B.F.Skinner

Hess VáclavMichková Adéla

Pham Thi Bich HanhVaňourek Tomáš

Structure of the presentation

• About B. F. Skinner• Behavioral approach• Skinner's box• Reinforcement theory of motivation• Theory in practice

Burrhus Frederic Skinner

"The consequences of behavior determine the

probability that the behavior will occur

again" –B. F. Skinner

Burrhus Frederic Skinner

• * March 20, 1904 in Susquehanna• † August 18 ,1990• 1926 he received his B.A in English literature at

Hamilton college• 1931 he received PHD from Harvard university.• 1945 he was Psychology Department Chair at the

University of Indiana• 1948 he joined the psychology department at

Harvard University

Some his activities and achievements

• Skinner innovated “radical behaviorism”• Founded his own school of experimental analysis

of behavior• Discovered and advanced the rate of response as

a dependent variable in psychological research• He has 4 famous inventions:– Air crib– operant conditioning chamber– cumulative recorder-teaching machine – Pigeon-guided missile.

The Behavioral Approach

• Skinner showed that by presenting animals or people with rewards & punishments you could shape their behavior

• Shaping: involves presenting a reinforcement for each successive approximation of a desired behavior

• E.g., if we want to shape lever pressing in rats, we would reinforce any behavior that even remotely resembles lever pressing

Skinner Box

• Skinner created an apparatus that would present rewards to an organism (animals & humans!!) based on their behavioral responses.

• He even had his daughter stay

in the box for several experiments

The Skinner Box

Reinforcement theory of motivation

• 1. Positive Reinforcement: Strengthens a response by presenting something that is perceived as appetitive (pleasant) after a behavior is emitted.

• E.g., Immediately praising an employee for coming early for job.

• 2. Negative Reinforcement: strengthens a response by removing a negative/undesirable consequences after a behavior is emitted.

• E.g., Constantly being reminded to be more productive.

Reinforcement theory of motivation

• 3. Extinction- It implies absence of reinforcements. In other words, extinction implies lowering the probability of undesired behavior by removing reward for that kind of behavior.

• E.g., if an employee no longer receives praise and admiration for his good work, he may feel that his behavior is generating no fruitful consequence.

• 4. Punishment - Removing positive consequences so as to lower the probability of repeating undesirable behavior in future

• E.g., Suspending an employee for breaking the organizational rules.

Implications of Reinforcement Theory

• Managers have to:–Set clear and reasonable expectations– Identify strong motivators–Encourage desirable behavior–Effectively use reinforcement

Skinner's theory in practice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euINCrDbbD4&feature=related

References• Glass, M. How Can Managers Use Reinforcement Theory to Motivate Employees?

[online] Small business. Available from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/can-managers-use-reinforcement-theory-motivate-employees-18559.html [Accessed 1 November 2012]

• Cherry K. B. F. Skinner Biography (1904-1990) [online] About.com. Available from: http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofmajorthinkers/p/bio_skinner.htm

• Management study guide. Reinforcement Theory of Motivation [online] Management study guide. Available from: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/reinforcement-theory-motivation.html [Accessed 1 November 2012]

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._F._Skinner#Verbal_Behavior

Thank you for your attention