Operant conditioningOption 2

Operant conditioning is a learning method that applies rewards and punishment for a
given behavior. It allows for an association between a behavior and the consequence of that
behavior, whether positive or negative (Cherry, 2019). One behavior that is subject to operant
conditioning is studying. Being in class is one thing and studying to understand the contents is
another different thing. Studying behavior is often reinforced to increase the probability of
achieving the desired academic outcomes, such as getting good grades. In operant conditioning,
reinforcement is applied to increase the likelihood of attaining the desired result from a behavior.
In this case, therefore, studying will be reinforced with things like a sense of accomplishment,
praise, and rewards for excellent performance.
Studying behavior is voluntary, mainly because it is associated with the need to achieve
the individual desire. Therefore, one gets to study because they are driven by the desire to
acquire better grades at the end of a set time frame. The antecedent for this behavior is the desire
to achieve. A person starts by identifying the need to study and how it will help them improve
their performance. The positive reinforcement, in this case, is the reward and a sense of
accomplishing the desire to achieve better outcomes. There is also a positive punishment in that
the person might be forced to spend too much time studying, which could otherwise be spent on
leisure. However, positive reinforcement outweighs positive punishment. The consequence of
achieving better outcomes motivates the likelihood of repeating the studying behavior.

3

Reference

Cherry, K. (2019). What is operant conditioning and how does it work. How reinforcement and
punishment modify behavior. Verywell Mind.