Rewards reinforce desired behavior.
Operant conditioning describes the process where animals, or humans, learn behavior that obtains rewards and avoids punishment. Pavlov's famous dog experiment - an example of classical conditioning - is the precursor of operant conditioning. Pavlov showed that pairing a stimulus (the bell) with an event (food) led to a conditioned response. Both forms of conditioning show that animal and human behavior is driven by consequences.
Classical Versus Operant Conditioning
Classical conditioning refers to behavior that inevitably follows a specific event, whereas operant - or instrumental - conditioning, focuses on learned behavior that affects the environment. For example, an animal or person learns that a particular behavior produces something he wants, or helps him avoid something unpleasant. The behavior elicits a response, unlike in classical conditioning where the animal responds to a signal. For example, in operant conditioning the dog begs for food without being taught to, whereas in classical conditioning the dog hears a bell and associates it with food.
Thorndike's Experiments
American psychologist, Edward Lee Thorndike, was the first researcher to study operant conditioning. He put cats in a "puzzle box" to study how they learn. His studies established that the key elements of operant conditioning are "reinforcers" and "punishers." For example, food is a reinforcer and giving food increases the likelihood that specific behavior occurs repeatedly. To decrease the likelihood of unwanted behavior in the future, a "punisher" is given. Thorndike proposed that consistently rewarded behavior is "stamped in" while consistently punished behavior is "stamped out."
Reinforcement
There are positive and negative reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is a reward that increases a desired behavior. For an animal, food is a positive reinforcer, while for children, sweets, or some kind of treat, are given to ensure continued good behavior. A negative reinforcer works by removing something unpleasant from the environment to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior. In some experiments with rats, removing mild electric shocks when the rat behaved in a certain way is an example of a negative reinforcer.
Punishment
Reinforcers are used to increase behavior, while the aim of punishment is to decrease behavior. So punishment is any event that stops the reoccurrance of unwanted behavior. It may not be immediate, but repeated use of punishment weakens behavior, which is the main function of punishment in operant conditioning theory. When an animal or human repeats behavior that she knows will produce an unpleasant experience, like punishment, she is exhibiting "learned helplessness." Psychologists associate this behavior with depression.
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