Final answer:
B.F. Skinner is the psychologist who posited that behavior is affected by reinforcements and punishments. He established the concept of operant conditioning, emphasizing the role of consequences in shaping behavior, an idea that remains a cornerstone in the study of behaviorism. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The psychologist who claimed that behavior is affected by reinforcement is B.F. Skinner. He was a pivotal figure in the development of behaviorism and stressed the importance of reinforcement and punishment in shaping behavior. Unlike Sigmund Freud, who proposed psychoanalytic theories focusing on the unconscious, or William James, who was a proponent of functionalism, Skinner's research centered objectively on observable behavior and its consequences.
Skinner's key contribution to psychology was his work on operant conditioning, which revolves around the concept that behavior is influenced by the punishments and rewards that follow it. In support of his theory, he created the operant conditioning chamber, often referred to as the Skinner box. This device allowed for controlled studies on how positive and negative reinforcements affect animal behavior and proved to be incredibly beneficial in understanding learning processes. Moreover, behaviorism, as advanced by Skinner, paved the way for an objective science that was less concerned with unobservable mental processes and more focused on measurable outcomes.
While Pavlov, an earlier behaviorist, had focused on conditioned reflexes (classical conditioning), Skinner's operant conditioning expanded the field by addressing the acquisition of new behaviors, not just existing reflexive behaviors. This shift was based on the underlying principle that the consequences (reinforcements or punishments) directly following a behavior would influence the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. The influence of Skinner's work on behaviorism can still be seen today in various domains, from education to therapy.