Question

Skinner conducted his studies on following

1. Dog
2. Rat
3. Fish
4. Pigeons

• A. ii only
• B. None of these
• C. iv only
• D. ii, iv

Answer 1

Answer:

D. ii, iv

• Skinner Box experiment on rat

  • Skinner box contained a lever and a device for delivering a pellet of food.

  • Every time the rat presses the lever, it got a pellet of food.

  • Gradually the rat learns to press the lever to get the food and the response by lever pressing is strengthened because it brings food.

  • Skinner gives great importance to operant behavior which is more concerned with response(R) that w the stimuli(S). 

  • He called it as R type conditioning.

  • He changed the usual S-R formula into an

  • A desirable response is conditioned by constantly reinforcing it.

  • Skinner identified two types of reinforcers- positive and negative .R-S formula (according to the R-S formula, when a desired response is emitted, a reinforcing stimulus is presented.

  • In Skinner's other famous experiment, a pigeon pecks the red ball and gets food. Because of food (reinforcement), the pigeon is likely to peck the same ball again and again.

    During World War II, Skinner worked on a program called Project Pigeon – also known as Project Orcon, short for Organic Control – an experimental project to create pigeon-guided missiles.

    The pigeons were trained by Skinner to peck at a target, and they were rewarded with food when they completed the task correctly.