Burres Frederick Skinner was one of the most famous psychologists of his time. It was he who stood at the origins of the direction, which today in science is called behaviorism. Even today, his theory of learning plays an important role in psychology, pedagogy, and management.
Scientist's experiments
Skinner's theory is detailed in one of his main works, which is called "Behavior of organisms." In it, the scientist sets out the principles of the so-called operant conditioning. The easiest way to understand these principles is by looking at one of the most typical scientist experiments. Rat weight was reduced to 80-90% of normal. It is placed in a special device, which is called the Skinner box. It provides the opportunity to perform only those actions that the observing experimenter can see and control.
The box has an opening through which food is fed to the animal. To get food, the rat must press the lever. This push in Skinner's theory is called the operant response. How the rat manages to press this lever - through the paw, nose, and maybe tail - does not matter. The operative reaction in the experiment remains the same, since it causes only one consequence: the rat receives food. By encouraging the animal with food for a certain number of clicks, the researcher forms sustainable ways of reacting in the animal.
Skinner Behavior Formation
The operative reaction in Skinner's theory is an arbitrary and purposeful action. But Skinner defines this focus in terms of feedback. In other words, certain effects of the animal influence the behavior.
Skinner agreed with the views of the scientists Watson and Thornadike on the dual nature of mental development. They believed that the formation of the psyche is influenced by two types of factors - social and genetic. In operant learning, special operations are reinforced by the subject. In other words, genetic data are the basis on which socially conditioned behavior is built. Therefore, development, Skinner believed, is a learning conditioned by certain stimuli of the external environment.
Skinner also believed that operant conditioning can be used not only to control the behavior of other subjects, but also in relation to their own behavior. Self-control can be achieved by creating special conditions in which the desired behavior will be reinforced.
Positive reinforcement
The operant teaching in the theory of Skinner's reinforcement is based on the active actions of the subject (“operations”) carried out in a particular environment. If a certain spontaneous action becomes useful to fill a specific need or achieve a goal, it is supported by a positive result. For example, a pigeon can learn complex action - playing ping pong. But only if this game becomes a means to get food. The encouragement in Skinner's theory was called reinforcement, since it reinforces the most desirable behavior.
Consistent and proportional reinforcement
But a pigeon cannot learn to play ping-pong unless the experimenter forms this behavior with him through discriminatory learning. This means that individual actions of the pigeon are reinforced by the scientist sequentially, selectively. In the theory of B.F. Skinner, reinforcement can either be distributed randomly, occurring at certain time intervals, or occur in certain proportions. The encouragement, distributed randomly in the form of periodic cash prizes, provokes the development of gambling addiction in people. The incentive that occurs at regular intervals - salary - contributes to the fact that a person remains in a certain service.
The proportional reward in Skinner's theory is such a powerful reinforcement that the animals in his experiments practically drove themselves to death, trying to earn more tasty food. Unlike behavior reinforcement, punishment is negative reinforcement. Punishment cannot teach a new behavioral model. It only forces the subject to constantly avoid known operations followed by punishment.
Punishment
The use of punishment, as a rule, has negative side effects. In the theory of Skinner’s teachings, the following consequences of punishment are indicated: a high level of anxiety, ill-will and aggressiveness, withdrawal into oneself. Sometimes punishment forces an individual to stop acting in a certain way. But its disadvantage is that it does not contribute to the formation of positive behavior.
Punishment often forces the subject not to abandon an undesirable behavior model, but only to transform it into a latent form that is not punished (for example, it can be drinking alcohol at work). Of course, there are many cases where punishment is the only method of suppressing socially dangerous behavior that threatens the life or health of other people. But in ordinary situations, punishment is an ineffective means of influence, and it should be avoided if possible.
Pros and cons of Skinner's theory of operant learning
Consider the main advantages and disadvantages of the Skinner concept. Its advantages are as follows:
- Strict hypothesis testing, control of additional factors influencing the experiment.
- Recognition of the importance of situational factors, environmental parameters.
- A pragmatic approach that made it possible to create effective psychotherapeutic procedures for transforming behavior.
Cons of Skinner's theory:
- Reductionism. The behavior shown by animals is completely reduced to the analysis of human behavior.
- Low validity due to laboratory experiments. The experimental results are difficult to transfer to the environment.
- No attention is paid to cognitive processes in the process of formation of a certain type of behavior.
- Skinner's theory does not give stable, sustainable results in practice.
Motivation concept
Skinner also created the theory of motivation. Its main idea is that the desire to repeat an action is due to the consequences of the action in the past. The presence of certain incentives causes certain actions. If the consequences of this or that behavior are positive, then the subject will behave similarly in a similar situation in the future.
His behavior will be repeated. But if the consequences of a certain strategy are negative, then in the future he will either not respond to certain incentives or change the strategy. Skinner's theory of motivation boils down to the fact that repeated repetition of certain results leads to the formation of a specific behavioral attitude in the subject.
Personality and Learning Concept
From Skinner's point of view, a person is the experience that an individual acquires throughout his life. In contrast, for example, from Freud, advocates of the concept of learning do not consider it necessary to think about the mental processes that are hidden in the human mind. A person in Skinner's theory is a product, for the most part shaped by external factors. It is the social environment, and not the phenomena of the inner mental life, that determine personal characteristics. Skinner considered the human psyche a "black box." It is impossible to examine in detail emotions, motives and instincts. Therefore, they must be excluded from the observations of the experimenter.
Skinner's theory of operand teaching, over which the scientist worked for many years, was to summarize his extensive research: everything that a person does, and what he is in principle, is determined by the history of his awards and punishments.