The psychologist who developed operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats is...

The psychologist who developed operant conditioning by training pigeons and rats is...

• A. Ivan Pavlov
• B. John Watson
• C. B.F. Skinner
• D. Edward Thorndike

Answer: (C)

Operant conditioning is learning that happens because of the consequences that follow a behavior — actions followed by rewards tend to be repeated, while those followed by punishments tend to diminish. The psychologist who systematically developed and demonstrated this with pigeons and rats is B.F. Skinner. He created the Skinner box, which allowed precise control of stimuli and reinforcers, and he showed how shaping, reinforcement, and punishment could be used to mold complex behaviors in animals. He also detailed different reinforcement schedules (like fixed or variable ratios and intervals) that explain how the timing and predictability of rewards affect learning and behavior. Pavlov’s work is about classical conditioning—learning through association between a neutral stimulus and a reflexive response. Watson’s focus was broader behaviorism, emphasizing observable behavior but not the reinforcement-based framework Skinner developed. Thorndike laid the groundwork with the Law of Effect, showing that rewarded actions are more likely to recur, but Skinner formalized operant conditioning as a distinct, comprehensive theory with explicit mechanisms for shaping behavior and detailed schedules of reinforcement.

Operant conditioning is learning that happens because of the consequences that follow a behavior — actions followed by rewards tend to be repeated, while those followed by punishments tend to diminish. The psychologist who systematically developed and demonstrated this with pigeons and rats is B.F. Skinner. He created the Skinner box, which allowed precise control of stimuli and reinforcers, and he showed how shaping, reinforcement, and punishment could be used to mold complex behaviors in animals. He also detailed different reinforcement schedules (like fixed or variable ratios and intervals) that explain how the timing and predictability of rewards affect learning and behavior.

Pavlov’s work is about classical conditioning—learning through association between a neutral stimulus and a reflexive response. Watson’s focus was broader behaviorism, emphasizing observable behavior but not the reinforcement-based framework Skinner developed. Thorndike laid the groundwork with the Law of Effect, showing that rewarded actions are more likely to recur, but Skinner formalized operant conditioning as a distinct, comprehensive theory with explicit mechanisms for shaping behavior and detailed schedules of reinforcement.