Skinner’s Operant Conditioning: The Carrot or the Stick?
- Psychology
Experiments Series | Academy 4 Social Change
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning: Lesson Plan
Topic
Operant conditioning is a process of learning that encourages some behaviors
and discourages others depending on whether rewards or punishments are given
for that behavior. Here are the four main ways in which operant conditioning is
used: 1) positive reinforcement, in which something pleasant is given to encourage
a certain behavior, 2) negative reinforcement, in which something unpleasant is
removed to encourage a certain behavior, 3) positive punishment, in which
something unpleasant is given to discourage a certain behavior, and 4) negative
punishment, in which something pleasant is taken away to discourage a certain
behavior.
Possible subjects/classes Time needed
Psychology, Marketing / Business,
30-45 minutes
Childcare / Early Education
Video link
https://academy4sc.org/topic/skinners-operant-conditioning-the-carrot-or-the-stic
k/
Objective: What will students know/be able to do at the end of class?
Students will be able to...
● Note differences between the various types of reinforcements and
punishments.
● Explain how the Skinner Box works and how it was important to
discoveries about operant conditioning.
● Identify places in the real world where operant conditioning is being used.
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
Reinforcement, punishment, conditioning
Materials Needed
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning: The Carrot or the Stick? - Psychology
Experiments Series | Academy 4 Social Change
Worksheet
Before you watch
Think-Pair-Share: If your room was messy and your parents wanted you to
clean, which of the following scenarios is most likely to motivate you to clean?
1. ‘If you clean your room by the time I come home from work, I’ll give you
twenty dollars.’
2. ‘If you clean your room by the time I come home from work, you won’t
have to do the dishes after dinner.’
3. ‘If you keep leaving your dirty clothes on the floor of your room, we are
going to have a very long talk, and I guarantee it won’t be pleasant!’
4. ‘If you keep leaving your dirty clothes on the floor of your room, I’ll take
your phone for a week.’
Give students a minute to decide which scenario they find most motivational. Ask
them to share with the person next to them. Then poll the class to see which was
the most popular scenario.
While you watch
Define each term: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive
punishment, negative punishment.
After you watch: discussion questions
1. What do you think is more effective in getting someone to do what you
want: giving them a reward, or giving them a punishment? Explain your
reasoning.
2. If you could use any method in the world, how would you approach the
problem of getting a poorly behaved kid to start being polite and
respectful?
3. Give an example of negative reinforcement that you’ve either witnessed or
personally experienced recently.
Activity Ideas
● Pose the following scenario to the class: your little brother never does his
homework and your parents don’t know how to motivate him to do it. Split
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning: The Carrot or the Stick? - Psychology
Experiments Series | Academy 4 Social Change
the class into four groups and assign each group a type of
reinforcement/punishment (positive reinforcement, negative
reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment ). Have them
create the best argument for why the parents should try that method and
an example of how they could implement it.
● Show students one or two examples of operant conditioning being used in
advertisements. Ask them to pick out which type of reinforcement or
punishment is being used, why they think the advertiser chose it, and
whether they think it’s an effective way to get people to buy their product.
Then, in groups, have them design their own advertisement for a fictional
product (or an item that they have in their desk or bag) and share or act it
out for the class.
Sources/places to learn more
1. Blackman, Derek E. Operant Conditioning: An Experimental Analysis of
Behaviour. Routledge, 2017.
2. Burdon, William M., et al. “Developing and Implementing a Positive
Behavioral Reinforcement Intervention in Prison-Based Drug Treatment:
Project BRITE.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. Suppl 7, Sept. 2011, pp.
40–50.
3. Physician, A. Board-Certified. “What Is Operant Conditioning and How Does
It Work?” Verywell Mind,
https://www.verywellmind.com/operant-conditioning-a2-2794863.
Accessed 6 Sept. 2019.
4. THE APPLICATION OF OPERANT CONDITIONING TECHNIQUES IN A SECONDARY
SCHOOL CLASSROOM1 - McAllister - 1969 - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
- Wiley Online Library.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1901/jaba.1969.2-277. Accessed
6 Sept. 2019.
5. Wolf, Montrose, et al. “Application of Operant Conditioning Procedures to
the Behaviour Problems of an Autistic Child.” Behaviour Research and
Therapy, vol. 1, no. 2, Jan. 1963, pp. 305–12. ScienceDirect,
doi:10.1016/0005-7967(63)90045-7.
