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Operant Conditioning

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Synonyms

Instrumental conditioning; Instrumental learning

Definition

A process of learning in which a behavior’s consequence affects the future occurrence of that behavior. B. F. Skinner (1953) derived the principles of operant conditioning from Thorndike’s “law of effect,” which suggests that a behavior producing a favorable or satisfying outcome is more likely to reoccur, while a behavior producing an unfavorable or discomforting outcome is more likely to decrease in frequency (Thorndike, 1911).

Skinner’s experimental work focused on the effects of different schedules on the rates of operant responses made by rats and pigeons (Skinner, 1953). His work revealed that the frequency of a behavior could be increased through reinforcement. Two types of reinforcement include positive reinforcement, the giving of a rewarding stimulus following a behavior, and negative reinforcement, the removal of an aversive stimulus following a behavior.

Similarly, the frequency of a behavior can be...

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References and Readings

  • Hewett, F. M. (1965). Teaching speech to an autistic child through operant conditioning. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 35(5), 927–936. doi:10.1111/j.1939- 0025.1965.tb00472.x.

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  • Lovaas, O. I. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 3–9.

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  • Lovaas, O. I., Berberich, J. P., Perloff, B. F., & Schaeffer, B. (1966). Acquisition of imitative speech by schizophrenic children. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 151(3711), 705–707. doi:10.1126/science.151.3711.705.

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  • Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Macmillan.

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  • Thorndike, E. L. (1911). Animal intelligence. New York: Macmillan.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychological Studies in Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Dr. Dorrey Sproatt

  2. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Dr. Anahita Navab

Authors
  1. Dr. Dorrey Sproatt
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  2. Dr. Anahita Navab
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology Yale University School of Medicine, Chief, Child Psychiatry Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar (Director, Child Study Center) (Director, Child Study Center)

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Sproatt, D., Navab, A. (2013). Operant Conditioning. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_127

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_127

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1697-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1698-3

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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