Skinner box

Okay kiddo, imagine you have a special box that gives you treats every time you do something specific. This box is called a Skinner box, named after a man named B.F. Skinner who invented it.

Now, let's say you press a button in the Skinner box and a treat comes out. You feel happy and rewarded, right? So, you keep pressing the button over and over again because you want more treats.

This is kind of like how the Skinner box works for animals like rats or pigeons. Scientists put these animals in the box and teach them to do a certain behavior, like pushing a lever or pecking a button. Every time they do the behavior, they get a treat like food or water.

Eventually, the animals learn that if they do the behavior, they'll get a treat. So, they keep doing it over and over again because they want the reward. This is called operant conditioning, and it's a way to change an animal's behavior.

Now, don't worry, we don't put people in Skinner boxes, but scientists use them to learn more about animal behavior and how we can motivate animals to do certain things.