Final answer:
In operant conditioning, an action that is reinforced makes the animal more likely to repeat it, while an action that is punished makes it less likely. This process involves an association between voluntary behavior and its consequences, guided by the law of effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
In operant conditioning, if the action is reinforced, the animal is more likely to perform that action. If the action is punished, the animal is less likely to perform that action.
Operant conditioning is a type of associative learning where an animal learns to associate a voluntary behavior with its consequences. An example of this is psychologist B.F. Skinner's work with rats, where they associated pressing a lever with receiving food.
This association between behavior and consequence modifies the behavior in terms of its form, strength, or frequency.
According to the law of effect, proposed by Edward Thorndike, behaviors followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, whereas behaviors followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to recur. This is fundamental to operant conditioning, which encompasses both reinforcement and punishment to either strengthen or weaken a behavior.