AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -B.F. Skinner (1904–1990) is referred to as the Father of operant conditioning, and his work is frequently cited in connection with this topic. His 1938 book “The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis", initiated his lifelong study of operant conditioning and its application to human and animal behavior.

Detailed explanation-2: -Skinner is regarded as the father of Operant Conditioning, but his work was based on Thorndike’s (1898) law of effect. According to this principle, behavior that is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated, and behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is less likely to be repeated.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ferster and Skinner (1957) found that schedules of reinforcement-the rate at which a reinforcement is repeated-can greatly influence operant conditioning.

Detailed explanation-4: -B. F. Skinner a renowned American psychologist-is often regarded as the founder of Operant Conditioning. However, the theory’s true father was Edward Thorndike. Operant conditioning is a method of learning that takes place through rewarding a certain behavior or withholding reward for undesirable behavior.

Detailed explanation-5: -Edward Thorndike and B. F. Skinner. Thorndike and Skinner are prominent in developing operant conditioning methods with animal research.