What outcome does operant conditioning primarily seek to achieve?

Operant conditioning primarily seeks to modify behavior through consequences. This learning process involves reinforcing or punishing behaviors to either increase or decrease their occurrence. When a behavior is followed by a rewarding consequence, it is more likely to be repeated in the future. Conversely, when a behavior is followed by a punishment, it is less likely to occur again. This method of learning focuses on how the consequences of a behavior can influence the likelihood of that behavior being repeated, making it a fundamental principle in behavioral psychology.

Other options pertain to broader concepts that are not central to operant conditioning. The elimination of all behaviors, for example, is not a goal in operant conditioning; rather, the focus is on influencing specific behaviors. Similarly, the enhancement of unconditioned responses relates more to classical conditioning rather than operant conditioning, which deals with voluntary behaviors. Finally, the establishment of innate reflexes refers to biological predispositions rather than learned behaviors, further demonstrating that the aim of operant conditioning is to modify behavior rather than simply reflect innate processes.