conversely, actions that result in punishment or undesirable consequences will be weakened
and less likely to occur again in the future. If you tell the same story again in another class but
nobody laughs this time, you will be less likely to repeat the story again in the future. If you
shout out an answer in class and your teacher scolds you, then you might be less likely to
interrupt the class again.

Types of Behaviors
Skinner distinguished between two different types of behaviors
 Respondent behaviors are those that occur automatically and reflexively, such as pulling your
hand back from a hot stove or jerking your leg when the doctor taps on your knee. You don't
have to learn these behaviors. They simply occur automatically and involuntarily.
 Operant behaviors, on the other hand, are those under our conscious control. Some may occur
spontaneously and others purposely, but it is the consequences of these actions that then
influence whether or not they occur again in the future. Our actions on the environment and the
consequences of that action make up an important part of the learning process.
While classical conditioning could account for respondent behaviors, Skinner realized that it
could not account for a great deal of learning. Instead, Skinner suggested that operant
conditioning held far greater importance.
Skinner invented different devices during his boyhood and he put these skills to work during his
studies on operant conditioning. He created a device known as an operant conditioning
chamber, often referred to today as a Skinner box. The chamber could hold a small animal, such
as a rat or pigeon. The box also contained a bar or key that the animal could press in order to
receive a reward.
In order to track responses, Skinner also developed a device known as a cumulative recorder.
The device recorded responses as an upward movement of a line so that response rates could
be read by looking at the slope of the line.

Components of Operant Conditioning

There are several key concepts in operant conditioning. The type of reinforcement or
punishment that is used can have an effect on how the individual responds and the effect of
conditioning. There are four types of operant conditioning that can be utilized to change
behavior: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative
punishment.
Reinforcement in Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows. There are two
kinds of reinforcers. In both of these cases of reinforcement, the behavior increases.
1. Positive reinforcers are favorable events or outcomes that are presented after the behavior. In
positive reinforcement situations, a response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of
praise or a direct reward. If you do a good job at work and your manager gives you a bonus, that
bonus is a positive reinforcer.
2. Negative reinforcers involve the removal of an unfavorable events or outcomes after the display
of a behavior. In these situations, a response is strengthened by the removal of something
considered unpleasant. For example, if your child starts to scream in the middle of a restaurant,
but stops once you hand them a treat, your action led to the removal of the unpleasant
condition, negatively reinforcing your behavior (not your child's).
Reinforcement in Conditioning Behavior

Punishment in Operant Conditioning

Punishment is the presentation of an adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the
behavior it follows. There are two kinds of punishment. In both of these cases, the
behavior decreases.
1. Positive punishment, sometimes referred to as punishment by application, presents an
unfavorable event or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows. Spanking for
misbehavior is an example of punishment by application.
2. Negative punishment, also known as punishment by removal, occurs when a favorable event or
outcome is removed after a behavior occurs. Taking away a child's video game following
misbehavior is an example of negative punishment.
Recap
The five principles of operant conditioning are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement,
positive punishment, negative punishment, and extinction. Extinction occurs when a response
is no longer reinforced or punished, which can lead to the fading and disappearance of the
behavior.
Operant Conditioning Reinforcement Schedules
Reinforcement is not necessarily a straightforward process, and there are a number of factors
that can influence how quickly and how well new things are learned. Skinner found
that when and how often behaviors were reinforced played a role in the speed and strength
of acquisition. In other words, the timing and frequency of reinforcement influenced how new
behaviors were learned and how old behaviors were modified.
Skinner identified several different schedules of reinforcement that impact the operant
conditioning process:4
1. Continuous reinforcement involves delivering a reinforcement every time a response occurs.
Learning tends to occur relatively quickly, yet the response rate is quite low. Extinction also
occurs very quickly once reinforcement is halted.
2. Fixed-ratio schedules are a type of partial reinforcement. Responses are reinforced only after a
specific number of responses have occurred. This typically leads to a fairly steady response rate.
 3. Fixed-interval schedules are another form of partial reinforcement. Reinforcement occurs only
after a certain interval of time has elapsed. Response rates remain fairly steady and start to
increase as the reinforcement time draws near, but slow immediately after the reinforcement
has been delivered.
4. Variable-ratio schedules are also a type of partial reinforcement that involve reinforcing
behavior after a varied number of responses. This leads to both a high response rate and slow
extinction rates.
5. Variable-interval schedules are the final form of partial reinforcement Skinner described. This
schedule involves delivering reinforcement after a variable amount of time has elapsed. This
also tends to lead to a fast response rate and slow extinction rate.

Examples of Operant Conditioning

We can find examples of operant conditioning at work all around us. Consider the case of
children completing homework to earn a reward from a parent or teacher, or employees
finishing projects to receive praise or promotions. More examples of operant conditioning in
action include:
 After performing in a community theater play, you receive applause from the audience. This acts
as a positive reinforcer, inspiring you to try out for more performance roles.
 You train your dog to fetch by offering him praise and a pat on the head whenever he performs
the behavior correctly. This is another positive reinforcer.
 A professor tells students that if they have perfect attendance all semester, then they do not
have to take the final comprehensive exam. By removing an unpleasant stimulus (the final test),
students are negatively reinforced to attend class regularly.
 If you fail to hand in a project on time, your boss becomes angry and berates your performance
in front of your co-workers. This acts as a positive punisher, making it less likely that you will
finish projects late in the future.
 A teen girl does not clean up her room as she was asked, so her parents take away her phone for
the rest of the day. This is an example of a negative punishment in which a positive stimulus is
taken away.
In some of these examples, the promise or possibility of rewards causes an increase in
behavior. Operant conditioning can also be used to decrease a behavior via the removal of a
desirable outcome or the application of a negative outcome.
For example, a child may be told they will lose recess privileges if they talk out of turn in class.
This potential for punishment may lead to a decrease in disruptive behaviors.
While behaviorism may have lost much of the dominance it held during the early part of the
20th century, operant conditioning remains an important and often used tool in the learning
and behavior modification process. Sometimes natural consequences lead to changes in our
behavior. In other instances, rewards and punishments may be consciously doled out in order
to create a change.
Operant conditioning is something you may immediately recognize in your own life, whether it
is in your approach to teaching your children good behavior or in training the family dog.
Remember that any type of learning takes time. Consider the type of reinforcement or
punishment that may work best for your unique situation and assess which type of
reinforcement schedule might lead to the best results.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and
author of the "Everything Psychology Book."