Final answer:
In operant conditioning, pressing a lever to stop an electric shock is an escape mechanism, which is a form of negative reinforcement. This increases the likelihood of repeating the behavior to avoid the unpleasant stimulus. Operant conditioning principles, including stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination, are key in modifying animal behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a rat presses a lever to turn off a mild electric shock on the cage floor, the procedure being used is an example of escape in the context of operant conditioning. Escape is a form of negative reinforcement where the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the electric shock) immediately following a behavior (pressing the lever) increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future.
This is different from punishment, which aims to decrease behavior by adding or removing a stimulus. Similarly, the principle of stimulus discrimination can be seen when animals like Pavlov's dogs, or in the more modern example of B.F. Skinner's pigeons and rats, learn to distinguish between different stimuli to either receive a reward or prevent an unpleasant occurrence.
Conditioning and Behavior Modification
In the field of Psychology, the study of operant conditioning involves understanding how behaviors are modified through reinforcement or punishment. It was thoroughly studied by psychologist B.F. Skinner with his invention of the Skinner box. The behaviors of animals within these controlled environments demonstrate the principles of operant conditioning and how organisms can be trained to perform certain behaviors through reinforcement.
Stimulus generalization and stimulus discrimination are also crucial aspects in learning processes. A subject can apply the learned behavior to similar stimuli (generalization) or may respond differently to various but similar stimuli (discrimination) based on their experiences. These processes help individuals adapt their behaviors appropriately to their environments.