A Skinner Box, also called an operant conditioning chamber, is an experimental apparatus used in psychology to study the behavior of animals or humans through operant conditioning. It was developed by the behaviorist B.F. Skinner in the mid-20th century.

The Skinner Box consists of a small enclosure, typically made of transparent materials, with one or more stimuli and a mechanism to deliver rewards or punishments to the subject based on their behavior. It is designed to provide a controlled environment in which the experimenter can manipulate variables and observe the effects on the subject’s behavior.

The primary purpose of a Skinner Box is to investigate how organisms learn to associate specific behaviors with corresponding consequences. By carefully controlling the stimuli and rewards, researchers can analyze and quantify the relationship between environmental factors, behavior, and reinforcement. This methodology has been widely used to study a variety of behaviors, such as conditioning, shaping, discrimination learning, and extinction, among others.

Overall, the Skinner Box has played a crucial role in advancing our understanding of operant conditioning and its applications to various fields, including education, animal training, and even behavioral therapy.