Operant Conditioning

A form of learning in which the probability of a voluntary behaviour changes because that behaviour is followed by consequences contingent on its occurrence; consequences that increase future probability are called reinforcers, those that decrease it are called punishers. The contingency, temporal proximity, and detectability of consequences determine whether and how behaviour is altered.

A behavioral principle stating that the probability of a voluntary action is modified by its consequences: consequences that increase the future frequency of the action are reinforcements, and consequences that decrease it are punishments; control of behavior depends on contingency, immediacy, magnitude and schedule of consequences.