Explain how operant conditioning is used to modify human behavior by listing and describing the six operant principles most often used by behavior therapists

What will be an ideal response?

ANSWER: Answer will include that operant conditioning refers to learning based on the consequences of making a response and is often used to modify behavior during individual therapy as well as in schools and institutions. The operant principles most often used by behavior therapists to deal with human behavior are: (1) Positive reinforcement in which responses that are followed by reinforcement tend to occur more frequently. (2) Another principle involves nonreinforcement and extinction. A response that is not followed by reinforcement will occur less frequently. If a response is not followed by reward after it has been repeated many times, it will extinguish entirely. (3) Regarding punishment, if a response is followed by discomfort or an undesirable effect, the response will be suppressed, but not necessarily extinguished. (4) Shaping means reinforcing actions that are closer and closer approximations to a desired response. (5) Stimulus control means that responses tend to come under the control of the situation in which they occur. (6) A time-out procedure usually involves removing the individual from a situation in which reinforcement occurs. Time out is a variation of response cost and prevents reward from following an undesirable response.