Operant conditioning is used in experiments where a behavior is followed by a consequence (reward or punishment) that changes how often that behavior happens in the future, such as in Skinner’s rat or pigeon box studies where an animal must press a lever or peck a key to obtain food or stop a shock. It is not simply about pairing two stimuli (that is classical conditioning), but about learning through the consequences of voluntary actions.

What operant conditioning involves

  • A voluntary behavior (like pressing a lever, pecking a disk, completing a task) is emitted by the organism.
  • That behavior is followed by a consequence :
    • Reinforcement (reward or removal of something unpleasant) increases the behavior.
    • Punishment (adding something unpleasant or removing something desirable) decreases the behavior.
  • Over time, the behavior changes in frequency because of these consequences, which is the core of operant conditioning.

Classic examples you can match to options

If your question gives multiple experimental scenarios, the one that “involves the use of operant conditioning” will look like one of these patterns:

  • A rat in a box learns to press a lever to get food or to turn off an electric shock.
  • A pigeon learns to peck a key or a colored disk to receive food, or to play a simple game like pecking a ball past another pigeon for a reward.
  • A child or student receives praise, tokens, or treats for performing a desired action (like doing homework), so that behavior increases.
  • An animal (e.g., a dog) is trained step-by-step with treats to perform a trick, with each closer approximation to the final behavior being rewarded (shaping).

How to spot the correct option in your exam

When you look at the answer choices, pick the experiment where :

  1. The subject does something first (an active response).
  2. A consequence (reward/punishment) follows that behavior.
  3. The future likelihood of that behavior changes because of that consequence.

Avoid options that show:

  • Mere pairing of two stimuli (like a bell and food) without consequences for voluntary behavior – that is classical conditioning.
  • Insight learning, observation only, or just asking someone to remember information without reinforcement or punishment.

If you paste the specific answer choices, a more precise selection can be given, but in general, the operant-conditioning experiment is the one with a behavior–consequence–behavior change sequence. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.