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Cited by 59Behavioral and Psychological StudiesMotor Control and AdaptationAcademic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology

The Operant Conditioning of Human Motor Behavior

Verplanck, William S.·1956·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/h0041472
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Abstract

A very large body of experimental results have accumulated in the field of operant, or instrumental, conditioning of the rat, the pigeon, and of other experimental animals. The application to human behavior of the laws generated by such research is most often done by the use of theory. An alternative method is to demonstrate that the manipulation of classes of empirically defined variables that produce specific and highly characteristic changes in the behavior of small experimental animals in Skinner boxes produce similar changes in the behavior of college students. This paper reports procedures for the direct application of the variables defining the paradigm for operant conditioning to human behavior and shows that human beings act very much indeed like experimental animals when they are subjected to the same experimental treatments. It suggests that direct application of conditioning principles to some categories of human behavior may be justified. The procedures are simple and they may be followed by anyone, with a minimum of equipment. That it is possible to condition human motor behavior will surprise few who are concerned with behavior theory. Nevertheless, it has not always been clear what behaviors will act as "responses," what events will prove to be "reinforcing stimuli," or exactly what procedures would most readily yield reproducible results. This paper describes methods that have been worded out for easy and rapid operant conditioning of motor behavior in humans…

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  • Behavioral feedback can be inherently reinforcing, even independent of the information it provides.

    “For instance, behavioral feedback can be inherently reinforcing, even independent of the information it provides (Hsee, Yang and Ruan 2015; Locke, Cartledge and Koeppel 1968; Verplanck 1956).”

    From On or Off Track: How (Broken) Streaks Affect Consumer Decisions (2023) · cites this paper as Verplanck 1956

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Authors
Verplanck, W. S.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Verplanck, William S.
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1956
Volume
53
Issue
1
Pages
70-83
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/h0041472
OpenAlex
W1991784681
Cited by
59
References
3
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
11.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CogPrints (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › General Psychology › Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology
Keywords
operant conditioning, human motor behavior, reinforcement, university students
MeSH terms
Conditioning, Operant, Humans, Learning

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