Final answer:
Motivation describes the needs directing behavior toward a goal, and includes intrinsic and extrinsic types. Behavioral learning theories, including operant conditioning by Skinner, focus on how behavior is influenced by the consequences received. Learning behaviors involve reinforcements and punishments that shape the likelihood of these behaviors' recurrence.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Motivation and Behavioral Learning Theory
Motivation refers to the wants or needs that drive behavior toward a goal. There are various types of motivation, including intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation arises from internal factors and is driven by personal satisfaction, whereas extrinsic motivation comes from external factors, such as receiving rewards from others. Behavioral learning theories, such as operant conditioning developed by B. F. Skinner, suggest that learning is influenced by the consequences of our actions. Reinforcements and punishments following behaviors increase or decrease the likelihood of those behaviors being repeated. This is rooted in the law of effect, which states that actions followed by satisfying outcomes are likely to occur again, and those followed by unpleasant outcomes are less likely.
Operant conditioning implies that motivation for a behavior occurs after the behavior, depending on whether the outcome is a reinforcer or a punisher. Reinforcement schedules, which may be set or variable, are crucial in determining the frequency and likelihood of a behavioral response.
Behavioral responses are influenced by both innate and learned factors. While instinctual behaviors such as mating systems and communication methods are unlearned and species-specific, learned behaviors are shaped by environmental changes and include processes like conditioning and cognitive learning.