D. Whether they increase or decrease responses that follow
Explanation:
The term <em>operant conditioning</em> refers to a type of learning in which the outcome of an action affects one’s future behavior. The mentioned outcome can be a reward or a penalty (reinforcement or punishment). This way of learning was defined by American behaviorist Burrhus Frederic Skinner.
Reinforcement and punishment are the two basic notions of operant conditioning. Reinforcement refers to the stimulation of a desirable behavior by the gain of a desirable stimulus or forfeiture of an unpleasant one. Punishment discourages an undesirable behavior by imposition of an unpleasant stimulus or withdrawal of a pleasant one. That is the main difference between these two ways of behavior control.
