4.2 learning through operant conditioning Flashcards
operant conditioning
Learning to associate behaviors with their consequences. Behaviors that are reinforced (lead to satisfying consequences) will be strengthened, and behaviors that are punished (lead to unsatisfying consequences) will be weakened.
law of effect
A principle developed by Edward Thorndike that says that any behavior that results in satisfying consequences tends to be repeated and that any behavior that results in unsatisfying consequences tends not to be repeated.
reinforcer
A stimulus that increases the probability of a prior response.
punisher
a stimulus that decreases the probability of a prior response.
reinforcement
the process by which the probability of a response is increased by the presentation of a reinforcer.
punishment
the process by which the probability of a response is decreased by the presentation of a punisher.
appetitive stimulus
A stimulus that is pleasant.
aversive stimulus
a stimulus that is unpleasant.
positive reinforcement
Reinforcement in which an appetitive stimulus is presented.
positive punishment
Punishment in which an aversive stimulus is presented.
negative reinforcement
Reinforcement in which an aversive stimulus is removed.
Premack principle
The principle that the opportunity to perform a highly frequent behavior can reinforce a less frequent behavior.
negative punishment
punishment in which an appetitive stimulus is removed.
primary reinforcer
A stimulus that is innately reinforcing.
secondary reinforcer
A stimulus that gains its reinforcing property through learning.
behavior modification
The application of classical and operant conditioning principles to eliminate undesirable behavior and to teach more desirable behavior.
shaping
Training a human or animal to make an operant response by reinforcing successive approximations of the desired response.
cumulative record
A record of the total number of operant responses over time that visually depicts the rate of responding.
acquisition
(in operant conditioning)
The strengthening of a reinforced operant response.
extinction
(in operant conditioning)
The diminishing of the operant response when it is no longer reinforced.
spontaneous recovery
(in operant conditioning)
The temporary recovery of the operant response following a break during extinction training.
discriminative stimulus
(in operant conditioning)
The stimulus that has to be present for the operant response to be reinforced or punished.
stimulus generalization
(in operant conditioning)
Giving the operant response in the presence of stimuli similar to the discriminative stimulus. The more similar the stimulus is to the discriminative stimulus, the higher the operant response rate.
stimulus discrimination
(in operant conditioning)
Learning to give the operant response only in the presence of the discriminative stimulus.
continuous schedule of reinforcement
Reinforcing the desired operant response each time it is made.
partial-reinforcement effect
The finding that operant responses that are reinforced on partial schedules are more resistant to extinction than those reinforced on a continuous schedule.
partial schedule of reinforcement
Reinforcing the desired operant response only part of the time.
fixed-ratio schedule
A partial schedule of reinforcement in which a reinforcer is delivered each time a fixed number of responses is made. The fixed number can be any number greater than one.
variable-ratio schedule
a partial schedule of reinforcement in which the number of responses it takes to obtain a reinforcer varies on each trial but averages to a set number across trials.
fixed-interval schedule
A partial schedule of reinforcement in which a reinforcer is delivered after the first response is given once a set interval of time has elapsed.
variable-interval schedule
A partial schedule of reinforcement in which the time that must elapse on each trial before a response will lead to the delivery of a reinforcer varies from trial to trial but averages to a set time across trials.
motivation
the set of internal and external factors that energize our behavior and direct it toward goals.
drive-reduction theory
A theory of motivation that proposes that our behavior is motivated to reduce drives (bodily tension states) created by unsatisfied bodily needs to return the body to a balanced internal state.
incentive theory
A theory of motivation that proposes that our behavior is motivated by incentives, external stimuli that we have learned to associate with reinforcement.
arousal theory
A theory of motivation that proposes that our behavior is motivated to maintain an optimal level of physiological arousal.
Yerkes-Dodson law
A law describing the relationship between the amount of arousal and the performance quality on a task— increasing arousal up to some optimal level increases performance quality on a task, but increasing arousal past this point is detrimental to performance.
extrinsic motivation
The desire to perform a behavior for external reinforcement.
intrinsic motivation
the desire to perform a behavior for its own sake.
overjustification effect
A decrease in an intrinsically motivated behavior after the behavior is extrinsically reinforced and then the reinforcement is discontinued.
