Why Is It Called Operant Conditioning?

Operant, or instrumental, conditioning is so called because, in making their responses, learners provide the instrument by which a problem is solved. Such learning is more important to schoolwork, for teachers are concerned ultimately with drawing forth new responses from their students.

What is meant by the term operant conditioning?

Definition of operant conditioning

: conditioning in which the desired behavior or increasingly closer approximations to it are followed by a rewarding or reinforcing stimulus — compare classical conditioning.

Why is Skinner learning theory called operant conditioning?

The work of Skinner was rooted in a view that classical conditioning was far too simplistic to be a complete explanation of complex human behavior. He believed that the best way to understand behavior is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences. He called this approach operant conditioning.