Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory & Discovery Learning
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
Skinner is regarded as the father of
Operant Conditioning, but his work was based on Thorndike’s (1898) law of
effect. It is on the matter of behavioral conditioning (not then formulated as
such) which states that "Behavior that is followed by positive
consequences is likely to be repeated, and behavior followed by unpleasant
consequences is less likely to be repeated".
Operant conditioning is a method of
learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Through
operant conditioning, an individual makes an association between a particular
behavior and a consequence (Skinner, 1938).Skinner identified three types of responses, or operant, that can follow behavior.
• Neutral operants: responses
from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the probability of a
behavior being repeated.
• Reinforcers: Responses from
the environment that increase the probability of a behavior being repeated.
Reinforcers can be either positive or negative.
• Punishers: Responses from the
environment that decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
Punishment weakens behavior.
·
Positive Reinforcement
Positive
reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual
finds rewarding. Skinner showed how positive reinforcement worked by
placing a hungry rat in his Skinner box. The box contained a lever on the side,
and as the rat moved about the box, it would accidentally knock the lever.
Immediately it did so a food pellet would drop into a container next to the
lever.
·
Negative
Reinforcement
The removal of an unpleasant reinforcer can also
strengthen behavior. This is known as negative reinforcement because it is the
removal of an adverse stimulus which is ‘rewarding’ to the animal or person.
Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an
unpleasant experience.
Skinner showed how
negative reinforcement worked by placing a rat in his Skinner box and then
subjecting it to an unpleasant electric current which caused it some
discomfort. As the rat moved about the box it would accidentally knock the
lever. Immediately it did so the electric current would be switched off. The
rats quickly learned to go straight to the lever after a few times of being put
in the box. The consequence of escaping the electric current ensured that they
would repeat the action again and again.
Discovery Learning
Discovery Learning is a
technique of inquiry-based learning and is
considered a constructivist based approach to education.
Jerome Bruner is an
American psychologist educator, a learning theorist and he is associated with ‘Discovery
learning’ and ‘constructivism’
Last week I gave a
detailed explanation about Bruner and in this post I will talk about Discovery Learning.
The 5
Principles of Discovery Learning Model
The Discovery Learning Model has
5 principles:
1.
Problem Solving.
Instructors should guide and motivate learners to seek for solutions by combining existing and newly acquired information and simplifying knowledge.
Instructors should guide and motivate learners to seek for solutions by combining existing and newly acquired information and simplifying knowledge.
2.
Learner Management.
Instructors should allow participants to work either alone or with others, and learn at their own pace.
Instructors should allow participants to work either alone or with others, and learn at their own pace.
3.
Integrating and Connecting.
Instructors should teach learners how to combine prior knowledge with new, and encourage them to connect to the real world.
Instructors should teach learners how to combine prior knowledge with new, and encourage them to connect to the real world.
4.
Information Analysis and
Interpretation.
Discovery learning is process-oriented and not content-oriented, and is based on the assumption that learning is not a mere set of facts.
Discovery learning is process-oriented and not content-oriented, and is based on the assumption that learning is not a mere set of facts.
5.
Failure and Feedback.
Learning doesn’t only occur when we find the right answers. It also occurs through failure. Discovery learning does not focus on finding the right end result, but the new things we discover in the process.
Learning doesn’t only occur when we find the right answers. It also occurs through failure. Discovery learning does not focus on finding the right end result, but the new things we discover in the process.
The Discovery
Learning Model Techniques
The discovery learning
educational sessions should be well-designed, highly experiential and
interactive. Instructors should use stories, games, visual aids and other
attention-grabbing techniques that will build curiosity and interest, and lead
learners in new ways of thinking, acting and reflecting.
The techniques utilized in Discovery Learning can vary, but the goal is always
the same, and that is the learners to reach the end result on their own. By
exploring and manipulating situations, struggling with questions and
controversies, or by performing experiments, learners are more likely to
remember concepts and newly acquired knowledge.
(Retrieved from http://internettime.com/itimegroup/elearning/learning.htm, April 28, 2020)
References
Hoorn, J. V., Nourot, P. M., Scales, B. & Alward, K. R. (1999). Play at the center of the curriculum. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill.
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