5.4-5.12: Operant Conditioning

Question 1

Operant Conditioning

Answer 1

the learning of Voluntary Behavior through the effects of pleasant and unpleasant consequences of a Response

Question 2

Law of Effect (founder and def)

Answer 2

Thorndike, if an act is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will be repeated. If an act is followed by an unpleasurable consequence, it will be avoided.

Question 3

Skinner

Answer 3

a Behaviorist coined the term Operant Conditioning to explain why organisms choose to make certain decisions

Question 4

Reinforcement (founder and def)

Answer 4

Skinner, any event or stimulus after a Response that increases the chance of that Response happening again

Question 5

Reinforcers

Answer 5

items or events following a response that increase the chance of that same response

Question 6

Primary Reinforcers

Answer 6

fulfills a basic, biological need such as hunger, thirst, or touch

Question 7

Secondary Reinforcers

Answer 7

reinforces through its past association with Primary Reinforcer such as praise, tokens, or money

Question 8

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 8

Reinforcement of a Response by the addition of a pleasurable consequence

Question 9

Secondary Reinforcement

Answer 9

Reinforcement of a Response by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasurable consequence

Question 10

Partial Reinforcement Effect

Answer 10

the tendency for a Response that is reinforced by some, but not all, correct Responses to be resistant to extinction

Question 11

Continuous Reinforcement

Answer 11

the Reinforcement of each and every correct Response

Question 12

Fixed Interval Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 12

interval of time passed before Reinforcement is always the same

Question 13

Variable Interval Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 13

interval of time before Reinforcement is different for each trial

Question 14

Fixed Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 14

the number of responses in order to receive Reinforcement is the same each trial

Question 15

Variable Ratio Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 15

number of responses required for Reinforcement changes each time

Question 16

Punishment

Answer 16

an event or object following a Response that makes the Response less likely to happen again

Question 17

Punishment by Application

Answer 17

an unpleasant stimulus is applied after the Response

Question 18

Punishment by Removal

Answer 18

behavior is punished by the removal of something pleasurable

Question 19

Discriminative Stimulus

Answer 19

stimulus that provides an organism with a cue for making a Response in order to obtain Reinforcement

Question 20

Shaping

Answer 20

Reinforcement of simple steps in a Behavior through successive approximations that lead to a desired, more complex behavior

Question 21

Successive Approximations (founder and def)

Answer 21

Skinner, small steps one after another that get closer to the goal

Question 22

Instinctive Drift

Answer 22

The Brelands, tendency for animal’s behavior to revert to its genetically controlled patterns

Question 23

Behavior Modification

Answer 23

use of learning and Operant Conditioning techniques to change behavior

Question 24

Token Economy

Answer 24

use of Secondary Reinforcers that can be accumulated and traded in to Reinforce Behavior

Question 25

Applied Behavior Analysis

Answer 25

use Behavioral Modification techniques to mold a desired Behavior or Response

Question 26

Biofeedback

Answer 26

using Biological conditions to bring involuntary Responses under voluntary control

Question 27

Neurofeedback

Answer 27

form of Biofeedback with brain-scanning devices to modify behavior

Question 28

Latent Learning (founder and def)

Answer 28

Tolman, learning that remains hidden until applicable

Question 29

Insight (Founder and def)

Answer 29

Kohler, the sudden perception of relationships among various parts of the problem that allows the solution to come quickly

Question 30

Learned Helplessness

Answer 30

Seligman, the tendency to fail a task due to a history of repeated failures