EDF5684 Chap.2 Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning analyses emitted behaviour through the consequences that select it over time. This chapter uses the three-term contingency to separate antecedent setting conditions, responses and consequences, then applies the two-axis definitions of reinforcement and punishment.
It also distinguishes individual learning history from evolutionary history and compares contingency-shaped behaviour with behaviour controlled by a verbal rule.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Emitted operant behaviour and selection by consequences
- 02
Antecedent, response and consequence in the three-term contingency
- 03
Reinforcement and punishment defined by future behaviour
- 04
Positive and negative as addition and removal
- 05
Phylogeny, ontogeny and individual learning history
- 06
Contingency-shaped and rule-governed behaviour
Worked example · free
Separate direct learning from rule control
- +1Identify early return as the response in both examples.
- +1Classify the first pattern as contingency-shaped because it changes after direct contact with fees.
- +1Classify the second first response as rule-governed because the sign specifies the relation before contact.
- +1Avoid treating either pathway as a permanent trait; both sources of control can later coexist.
- +1State that later direct contact with a fee could add contingency-shaped control to the second pattern.
Key terms
- Operant Behaviour
- Emitted behaviour whose future probability changes through its consequences.
- Three-Term Contingency
- The analytic relation among an antecedent, a response and the consequence that follows it.
- Reinforcement
- A consequence process that increases the future frequency of a response.
- Punishment
- A consequence process that decreases the future frequency of a response.
- Rule-Governed Behaviour
- Behaviour controlled by a verbal description of a contingency.
Operant Conditioning FAQ
Why is intention not enough to identify reinforcement?
Reinforcement is defined by a later increase in a response, not by a person's intention to reward it. A consequence can be offered as reinforcement and fail to increase behaviour. State the stimulus change and the measured future effect before applying the functional label.
What does selection by consequences mean?
Consequences do not rewrite the response that already happened. Across repeated opportunities, they change how likely similar responses are under similar antecedent conditions. The history selects patterns of behaviour over time, which is why a single episode rarely establishes a function.
Can behaviour be both rule-governed and contingency-shaped?
Yes. A verbal rule may establish an initial response, and later direct contact with outcomes can strengthen, weaken or modify it. Describe the documented sources of control rather than forcing behaviour into one permanent category after its history becomes mixed.
What should I measure in a three-term contingency?
Define the antecedent condition, observable response and immediate consequence, then select a measure of future responding such as frequency, rate, latency or proportion of opportunities. Keep the response definition and denominator stable across the comparison. Note other events that changed at the same time because they create competing explanations.
A single sequence can illustrate temporal order, but repeated comparable opportunities are needed to support a functional claim. Reporting uncertainty is more accurate than assigning reinforcement or punishment when the later behavioural direction has not been established.
Assessment move
Build a four-cell consequence matrix with addition or removal on one axis and later increase or decrease on the other. For every vignette, define the response first, then mark the stimulus change and future trend. Keep a separate comparison card for contingency-shaped and rule-governed behaviour, using learning history rather than appearance.
When reviewing errors, replace words such as reward, penalty or warning with a neutral description of what changed after the response and what happened later. For extended practice, convert each scenario into a three-term contingency table. Record the antecedent, an observable response and the immediate consequence, then add a fourth column for the later frequency, rate or probability.
This final column prevents temporal order from being mistaken for a demonstrated function. Create matched pairs that change only one axis: present the same event after a response but reverse the later trend, or keep the trend constant while changing presentation to removal. Explain why the label changes. Build short timelines for rule-governed and contingency-shaped examples.
Mark when a statement was encountered, when the first response occurred and when direct contact with the outcome began. If the prompt omits that history, practise answering that the pathway cannot be decided from response form alone. Once a week, audit five earlier answers for unit-of-analysis drift. Confirm that the response definition, opportunity denominator and context remain stable across the claimed comparison.
Rewrite broad phrases such as behaviour improved into measurable descriptions. Finish by teaching the matrix aloud without using the words good, bad, reward or penalty. If the explanation still identifies stimulus addition or removal and the future direction of a named response, the functional vocabulary is doing analytic work rather than simply replacing everyday labels.
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