Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner) Overview: The theory of B.F. Skinner is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in behavior are the result of an individual's response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. A response produces a consequence such as defining a word, hitting a ball, or solving a math problem. When a particular ...

OPERANT (INSTRUMENTAL) CONDITIONING Developed by: W. Huitt and J. Hummel Last Revised: July 3, 1997 Return to An Overview of Behavioral Psychology The major theorists for the development of operant conditioning are Edward Thorndike, John Watson, and B. F. Skinner. This approach to behaviorism played a major role in the development of the science of psychology, especially in the United States.