operant conditioning (redirected from Operant learning)

operant conditioning

n.

A process of behavior modification in which a subject is encouraged to behave in a desired manner through positive or negative reinforcement, so that the subject comes to associate the pleasure or displeasure of the reinforcement with the behavior.

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operant conditioning,

a form of learning used in behavior therapy in which the person undergoing therapy is rewarded for the correct response and punished for the incorrect response. Also called instrumental conditioning, shaping.

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operant conditioning,

n a method of provoking a specific response by relating that response to a positive stimulus.

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conditioning

1. learning; behavior modification in animals.

2. preparation of young cattle for shipment and entry into a feedlot. The procedure varies but usually includes vaccination against potential pathogens, prophylactic treatment for worms and lice, administration of vitamins and when necessary feeding of antibiotics and introduction to the kind of diet likely to be fed.

3. tenderizing of meat by careful storage at an appropriate temperature for a sufficiently long period.

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aversive conditioning

behavior modification using an adverse stimulus in response to the inappropriate or undesirable behavior. Called also avoidance.

classical conditioning

a form of learning in which a response is elicited by a neutral stimulus which previously had been repeatedly presented in conjunction with the stimulus that originally elicited the response. Called also respondent conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning.

The concept had its beginnings in experimental techniques for the study of reflexes. The traditional procedure is based on the work of Ivan P. Pavlov, a Russian physiologist. In this technique the experimental subject is a dog that is harnessed in a sound-shielded room. The neutral stimulus is the sound of a metronome or bell which occurs each time the dog is presented with food, and the response is the production of saliva by the dog. Eventually the sound of the bell or metronome produces salivation, even though the stimulus that originally elicited the response (the food) is no longer presented.

instrumental conditioning

takes place only after the subject performs a specific act that has been previously designated. The most common form of this conditioning uses an instrument such as a bar that must be pressed by the subject to achieve the delivery of food or other reward.

odor conditioning

classical conditioning to odors of essential oils is an element in aromatherapy.

operant conditioning

learning in which a particular response is elicited by a stimulus because that response produces desirable consequences (reward).

Pavlovian conditioning

see classical conditioning (above).

respondent conditioning

see classical conditioning (above).