In this experiment, Skinner placed a pigeon inside a box that contained a button that when pressed released water or food. This pigeon went through periods of deprivation of water and food, but over time, he realized that when he pecked the button he had access to these two elements. Skinner called this behavior operant behavior, which is the behavior that occurs controlled by its consequences.
Although Skinner did not specifically study self-control, with this experiment, we can make a connection between operant behavior and self-control, since both are behaviors shown as a way to change the environment in which they are inserted, but this change also affects them.
