The Basic Operant Model According to operant conditioning theory, we learn to behave in a particular fashion because of consequences that resulted from our past behaviors.19 The learning process involves three distinct steps (see Table 7.2). The first step involves a stimulus (S). The stimulus is any situation or event we perceive that we then respond to. A homework assignment is a stimulus. The second step involves a response (R), that is, any behavior or action we take in reaction to the stimulus. Staying up late to get your homework assignment in on time is a response. (We use the words response and behavior interchangeably here.) Finally, a consequence (C) is any event that follows our response and that makes the response more or less likely to occur in the future. If Colleen Sullivan receives praise from her superior for working hard, and if getting that praise is a pleasurable event, then it is likely that Colleen will work hard again in the future. If, on the other hand, the superior ignores or criticizes Colleen’s response (working hard), this consequence is likely to make Colleen avoid working hard in the future. It is the experienced consequence (positive or negative) that influences whether a response will be repeated the next time the stimulus is presented. Process Theories of Motivation General Operant Model: S → R → C Ways to Strengthen the S → R Link 1. S → R → C+ (Positive Reinforcement) 2. S → R → C– (Negative Reinforcement) 3. S → R → (no C–) (Avoidance Learning) Ways to Weaken the S → R Link 1. S → R → (no C) (Nonreinforcement) 2. S → R → C– (Punishment) Table7.2 (Attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC-BY 4.0 license)