Editing Operant conditioning chamber (section)

== Research impact ==
Operant conditioning chambers have become common in a variety of research disciplines especially in animal learning. The chambers design allows for easy monitoring of the animal and provides a space to manipulate certain behaviours. This controlled environment may allow for research and experimentation which cannot be performed in the field.

There are a variety of applications for operant conditioning. For instance, shaping the behavior of a child is influenced by the compliments, comments, approval, and disapproval of one's behavior.<ref>{{Cite web| vauthors = Shrestha P |date=November 17, 2017|title=Operant Conditioning|url=https://www.psychestudy.com/behavioral/learning-memory/operant-conditioning|access-date=November 14, 2021|website=Psychestudy}}</ref> An important factor of operant conditioning is its ability to explain learning in real-life situations. From an early age, parents nurture their children's behavior by using reward and praise following an achievement (crawling or taking a first step) which reinforces such behavior. When a child misbehaves, punishment in the form of verbal discouragement or the removal of privileges are used to discourage them from repeating their actions.

Skinner's studies on animals and their behavior laid the framework needed for similar studies on human subjects. Based on his work, developmental psychologists were able to study the effect of positive and negative [[reinforcement]]. Skinner found that the environment influenced behavior and when that environment is manipulated, behaviour will change. From this, developmental psychologists proposed theories on operant learning in children. That research was applied to education and the treatment of illness in young children.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal| vauthors = Schlinger H |date=January 17, 2021|title=The Impact of B. F. Skinner's Science of Operant Learning on Early Childhood Research, Theory, Treatment, and Care| doi = 10.1080/03004430.2020.1855155|journal=Early Child Development and Care|volume=191|issue=7–8|pages=1089–1106|s2cid=234206521|via=Routledge}}</ref> Skinner's theory of operant conditioning played a key role in helping psychologists understand how behavior is learned. It explains why reinforcement can be used so effectively in the learning process, and how schedules of reinforcement can affect the outcome of conditioning.