B. F. Skinner is best known for which concept?

B. F. Skinner is best known for which concept?

• A. Operant conditioning
• B. Classical conditioning
• C. Cognitive development
• D. Humanistic therapy

Answer: (A)

Skinner’s influence centers on how behavior is shaped by its consequences. This approach, known as operant conditioning, explains that voluntary behaviors are strengthened or weakened by reinforcement or punishment that follows the behavior. The organism learns by operating on the environment to produce consequences, with reinforcement increasing the likelihood of the behavior and punishment decreasing it. Examples include a rat learning to press a lever to receive food or a student studying to earn a good grade due to praise or rewards. He further developed shaping, using successive approximations to teach complex behaviors, and explored different reinforcement schedules to see how often and when rewards should occur. Classical conditioning, by contrast, involves automatic responses to learned associations between stimuli (like Pavlov’s dogs). Cognitive development and humanistic therapy describe different traditions: Piaget’s emphasis on mental schemas and stages, and Rogers/Maslow’s focus on personal growth and self-actualization. Therefore, Skinner is best known for operant conditioning—the idea that behavior is influenced by its consequences.

Skinner’s influence centers on how behavior is shaped by its consequences. This approach, known as operant conditioning, explains that voluntary behaviors are strengthened or weakened by reinforcement or punishment that follows the behavior. The organism learns by operating on the environment to produce consequences, with reinforcement increasing the likelihood of the behavior and punishment decreasing it. Examples include a rat learning to press a lever to receive food or a student studying to earn a good grade due to praise or rewards. He further developed shaping, using successive approximations to teach complex behaviors, and explored different reinforcement schedules to see how often and when rewards should occur. Classical conditioning, by contrast, involves automatic responses to learned associations between stimuli (like Pavlov’s dogs). Cognitive development and humanistic therapy describe different traditions: Piaget’s emphasis on mental schemas and stages, and Rogers/Maslow’s focus on personal growth and self-actualization. Therefore, Skinner is best known for operant conditioning—the idea that behavior is influenced by its consequences.