Operant Conditioning

Question : Discuss the utility of operant conditioning in contemporary organisations

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Operant conditioning, also referred to as instrumental conditioning refers to a learning method through punishment and appraisal for a behavior. According to Zimbardo et al (2005:236) operant conditioning is “a form of learning in which behavior change is brought about by the consequences of behavior”. Skinner (1953) used the term operant to refer to any active behavior that operates upon the environment to generate consequences. Any event that increases or decreases an employee’s rate of responding is referred to as a reinforcer. According to Huitt & Hummel (1997), four methods are employed in operant conditioning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment.

A Positive reinforcer is any outcome that tends to maintain or accelerate the recurrence of a behaviour that is made to follow (Ackerman, 1972). Positive reinforcement uses the reward system. The reward system is a collection of brain structures...