r who wants a dolphin to jump through a hoop will begin by giving the animal a fish just for turning in the direction of the hoop, then for touching the hoop, and so forth until the response chain that has been built establishes the behavior pattern which the trainer desires, namely jumping through the hoop.
Skinnerian theory represented a clear change from psychological perspectives preceding it in that the emphasis was not on psychological cognitions or emotions or moods but on behavior. Further, the emphasis was upon the need to use a strict experimental approach to the science of psychology and to translate phenomena of interest to concrete, measurable responses. Moreover, the theory emphasized the connections between behavior and environmental events (reinforcers) rather than broad personality dispositions, characteristics, or traits.
The theory linked responses with known stimuli stating that these responses were learned because they were followed by reinforcement which affected
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