What is the main focus of operant conditioning?

Operant conditioning primarily focuses on the ways in which behaviors are influenced by their consequences through reinforcement and punishment. To elaborate, this learning theory, developed by B.F. Skinner, emphasizes that behaviors can be increased or decreased based on the rewards (reinforcements) or consequences (punishments) that follow them. When a behavior is followed by a positive outcome, it is more likely to be repeated in the future; conversely, if a behavior leads to a negative outcome, it is less likely to occur again.

This concept is essential in understanding how various forms of learning influence behavior in daily life, such as training pets, shaping habits, and even in educational settings. The other concepts in the question, such as observational learning and classical conditioning, address different mechanisms of learning and do not involve the specific role of reinforcement and punishment that is central to operant conditioning. Biological preparedness pertains to the idea that certain associations are more easily learned than others due to evolutionary factors, which is also distinct from the principles of operant conditioning.