Operant Conditioning

What it means

Operant conditioning describes four basic categories (called quadrants): positive reinforcement (adding something good), negative reinforcement (removing something unpleasant), positive punishment (adding something unpleasant), and negative punishment (removing something good), each of which can increase or decrease a behavior's frequency. Reward-based training relies primarily on positive reinforcement and negative punishment (like a brief timeout from attention), avoiding the punishment-based quadrants.

A real example

A dog that gets a treat for sitting (positive reinforcement) is more likely to sit again; a dog that loses attention the moment it jumps up, and gets it back the moment it stops, is experiencing negative punishment.

A worked example

Paul's dog jumps up at visitors. People pet it when it does, so the jumping pays. Paul asks guests to wait until all four paws are on the floor, and to reward sitting. Within weeks, sitting becomes the dog's way to get attention, because those are the consequences that follow.

Signs it is working

• The behaviors you reward become more frequent.
• The behaviors that stop paying become rarer.
• The dog starts testing which behaviors work.

What it is not

It is not the same as classical conditioning. Here the dog's own action produces the result, rather than an association forming on its own.

Why it matters

It is the learning engine behind most everyday training. Once you see behavior as a result of its consequences, you can change habits by changing what follows them.

How to use it

1. Pick one behavior to increase and one to reduce.
2. Reward the one you want immediately, so the dog links the two.
3. Remove or stop rewarding the one you do not want.
4. Review every few days: whichever behavior is growing is the one being rewarded.

Are there four types of operant conditioning?

Yes: positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment. Reward-based training focuses on reinforcement and on managing the setup, rather than relying on aversive methods.

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