Skinner's argument included the idea of operant conditioning,which refers to his belief that
A)the strengthening or weakening of behavior,depending upon the presence or absence of reinforcement or punishment,explains all human behavior.
B)all human behavior can be explained by operant conditioning,involving the strengthening or weakening of behavior,depending only on the presence of punishment.
C)human behavior is highly unpredictable and,as a result,only some human behavior can be explained in terms of reinforcement-punishment relationships.
D)human behavior cannot be understood without taking into account the purpose of the behavior.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Skinner's argument included the idea of operant conditioning, which refers to the strengthening or weakening of behavior, depending upon the presence or absence of reinforcement or punishment. Skinner believed that this process explained all human behavior. This is captured in option A. Option B is incorrect because Skinner did not believe that behavior could be explained only by punishment, but by both reinforcement and punishment. Option C is incorrect because Skinner did not believe that human behavior is unpredictable. He believed that behavior could be predicted and controlled through operant conditioning. Option D is incorrect because Skinner believed that behavior could be understood without reference to the purpose of the behavior, but rather by analyzing the environmental variables that control it.

Skinner's Argument Included the Idea of Operant Conditioning,which Refers to His