Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning comes from behavioural psychology. It posits that we learn how to respond to particular stimuli based on which responses are regularly reinforced or suppressed by our environment (including other people). It's a form of force-field analysis.

In trying to understand your own or other people's behaviours in a situation, it might be useful to explore how various types of reinforcement and suppression played a part. It can be very useful if combined with counterfactual thinking to explore both behaviours that occurred and ones that were avoided.

Reinforcement

Focus on what they/you did do. (Linked to subtractive counterfactuals)

What perceived potential rewards (attractors) or punishments (repellers) could explain the behaviours?

• Positive reinforcement  (attractors or incentives)

  • What possible pay-offs might that behaviour have earned in the past?

  • What factors in the current situation might have been perceived as encouraging or condoning that behaviour?

  • What future rewards might that behaviour lead to?

• Negative reinforcement (repellers or disincentives) 

  • What possible unpleasant experiences might this behaviour have helped them/you to avoid or escape from in the past?

  • What perceived threats in the current situation might they/you have been trying to avoid through acting this way?

  • What future pain might they/you have been trying to prevent by their actions?

Suppression

Focus on what they/you didn't do. (Linked to additive counterfactuals)

What perceived potential rewards or punishments could explain the possible behaviours they omitted?

• Positive suppression

  • What negative consequences might they/you have experienced as a result of behaving that way in the past?

  • What perceived threats in the current situation might have deterred them/you from acting in that way?

  • What future pain were they/you trying to avoid by not doing it?

• Negative suppression

  • How might that behaviour have led them/you to lose something valuable in the past?

  • What positive things in the current situation might they/you have been afraid of losing through that behaviour?

  • What future losses might they/you have been trying to avoid through not acting in that way?

Behavioural learning

You may also apply operant conditioning to your intentions for applying reflective learning in the future.

• How could you reward yourself for changing your approach in the future?

• How could you make life less painful for yourself if you change your approach in the future?

• How could you punish yourself for failing to change your approach in the future?

• How could you deprive yourself of something you value if you don't change?