Operant conditioning was developed by which psychologist?

Operant conditioning was developed by which psychologist?

• A. B.F. Skinner
• B. Ivan Pavlov
• C. Albert Bandura
• D. John Watson

Answer: (A)

Operant conditioning is about learning that happens because of the consequences that follow a behavior: reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to happen again, while punishment makes it less likely. B.F. Skinner is the psychologist who developed and formalized this approach, showing how rewards and punishments shape voluntary actions and introducing concepts like reinforcement, punishment, and shaping. Pavlov’s work is about classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus becomes linked with a reflexive response. Bandura emphasized learning by watching others, through modeling and imitation. Watson helped establish behaviorism focused on observable actions and environmental influence, but did not develop operant conditioning.

Operant conditioning is about learning that happens because of the consequences that follow a behavior: reinforcement makes a behavior more likely to happen again, while punishment makes it less likely. B.F. Skinner is the psychologist who developed and formalized this approach, showing how rewards and punishments shape voluntary actions and introducing concepts like reinforcement, punishment, and shaping.

Pavlov’s work is about classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus becomes linked with a reflexive response. Bandura emphasized learning by watching others, through modeling and imitation. Watson helped establish behaviorism focused on observable actions and environmental influence, but did not develop operant conditioning.