B. F.

Skinner
 Perbandingan teori-teori pembelajaran
behaviorisme:

1) Teori pelaziman klasik (Pavlov dan watson) :

mementingkan rangsangan dan gerak balas.

2) Teori pelaziman Operan(Thorndike dan Skinner):

mementingkan peneguhan.

B.F. Skinner(1904-1990) Pavlov: Thorndike:

B. F. Skinner
(1904-1990)

Skinners life
Predetermined, lawful, and orderly
A product of past reinforcements

1925: Hamilton College (NY): degree in English, no

courses in psychology
Read about Pavlovs and Watsons experimental work
1931: Ph.D. from Harvard
B. F. Skinner

Dissertation: a reflex is a correlation between

S and R

1938: The Behavior of Organisms

1953: Science and Human Behavior
1990: Vigorously attacked the growth of cognitive
psychology
1990 (final article): "Can Psychology Be a Science
of Mind?"
B. F. Skinner

Dealt only with observable behavior

The task of scientific inquiry:

To establish functional relationships between

experimenter-controlled stimulus and organisms
response

No presumptions about internal entities - The "empty

organism" approach
B. F. Skinner

Single subject design

Large numbers of subjects not necessary
Statistical comparisons of group means not
necessary
A single subject provides valid and replicable
results
Requires "sufficient" data collected under well-
controlled experimental conditions
Statistics obscure individual responses and
differences
B. F. Skinner - Operant conditioning

Watson, Pavlov - Respondent behavior: elicited by

specific observable stimulus
B. F. Skinner

Operant behavior: occurs without an observable

external stimulus

Operates on the organisms environment

The behavior is instrumental in securing a stimulus

more representative of everyday learning
B. F. Skinner
Science of behavior: Study of conditioning and
extinction of operants
Dependent variable in the "Skinner box": rate of
response
Law of acquisition
key variable: reinforcement
practice provides opportunities for
additional reinforcement
Differs from Thorndike and Hulls positions
Thorndike and Hull: explanatory
Skinner: strictly descriptive
 All we need to know in order to describe and
explain behavior is this: actions followed by good
outcomes are likely to recur , and actions
followed by bad outcomes are less likely to
recur. (Skinner, 1953)
Environmental consequences shape behavior
LAW OF EFFECT
Behavior Better state Increased
of affairs probability of
behavior occurring
again
Behavior Worse state Decreased
of affairs probability of
behavior occurring
again
Behavior A
Behavior B
Behavior C Better state Behavior C
Behavior D of affairs emerges as the
Behavior E most probable
Laboratory Examples
Operant Conditioning

Exploring

Pigeon Scratching
Reinforcement
(in a Key-pecking (food pellet)
Skinner Grooming
box)
Defecating
Urinating
OPERANT CONDITIONING TECHNIQUES

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT = increasing a

behavior by administering a reward
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT = increasing a
behavior by removing an aversive stimulus
when a behavior occurs
PUNISHMENT = decreasing a behavior by
administering an aversive stimulus following a
behavior OR by removing a positive stimulus
EXTINCTION = decreasing a behavior by not
rewarding it
B. F. Skinner

Research foci
Role of punishment in response acquisition
Schedules of reinforcement
Extinction of operants
Secondary reinforcement
Generalization
Subjects included humans as well as animals
B. F. Skinner

Schedules of reinforcement
Reinforcement is necessary in operant behavior
Reinforcement schedules
continuous
fixed and variable
ratio and interval
SCHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT
Interval schedules: reinforcement occurs after a
certain amount of time has passed
Fixed Interval = reinforcement is presented after a fixed
amount of time
Variable Interval = reinforcement is delivered on a
random/variable time schedule
Ratio schedules: reinforcement occurs after a certain
number of responses
Fixed Ratio = reinforcement presented after a fixed # of
responses
Variable Ratio = reinforcement delivery is variable but
based on an overall average # of responses
LIMITED EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT

Punishment does not teach appropriate

behaviors
Must be delivered immediately & consistently
May result in negative side effects
Undesirable behaviors may be learned through
modeling (aggression)
May create negative emotions (anxiety & fear)
HOW COMPLEX BEHAVIORS
ARE LEARNED
Successive approximation/shaping = reinforcing
behaviors as they come to approximate the desired
behavior

Superstitious Behavior = when persistent

behaviors are reinforced coincidentally rather than
functionally

Self-control of behavior
Stimulus avoidance
Self-administered satiation
Aversive stimulation
Self-reinforcement
B. F. Skinner

Verbal behavior
Speech
Comprised of responses
Can be reinforced by speech
sounds or gestures
B. F. Skinner

Aircribs and teaching machines

1945: aircrib
Teaching machine
invented in the 1920s by Pressey
promoted by Skinner
1968: The Technology of Teaching
B. F. Skinner

Walden Two (1948): A

behavioristic society

Program of behavioral control

A technology of behavior

Application of laboratory
findings to society at large
B. F. Skinner

Behavior modification
Used in a variety of applied settings
Reinforce desired behavior and extinguish
undesired behavior
Punishment is not used
B. F. Skinner

Criticisms of Skinners behaviorism

His extreme positivism

His opposition to theory
His willingness to extrapolate beyond the data
The narrow range of behavior studied
Problem of instinctive drift
His position on verbal behavior
B. F. Skinner

Contributions of Skinners behaviorism

Shaped American psychology for 30 years

His goal: the improvement of society
Srength and ramifications of his radical
behaviorism
Social Learning Theories: The Cognitive Challenge
The context
Skinner (1963): "Behaviorism at Fifty"
Progress in experimental psychology in U.S. due to
behaviorism
Social learning/sociobehaviorist approach
fomented by
many, including some behaviorists, reflected
broader cognitive revolution in psychology

1995: consciousness has overtly and publicly

returned to psychology