Skinner's Operant Research Articles

APPLICATION OF B.F. SKINNER'S BEHAVIORISM LEARNING THEORY IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION LEARNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study aimed to know and describe the application of B.F Skinner's Operant Conditioning Behaviorism Learning Theory in Islamic Education learning at high school students and to know students' responses. In this study, the researchers described the forms of stimulus provision and the principles of Operant Conditioning B.F Skinner applied in Islamic Education learning. This research used qualitative methods. The data collection techniques used observation, interviews, and documentation. While data analysis is done with several stages, namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results showed that B.F Skinner's Operant Conditioning Behaviourism Learning Theory in Islamic Education learning was successfully applied. The implication of this research shows that overall the application of the theory resulted in a good response and changes in student behaviour in a positive direction in the form of the formation of learning motivation, activeness, reinforcement and improved student memory.

Strategi Keterampilan Penguatan Guru dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam pada Anak Usia Dini

This research aims to see the results of implementing strengthening Islamic religious education learning with a strategy of strengthening teacher skills in learning Islamic religious education for early childhood at Pertiwi 1 Kindergarten, Bengkulu City. The method used is a qualitative descriptive research method, while the type of data used in this research is through observation, interviews and documentation. The results of the research show that the strategy for strengthening teacher skills in Islamic religious education learning uses Skinner's Operant Conditioning theory. Teachers provide verbal reinforcement in using words and sentences to praise, encourage, motivate, persuade, advise and reprimand children. Meanwhile, nonverbal reinforcement takes the form of gestures, touching, approaching, giving signs or symbols, and through Islamic religious education learning activities. This research proves that the implementation of teacher strengthening skills in learning Islamic religious education in early childhood is contained in the RPPH and teaching modules which are carried out by providing verbal reinforcement in using words and sentences, while non-verbal is in the form of gestures, touching, approaching, giving signs or symbols, and through activities for children so that children will be motivated in the good things they do.
 
 Keywords: Early Childhood, Reinforcement Skills, Islamic Education.

Intermittent Learning Through Operant Conditioning for Cyber-Physical Systems.

This article presents a novel scheme, namely, an intermittent learning scheme based on Skinner's operant conditioning techniques that approximates the optimal policy while decreasing the usage of the communication buses transferring information. While traditional reinforcement learning schemes continuously evaluate and subsequently improve, every action taken by a specific learning agent based on received reinforcement signals, this form of continuous transmission of reinforcement signals and policy improvement signals can cause overutilization of the system's inherently limited resources. Moreover, the highly complex nature of the operating environment for cyber-physical systems (CPSs) creates a gap for malicious individuals to corrupt the signal transmissions between various components. The proposed schemes will increase uncertainty in the learning rate and the extinction rate of the acquired behavior of the learning agents. In this article, we investigate the use of fixed/variable interval and fixed/variable ratio schedules in CPSs along with their rate of success and loss in their optimal behavior incurred during intermittent learning. Simulation results show the efficacy of the proposed approach.

The voluntary operant and the operant nature of volition: Three views.

Many philosophers, psychologists, and lay folk associate volition with autonomy (actions are independent of an individual's environment) and free will (individuals originate their actions). Most behaviorists hold these views to be incompatible with behavior analyses. The present paper describes volition as interpreted by B. F. Skinner, Howard Rachlin, and Allen Neuringer. Skinner relates volition to positively reinforced operant behavior. That works because, like operants, voluntary actions are free, in the sense of not physically constrained; they affect their environments, often resulting in positive outcomes, and are sometimes unpredictable. Rachlin, while incorporating Skinnerian methods, interprets volition within his own Teleological Behaviorism framework. For Rachlin, reinforcement of an individual response is often incompatible with voluntary control, thereby disagreeing with Skinner. Responses are voluntary only when they are members of extended response patterns. Neuringer also begins with Skinner's operants, but argues that, under the control of reinforcing consequences, both voluntary actions and operant responses are sometimes predictable and other times "truly" unpredictable. Neuringer does not assume that environments determine voluntary actions, thereby disagreeing with Skinner and Rachlin. Taken together, the agreements and disagreements among these three behaviorists may help to shed light on the relationship between operants and volition.

Peran Pengelola Perpustakaan dalam Menumbuhkan Budaya Gemar Membaca Siswa Tunarungu di Perpustakaan SLB-B Pangudi Luhur Jakarta

The decline in reading culture in school students is an issue that comes to the fore today. The government and schools have made various efforts to develop a reading culture. Many roles should be involved so that the student is in an environment that always encourages him to read hard. Library managers are an essential part of having a role in fostering a culture of reading. This study aims to determine the role and constraints of library managers in motivating the reading interest of deaf students in the library of SLB-B Pangudi Luhur a Jakarta. This study aims to determine library managers' roles and constraints in motivating the reading interest of deaf students. This research is descriptive with a qualitative approach and the case study method. Data collection techniques are carried out through interviews and literature reviews. Using B. F. Skinner's Operant Conditioning Learning Theory, research shows that library managers play their role in motivating deaf students' reading interest through mandatory library programs. The activities carried out by library managers in the program include storytelling, using picture books, composing for students to imagine, and collaborating with teachers. Library managers carry out these activities to encourage deaf students to read, especially when there are obstacles in the process of absorbing their ear language and difficulties in generating emotions such as anxiety, fear, anger, depression, and low communication resulting in a lack of self-confidence. Obstacles experienced by library managers in motivating students include the lack of adequate human resources and the lack of availability of new books. The manager of the SLB-B Pangudi Luhur Jakarta Library applies the oral/aural verbal communication method in communicating to support and make it easier to motivate the reading interest of deaf students.

Adapting to the “new normal” post-pandemic consumer behavior: the case of Rafeeg’s strategy of service marketing

Learning outcomes After reading the case study, the students will be able to analyze the impact of post-pandemic “new normal” customer behavioral change on a start-up aggregator operating virtually. Recognize the need for the service marketing strategy to prepare a service provider/aggregator to sustain a dynamic and volatile consumer environment. Understand the importance of competitors’ analysis as a primary step of service marketing strategy in influencing “new normal” consumer behavior. Examine the utility of customer engagement through website blogs, social media posts, videos and continuously updated information on the mobile application in influencing the “new normal” customer behavior, from skinner operant conditioning behavior and Rusbolt’s investment model perspectives. Case overview/synopsis Rafeeg is a mobile application-based home maintenance service providing company, conceived and founded in 2017 by Khamis Alsheryani – who, as an Emirati entrepreneur, has a prior record of accomplishing successful mobile applications and business ventures since 2004. The unique selling proposition of Rafeeg in the Abu Dhabi market is its functioning as the home maintenance services aggregator bringing its suppliers and consumers under-one-roof alongside maintaining ensuring high quality, punctuality and security at competitive prices. Rafeeg has collaborated with approximately 1,000 licensed suppliers using nearly 5,000 technicians and maintenance workers with a customer base of about 70,000 households. Although it is formally situated in Al Salam St, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company communicates with its consumers virtually. However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UAE in March 2020, Rafeeg witnessed a considerable decrease in service requests. Consumers’ psychological fear of the pandemics spread into their houses through the technicians and maintenance workers and the degree of hygienic practices the latter follows before their service provision acted as the major reason behind the fall in requests. Despite Alsheryani’s assurance on the provision of only those suppliers who are verified of their hygienic practices, negative COVID-19 test reports and their availability to the consumers as proof and regular temperature checks of the technicians, the consumer apprehensions remained stagnant and the loss of new service requests, as well as revenue, continued. The pandemic’s spread and consequent lockdown of services in the UAE affected Rafeeg’s business operations gravely, as projected by its sudden drop-in service requests – from 53,638 average monthly customer requests in January and February to approximately 10,000 in March and April. The sudden drop of 81% in new requests drove Alsheryani to develop a service marketing strategy in May to boost consumer behavior, encouraging them to resume their requests without further apprehensions. However, with the continuous rise in the pandemic and vaccines still under trial and research, Alsheryani contemplates the viability of the new marketing strategy. Alsheryani took measures in supplier training programs, excommunicating with suppliers who fail to comply with his strict safety regulations, developing the app with clearly stated, uniform, safety procedures and bearing the additional safety-related costs small suppliers provide quality work as part of the strategy. Despite so, will there be an increase in new requests? Will the bearing of additional costs on the suppliers’ behalf jeopardize its competitive advantage in UAE? Should he consider an alternate business model to adapt to the new normal environment? Complexity academic level This case is written for undergraduate students majoring in consumer behavior, consumer engagement approaches, digital marketing approaches using websites, mobile applications, social media communities and service marketing strategies. Students, through this case, can relate the importance of virtual space in engaging consumers and the importance of the latter in addressing the dynamicity of consumer behavior, especially affected by sudden environmental change, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The case study also subtly highlights the importance of collaboration with suppliers in an aggregator business model to capture the essence of changing consumer behavior. This case study is appropriate for students having previous knowledge of Rusbolt’s investment model and skinner’s operant behavioral model of consumer behavior and their application in service marketing. Besides, students must be aware of the online business model and aggregator businesses in the service industry of the UAE. The case study purports to motivate critical analytical thinking among students and build their understanding of the importance of consumer behavior for business sustenance. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CCS 8: Marketing.

The Implication of Positive Reinforcement Strategy in dealing with Disruptive Behaviour in the Classroom: A Scoping Review

The scoping review study was carried out from January 18, 2019, to February 18, 2019, by following the Arksey and O'Malley method of scoping review. An extensive search in the bibliographic databases, PubMed, ERIC, and Google scholar for the gray literature was done. The search was narrowed by a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies included in the literature search were sort by the PRISMA flow chart. The selected studies address the use of a positive reinforcement strategy to manage disruptive behavior in the classroom. The positive reinforcement strategies identified were praise (41%), feedback (33%), and other classroom management studies (25%). Skinner's operant learning principle has a classroom implication for increasing the likelihood of the desired behavior. The results of the review can be used to implement evidence-based practice and policy regarding improving the desired behavior in the classroom.

The Mediating Effects of Derived Relational Responding on the Relationship Between Verbal Operant Development and IQ.

Dixon, Belisle, and Stanley, (2018) demonstrated a strong, significant relationship between derived relational responding and intelligence in individuals with autism. We extended these results by evaluating the degree to which participant results on the PEAK Equivalence Pre-assessment (PEAK-E-PA, a direct assessment of derived relational responding) mediated the relationship between the PEAK Direct Training Assessment (PEAK-DT-A, a Skinnerian-based assessment of verbal development) and intelligence. Results support strong, positive correlations between both assessments (PEAK-DT-A and PEAK-E-PA) and IQ; however, the relationship between PEAK-DT-A and IQ could be explained in terms of participant results on the PEAK-E-PA alone. This finding corresponds with Relational Frame Theory, suggesting that derived responding can provide a behavioral interpretation of intelligent behavior, as well as Skinner's elementary operants.

Empirical Application of Skinner's Verbal Behavior to Interventions for Children with Autism: A Review.

Sundberg and Michael (2011) reviewed the contributions of Skinner's (1957) Verbal Behavior to the treatment of language delays in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and discussed several aspects of interventions, including mand training, intraverbal repertoire development, and the importance of using Skinner's taxonomy of verbal behavior in the clinical context. In this article, we provide an update of Sundberg and Michael's review and expand on some discussion topics. We conducted a systematic review of studies that focused on Skinner's verbal operants in interventions for children with ASD that were published from 2001 to 2017 and discussed the findings in terms of journal source, frequency, and type of verbal operant studied.

Autonomous Path Planning Scheme Research for Mobile Robot

AbstractAn autonomous path-planning strategy based on Skinner operant conditioning principle and reinforcement learning principle is developed in this paper. The core strategies are the use of tendency cell and cognitive learning cell, which simulate bionic orientation and asymptotic learning ability. Cognitive learning cell is designed on the base of Boltzmann machine and improved Q-Learning algorithm, which executes operant action learning function to approximate the operative part of robot system. The tendency cell adjusts network weights by the use of information entropy to evaluate the function of operate action. The results of the simulation experiment in mobile robot showed that the designed autonomous path-planning strategy lets the robot realize autonomous navigation path planning. The robot learns to select autonomously according to the bionic orientate action and have fast convergence rate and higher adaptability.

The Functional Independence of Skinner's Verbal Operants: Conceptual and Applied Implications

Much has been said about B. F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior. This commentary specifically focuses on the functional independence of B. F. Skinner's verbal operants. While researchers have long been interested in this topic, the research literature on this topic has produced mixed results; it has shown that the verbal operants may be both functionally independent and functionally interdependent. This commentary considers the conceptual and applied implications of these mixed findings. The distinction between constructs and events is highlighted, with specific attention to how this distinction relates to the consideration of the verbal operants in behavior analysis. The value of further research on the functional independence of the verbal operants is considered, as well as the type of research studies that might be useful toward developing interventions for individuals with language delays. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Skinner operant conditioning model and robot bionic self-learning control

Skinner operant conditioning model and robot bionic self-learning control

A study on the cognitive model of robot sensorimotor system1

A cognitive model for sensorimotor system of self-rebalancing robot is presented based on Skinner operant conditioning principle. The model mainly consists of three parts, which are cerebellum, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex. In the model, the cerebellum realizes the mapping from sensorimotor st ates to actions by supervised learning mechanism, the basal ganglia decides the proper action based on the operant conditioning theory and the results of action forecast evaluation, and the cerebral cortex sends collected information to cerebellum and basal ganglia and consequently forms the closed loop feedback sensorimotor system. The structure, function and algorithm of the proposed model are presented in this paper. Simulation and experimental results on a two-wheeled robot demonstrate that this model has better cognitive characters and it enables the robot to master the skill of balance control in movement through self-learning.

The Functional Independence of Mands and Tacts: Has It Been Demonstrated Empirically?

Recently, there has been a proliferation of research on the functional independence of two of Skinner's (1957) verbal operants, the mand, and the tact. This research has produced highly variable results. In this article, we provide a critical review of the literature on mand-tact independence, a literature that has implications for both theory and practice. Included in the review are 17 studies with a total of 66 participants who were tested for mand emergence following tact training, tact emergence following mand training, or both, and 11 additional studies that systematically manipulated variables expected to affect the outcomes of such tests. A primary finding is that most studies to date suffer from problems with construct validity. However, it may be justifiable to conclude that the literature provides at least weak support for the functional independence of mands and tacts. Future investigators should avoid the major construct validity pitfalls described in this article, describe participant characteristics more thoroughly, and consider alternative approaches to studying mand-tact independence.

“Effect of Reinforcement on Teaching – Learning Process”

The concept of reinforcement is identical to the presentation of a reward. The present study deals with the importance of reinforcement in teaching-learning process. The data has been collected from five schools in Bongaon Municipal Area, North 24 Pgs, West Bengal, India. A total of hundred (100) students of class - IX were taken who had been equally divided into experimental groups and control groups. The main independent variable for the present study was reinforcement. The dependent variable in the study was the behavior of the students. The result of this study supported the Skinner's operant conditioning theory.

Applying Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior to Persons With Dementia

Skinner's 1957 analysis of verbal behavior has demonstrated a fair amount of utility to teach language to children with autism and other various disorders. However, the learning of language can be forgotten, as is the case for many elderly suffering from dementia or other degenerative diseases. It appears possible that Skinner's operants may facilitate not only acquisition of language but also the ability to recall items or objects that may have appeared to be “forgotten.” The present study examined the utility of having a series of adults in long-term care emit tacts, echoics, or intraverbals upon presentation of various visual stimuli. Compared to a no-verbal response condition, it appears that the incorporation of Skinner's verbal operants can in fact improve recall for this population. Implications for the retraining of lost language are presented.

A Bionic Learning Algorithm Based on Skinner's Operant Conditioning and Control of Robot

Aiming at the movement balance control problem of the two-wheeled self-balancing mobile robot,a bionic self-learning algorithm consisting of BP(backpropagation) neural network and eligibility traces based on Skinner's operant conditioning theory is put forward as a learning mechanism of the two-wheeled robot.The algorithm utilizes the characters of eligibility traces in resolving delay effect,increasing learning speed,and improving reliability and ability,so that the complex learning algorithm consisting of BP neural network and eligibility traces can predict the behavior evaluation function that the robot would obtain,and choose the optimum action corresponding to the biggest evaluation value according to the probability tendency mechanism by a certain probability.Thereby the two-wheeled robot can obtain the self-learning skills like a human or animal by interacting with,studying and training the unknown environment,and realize the movement balance control of the two-wheeled robot.Finally,two simulation experiments are done and compared using the BP algorithm and the complex learning algorithm consisting of BP neural network and eligibility traces based on Skinner's operant conditioning theory.The simulation results show that the learning mechanism of the complex learning algorithm consisting of BP neural network and eligibility traces based on Skinner's operant conditioning theory makes the robot obtain the better dynamic performance and the quicker learning speed,and reflect stronger self-learning skills and balance control abilities.

Citation Analysis of Skinner's Verbal Behavior: 1984-2004.

The present study undertook an updated citation analysis of Skinner's (1957)Verbal Behavior. All articles that cited Verbal Behavior between 1984 and 2004 were recorded and content analyzed into one of five categories; four empirical and one nonempirical. Of the empirical categories, studies that employed a verbal operant from Skinner's analysis were assigned to either basic, applied, or observational categories. Empirical studies that did not employ a verbal operant were categorized as other-empirical. The total number of citations remained stable across the review period and averaged just over 52 per year. Of these, 80% were from nonempirical articles, 13.7% were from other-empirical articles, 4% were from applied articles, 1.4% were from basic articles, and 0.9% were from observational articles. An "obliteration" analysis was also conducted to identify articles that employed Skinner's verbal operant terms but did not cite Verbal Behavior. This analysis identified 44 additional articles, suggesting that a degree of obliteration had occurred in the half century since the publication of Verbal Behavior. In particular, the analysis suggests that the verbal operant of manding has sufficient presence in the applied empirical literature to render citation of Verbal Behavior redundant. Overall, Verbal Behavior continues to make an important contribution to the psychological literature.

Verbal understanding and Pavlovian processes.

The behavioral processes through which people react appropriately to verbal descriptions remain poorly understood. I argue here that these processes are Pavlovian. Common objections to a Pavlovian account of symbolic behavior evidence a lack of familiarity with the relevant data or misunderstandings of operant theory. Although much remains to be done to explore the relation between verbal understanding and simpler forms of Pavlovian conditioning, the similarity of these two sets of phenomena has received increasing support in recent years. The difficulties of operant principles in accounting for symbolic behavior have a more general implication: Operant models, which focus on the maintenance of responding, must incorporate principles of behavioral induction that explain the origins of novel environment-behavior relations. Pavlovian processes are likely to contribute. Keywords: symbolic behavior, functional equivalence, Pavlovian conditioning, humans. How do words acquire their meaning? The problems associated with meaning and reference involve many dimensions. The fact that we can still refer today to Marco Polo's travel to China involves an initial connection of verbal behavior with a nonverbal referent, and a long chain of behavioral events that preserve meaning across linguistic communities. The issue of meaning therefore transcends the boundaries of psychology to involve social and cultural invariances holding from one generation to the next (Kripke, 1972; Putnam, 1975). Behavioral psychologists, who deal with the adjustments of individual organisms, cannot address this problem in its entirety. But they can elucidate the processes involved in how a person understands a sentence or reacts to the description of a situation. Behavioral psychologists can study how and why being told that swimming in the is dangerous leads us to avoid swimming, how and why being told that the pie is delicious leads us to order a slice. In each case, the problem of verbal understanding has clear behavioral dimensions: Exposure to an organized set of verbal stimuli (including words such as river or pie) later leads to a change of behavior with respect to their nonverbal referents. Verbal understanding has not been explained convincingly within Skinner's (1957, 1969) traditional operant framework, however. Most of the research inspired from Verbal Behavior (Skinner, 1957) involves the reinforcement of elementary verbal operants and focuses on the behavior of the speaker (Oah & Dickinson, 1989); verbal understanding, which concerns the behavior of the listener (Parrott, 1984, 1987), has been neglected or addressed in a deficient fashion. In the absence of a coherent specification of the underlying behavioral processes, for example, the concept of governance (Skinner, 1969) is merely an empty label. If we agree to call an instruction a rule, then instruction-following is by definition a case of rule governance, but pointing out the obvious does not lead us any closer to a scientific understanding of the relevant behavioral phenomena. The lack of progress in addressing verbal understanding from a standard operant perspective may arise in part from empirical difficulties, but also signal more basic deficiencies with reinforcement-based accounts. Their central deficiency can be understood by contrasting directly reinforced with derived behavioral functions. In the former case, the response distribution observed conditionally on a stimulus A arises from reinforcement in the presence of this stimulus or physically similar ones. In the latter case, the response distribution observed conditionally on A arises from reinforcement in the presence of a stimulus B distinct from A (and that entertains no formal similarity with A). Until recently, basic behavior-analytic research dealt almost exclusively with the former case, the study of which (Skinner, 1938) was taken as a model for the explanation of verbal behavior (Skinner, 1957). …

Comments on the 1950s Applications and Extensions of Skinner’s operant psychology

These comments address Laties', Dewsbury's, and Rutherford's papers on the extension and application of Skinner's operant psychology during the 1950s. I begin by reflecting on the papers' overall theme-that the success of behavior analysis lies in its practical applications-and add some comments on Planck's principle. I then turn to the three papers and address such topics as (a) other applications and extensions (e.g., the U.S. space program), (b) relations between the research and researchers at the Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology (e.g., a Yerkes' researcher in Skinner's laboratory), and (c) human schedule performance (e.g., continuity and discontinuity with nonhuman behavior). I end with a discussion of the fundamental reason for the success of the extensions and applications of behavior analysis-the experimental analysis of behavior.