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.
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.
Operant conditioning examples
“Principles of operant conditioning can be applied in any context in which one is hoping to influence the behavior of others,” says Hettema.
Here are some examples of how you can use operant conditioning to modify behaviors in your everyday life.
Operant Conditioning Examples in Parenting
“Parents apply principles of operant conditioning to help teach their children about safety and shape them into healthy, productive members of society,” says Hettema.
Parents can use operant conditioning with their children by:
- offering praise when they do something positive
- giving them a piece of candy when they clean their room
- Let them play video games after they complete their homework
- sending them to their room as a form of punishment
- ending a playdate if they don’t stop misbehaving
Operant Conditioning Examples in School
Teachers can use operant conditioning in the classroom to influence student behavior by:
- using stickers to lead up to a bigger reward
- taking away recess privileges if a student misbehaves
- throwing a pizza party if 15 students earn a high grade on a test or quiz
- ignoring a student who yells out and doesn’t raise their hand to answer a question
- giving a student detention if they’re late to class too many times
Operant Conditioning Examples in Work
Operant conditioning can even be used in the workplace to improve productivity and affect employee morale by:
- giving an employee a gift card for five positive customer reviews
- offering a day off for working extra hard during the week
- presenting a bonus for meeting a quarterly sales goal
- suspending an employee for missing work too many times
- giving praise to an employee for consistently great work
Operant Conditioning Examples in Relationships
Anyone can use operant conditioning techniques to encourage or discourage certain behaviors within their relationships. Some ideas include:
- complimenting your friend on the way they handled a situation
- cooking your partner’s favorite dinner after they vacuum the house three times in a row
- giving a gift to your roommate to thank them for taking care of one of your chores