Operant Conditioning

Paper Summary:

This paper details the five key educational innovations attributed to the principles of operant conditioning. The five areas consist of: Instructional objectives, programmed instruction, mastery learning, contingency contracts and applied behavior analysis. Each particular area is built to work on a cycle of reinforcement and punishment and evokes the prime basis of operant conditioning. This paper describes how when applying these operant conditioning techniques correctly behaviors that are desired to increase are reinforced while behaviors sought to decrease are punished. The goal being that for the latter to work, the punishment must be effective. This paper discusses the use of operant conditioning in the classrooms, which has been proven effective and is a commonly utilized technique in education. The writer of this paper contends that operant conditioning is actually employed in classroom settings as an effective tool not only for the teachers but for the students as well.

From the Paper:

"In operant conditioning, it is a prerequisite that terminal (i.e. desired) behaviors be specified in precise, observable terms prior to the beginning of conditioning1. Rather then referring to educationally based goals as "instructional objectives", then, the sought for ideal is a "behavioral objective" with three basic specified components: an observable
and measurable outcome, explanation of the conditions under which the behavior should be exhibited, and the criterion for judging the acceptable performance of the behavior. An example of the later criterion would be that a student performs above a reasonably assigned goal on examinations. Utilizing objectives in this way allows teachers to make clear goals for their students."

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