Which theory is also called the theory of reinforcement?

Concept: Learning theories are usually named after the central mechanism that drives them. In operant learning, behaviour is controlled by the consequences that follow it; the consequence that strengthens a behaviour and makes it more likely to recur is called reinforcement (punishment, by contrast, weakens behaviour).

Application: B. F. Skinner's operant conditioning holds that voluntary behaviour is controlled by its consequences: a response followed by a reinforcing consequence is more likely to be repeated, while one followed by punishment grows weaker. Because reinforcement is the defining mechanism of this theory, operant conditioning is also called the theory of reinforcement (and, at times, instrumental conditioning).

Contrast:

• Classical conditioning (Pavlov) explains involuntary, reflexive responses through the pairing of stimuli — it is not built on the consequences of voluntary behaviour.

• A stimulus-organization/sequencing idea concerns how stimuli are arranged or ordered during instruction, not the strengthening of behaviour by its consequences.

• Micro teaching is a scaled-down teacher-training technique for practising one specific teaching skill — it is a training method, not a theory of learning.

Result: The theory whose defining mechanism is reinforcement is operant conditioning theory.