Describe the basic principles of operant conditioning

The basic principle of operant conditioning is that the
ideas of classical conditioning are not complex enough to explain the ways in which
human beings learn.  Operant conditioning is based on the idea that human beings use
their intelligence to interact with their world.  They experiment with behaviors and
learn which behaviors should be repeated based on the responses they get from their
environment.  In this view, human beings are experimenting with their environments to
find out what behaviors elicit desireable results.

Because
of this, B.F. Skinner (the father of operant conditioning) argued that behaviors are
learned through negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, and punishment.  People
learn how to behave based on which of those reactions they come to associate with
various behaviors or types of behaviors.