Topic > Positive And Negative Reinforcement - 811

This is a type of learning that was studied and originated by BF Skinner. He realized that individuals associate their actions with consequences. Therefore through our actions and following consequences we learn which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. This type of learning was actually built on Ivan Pavlov's theories of classical conditioning. Unlike operant conditioning, this type of learning does not involve behavior. Instead, an organism learns by associating an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus. An unconditioned stimulus is something that naturally triggers a response. For example, making sales at work. The stimuli would be sales and in return the response would be happiness. The unconditioned stimulus is then paired with a neutral stimulus that is not associated with a response prior to conditioning. For this example, we can use a rainy day. Therefore, the unconditional stimulus of making sales is then paired with the neutral stimulus of a rainy day. Now, whenever it rains you expect to make a lot of sales since a rainy day is now associated with sales. Making sales becomes a conditioned response when it is