Final answer:
The researchers most closely associated with operant conditioning are Skinner and Thorndike. B.F. Skinner's work on reinforcement and punishment has had a lasting influence in psychology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The researchers most closely associated with operant conditioning are Skinner and Thorndike. B.F. Skinner was a behaviorist who focused on how behavior is influenced by its consequences and developed the operant conditioning chamber, also known as a Skinner box, to study behavior modification. His work on reinforcement and punishment has had a lasting influence in psychology.