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3.8: Procedures

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    57835

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    This chapter has discussed how student behavior is regulated by consequences, which are the events that occur after the behavior. The description and analysis of these contingencies surrounding a behavior is operant conditioning, which describes the probability of certain behaviors based on the history of consequences (Skinner, 1974). Reinforcement and punishment are the core tools of operant conditioning, and both affect the desired behavior: reinforcement increases and punishment decreases the probability of the desired behavior. Events can be added in (positive) or removed (negative) from reinforcement and punishment procedures. For example, positive reinforcement is the addition of a stimulus (i.e. praise, token), whereas negative reinforcement is the removal of a stimulus (i.e., loud noise, work demand), and both maintain or increase the frequency of the behavior.

    This page titled 3.8: Procedures is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Samuel Sennott, Sheldon Loman, Kristy Lee Park, Luis F. Pérez, Michael J. Kennedy, John Romig, & Wendy J. Rodgers (Portland State University Library) .