AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Skinner (1948) studied operant conditioning by conducting experiments using animals which he placed in a ‘ Skinner Box ‘ which was similar to Thorndike’s puzzle box. A Skinner box, also known as an operant conditioning chamber, is a device used to objectively record an animal’s behavior in a compressed time frame.

Detailed explanation-2: -Skinner’s behaviorism differed from Thorndike’s in that Skinner focused more on the consequences of the behavior which he referred to as reinforcement and punishment. He also explored schedules of reinforcement that looked at how the timing of the presentation of a reinforcer influenced an organism’s behavior.

Detailed explanation-3: -Skinner introduced the concept of reinforcement into Thorndike’s theory. In operant conditioning, behaviors that are positively reinforced are likely to be repeated and behaviors that are negatively reinforced are less likely to be repeated.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Skinner box produces more accurate and useful results compared to Thorndike’s puzzle box. This is because the Skinner Box is an experimental environment that is better suited to examine the more natural flow of behavior.

Detailed explanation-5: -How Does It Work? The Skinner Box is a chamber, often small, that is used to conduct operant conditioning research with animals. Within this chamber, there is usually a lever or key that an individual animal can operate to obtain a food or water source within the chamber as a reinforcer.