Applications of Operant Conditioning

Behavior modification has been successful with children and adults, with the mentally healthy and the mentally disturbed, and with individuals as well as group behavior.

Token Economy Programs
An application from behavior modification is the use of a token economy. In the pioneering study, a ward of more than 40 psychotic female patients in a state mental institution was treated as a giant Skinner box (Ayllon & Azrin, 1968). This is where tokens can be exchanged for valued objects or privileges as a reward for a desirable behavior. However, token economies have been found to be effective only within the setting in which they are implemented. In general, the modified behaviors do not carry over to life outside the setting in which they are used. When these tokens are no longer given, reinforced behaviors usually revert to their original state.

Behavior Modification Programs
Operant-conditioning techniques have been applied to problems in business and industry. Reinforcers for business may include pay, job security, recognition from supervisors, and perks and status within a company. The focus is on changing overt behavior, defining the nature of the appropriate reinforcers, and determining their optimal rate of presentation to modify behavior.

Punishment and Negative Reinforcement
Most operant-conditioning applications involve positive reinforcement rather than punishment. Skinner said that punishment, as a reinforcer; was ineffective in changing behavior from undesirable to desirable or from abnormal to normal. Skinner felt that positive reinforcement administered for desirable behaviors is much more effective than punishment. Negative reinforcement is an aversive or noxious stimulus, the removal of which is rewarding, such as a loud noise or an electric shock continues until the subject emits a desirable behavior. However, negative reinforcement does not always work whereas positive reinforcement is more consistently effective.