8: Skinner - Learning Flashcards
B.F. Skinner’s system of altering behavior - a behavior is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence (positive/negative) modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behavior
operant conditioning
a stimulus that increases the operant and increases the probability of the behavior occurring
reinforcing stimulus
any behavior that is freely emitted by an organism in response to its environment
operant
a cage for testing operant conditioning on rats, with a pedal on one side that releases food - researcher can also control light and sound in the cage
Skinner box
when an operant behavior no longer causes a reinforcing stimulus, making it less likely to occur going forward
extinction
schedule of reinforcement in which every time an operant behavior is done, it results in a reinforcing stimulus
continuous reinforcement
schedule of reinforcement in which every “x” number of times an operant behavior is done, it results in a reinforcing stimulus (ex. every 3 times pedal is pressed, a piece of food comes out)
fixed ratio schedule
schedule of reinforcement in which every “x” length of time an operant behavior is done, it results in a reinforcing stimulus (ex. every 20 seconds, pedal will release a piece of food - even if pressed 100 times in that 20 seconds, only one piece of food will be given)
fixed interval schedule
schedule of reinforcement in which the number of behaviors or length of time for a reinforcing stimulus to occur changes every time, keeping individual constantly “on their toes”- behavior is resistant to extinction (gambling addiction)
variable schedule
method of operant conditioning in which you reinforce a behavior only vaguely similar to one desired, then reinforce variations that gradually come closer until achieving desired behavior (teaching pigeons to bowl) - reinforcing successive approximations of a zero base rate behavior
shaping
operant conditioning method inspired by behaviorist Joseph Wolpe - encouraging an individual with a phobia to relax their muscles while imagining increasingly frightening scenarios, until even the worst scenario does not arouse tension
systematic desensitization
opposite of a reinforcing stimulus - something that is found unpleasant or painful and discourages a behavior
aversive stimulus
inflicting an aversive stimulus to make a behavior less likely to occur in the future
punishment
increasing probability of a certain behavior by removing an active aversive stimulus when the behavior is done (ex. blaring a noise until a rat stands on its hind legs, at which point the noise stops - rat does more standing)
negative reinforcement
therapy technique based on Skinner’s work - remove an undesirable behavior by removing its reinforcer, and replace it with a desirable behavior by adding a reinforcer
behavior modification (b-mod)
an offshoot of behavior modification in certain institutions (schools, prisons) - behaving yourself appropriately, according to certain rules, is rewarded with a “token”, and behaving inappropriately results in the removal of a “token” - tokens can be exchanged for desirable things
token economy
book written by B.F. Skinner, in which he describes a utopian society run on his operant principles
Walden II
book written by B.F. Skinner in response to criticisms of Walden II - emphasizes that his “utopia” doesn’t take away freedoms (no negative reinforcement) and simply encourages positive behaviors
Beyond Freedom and Dignity
concepts that Skinner deems unobservable and therefore useless for scientific psychology (“freedom”, “dignity”, “unconscious”, “archetypes”, “self-actualization”, even “hunger” and “thirst”)
mentalistic constructs
Skinner’s term that derides concept of a “little man” that lives inside us - concepts like soul, mind, ego, will, self, personality, which he feels should not be focused on since they aren’t observable
homunculus
branch of psychology started by James Watson which attempts to define “laws” that pertain to learning - focuses only on observable behaviors
behaviorism
form of behaviorism that rejects absolutely everything that isn’t observable or measurable (B.F. Skinner)
radical behaviorism
an individual’s collection of usual behaviors, built up from years of experience with stimulus, response and reward
basic behavioral repertoire (BBR)
in behaviorist terms, the combination of one’s BBR interacting with their current environmental conditions, leading to predictable behavior
personality
Skinner’s invention which created a “perfect environment” for raising a child, in which the air inside was filtered and humidified
Aircrib
when something is dependent on the occurrence of another thing (ex. you must work in order to get paid)
contingency
the number of responses emitted in a period of time - any change is evidence of learning
response rate
an added stimulus contingent on a response that increases behavior
positive reinforcer
a removed stimulus contingent on a response that increases behavior
negative reinforcer
an added stimulus contingent on a response that decreases behavior
positive punisher
a removed stimulus contingent on a response that decreases behavior
negative punisher
response rate prior to conditioning
base rate
an innate stimulus that increases behavior (biologically-based)
primary reinforcer
a learned stimulus that increases behavior
secondary reinforcer
learning to respond differentially depending on different environmental stimuli
discrimination learning
responding to similar stimuli as if they were the one present during conditioning though they actually weren’t
generalization
the specific contingency between a response and its reinforcement (what specifically must be done, based on time or number of responses)
schedule of reinforcement
schedule of reinforcement in which the average of the number of responses necessary to receive a reward equals a specific number
variable ratio schedule
schedule of reinforcement in which the average amount of time necessary to receive a reward equals a specific number
variable interval schedule
determining, through careful observation, the stimuli and consequences that are influencing behavior
functional analysis
explaining behavior in terms of mental states - Skinner and behaviorists reject this approach
mentalism
psychologist who proposed “psychological behaviorism” which merged ideas from psychoanalysis and behaviorism - used token economies and time outs
Arthur Staats
procedure created by Arthur Staats, where to address a problem behavior, an environment is created in which the reinforcement is no longer present, allowing extinction to occur - frequently used on children
time out
