Final answer:
A Skinner box is an apparatus used to study operant conditioning by allowing an animal to receive reinforcement or punishment by pressing a lever, which alters its behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Skinner box is an enclosed apparatus that contains a lever for an animal to press. By pressing the lever, the animal may receive reinforcement, like food, or punishment, like a noise, which influences its behavior. This set-up is closely associated with operant conditioning, a learning process discovered by psychologist B.F. Skinner. Unlike classical conditioning, operant conditioning involves active behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli.
The Skinner box serves as a controlled environment to study these conditioning principles. For instance, if a rat in a Skinner box presses a lever and receives food, it learns to repeat the behavior for the reward. Positive reinforcement is used here to increase the behavior. Conversely, if an undesirable stimulus is presented after a behavior, known as positive punishment, the behavior is likely to decrease.