Dr. B.F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning

Can Pigeons Read?

This section discusses how pigeons can be taught to distinguish between words and behave accordingly through reward-based training.

Training Pigeons

• Pigeons can be trained to distinguish between two words and respond differently to each sign.

• The bird's behavior is shaped by controlling its environment and rewarding it with food.

• The first task is to isolate a specific behavior and observe how it can be changed.

Skinner's Experiment

• B.F. Skinner conducted an experiment using hungry pigeons as subjects.

• Food was used as an automatic reward, given when the pigeon exhibited the desired behavior.

• The pigeon was studied in a uniform box, where its pecking of a colored disc was measured on a graph.

Schedule of Reinforcement

• Skinner studied the relationship between pecking behavior and the frequency of rewards offered.

• Different schedules of reinforcement were used, such as reinforcing every tenth time or once every minute.

• Variable ratio schedule, effective with pigeons, is also found in gambling devices.

Implications for Humans

• Findings from pigeon experiments help interpret human behavior related to gambling.

• People gamble not because they punish themselves or feel excited but due to the schedule of reinforcement that follows their actions.

Free Will vs. External Causes

• Discovering external causes of behavior challenges the concept of free will.

• Internal states and feelings are not the initiators; external reasons play a significant role in our actions.

Science of Behavior

• Understanding the causes behind behavior allows us to dismiss free will as an imagined internal cause.

• The science of behavior aims to discover these causes and understand human actions better.

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