How did B.F. Skinner expand on Thorndike’s research about learning?

B.F. Skinner significantly expanded upon Edward L. Thorndike’s research by refining experimental procedures and formalizing the principles of operant conditioning.12

While Thorndike initiated the study of instrumental conditioning using "puzzle boxes" to observe how animals learned to escape through trial and error, Skinner introduced more sophisticated, automated methods. Key expansions included:2

• Automation: Skinner developed the Skinner box, which used automatic delivery devices to provide rewards (reinforcers). This allowed him to record the probability and rate of specific responses over long periods without needing to handle the animal during trials.2
• Terminology and Theory: Skinner adopted and expanded upon terminology such as "reinforcer" and "extinction," formalizing the process as a way to explain behavior through environmental contingencies rather than internal mental states.23
• Shaping Behavior: Skinner demonstrated that complex behaviors could be "shaped" through the systematic application of reinforcement, training animals to perform exceptional tasks, such as pigeons playing table tennis.34
• Broad Application: He extended these principles beyond laboratory animals to human behavior, influencing fields like education through programmed learning and teaching machines.4