(Abby) learning theories 2 - operant conditioning Flashcards
what is the law of effect
- if the effect of learning is good then the behaviour will be repeated
describe skinners research
- he developed the skinners box for the rats to live in
- wanted to investigate how these reinforcements could change or shape behaviour
- skinner focused on manipulating the rats behaviour when they are hungry as its a primary need
- the box was used to deliver positive and negative reinforcements
- if they carried out the desired behaviour they were given food, e.g seeing red light and pressing lever
- if rat performed an undesired behaviour they were shocked
what are reinforcers
- consequences from the environment that increase the probability of a behaviour being repeated
what are punishers
- consequences from the environment that decrease the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated
what are some primary reinforcers
- focused on meeting a basic need
- food, water, warmth
what are some secondary reinforces
- rewards that can satisfy a basic need but isnt itself basic need
- money
what is positive reinforcement
- something good is given in response to a behaviour to encourage it to be repeated
what is negative reinforcement
- something bad is taken away in response to good behaviour to encourage it to be repeated
what is positive punishement
- something bad/ undesired is given and unwanted behaviour is stopped
what is negative punishment
- something good/ desired is taken away and unwanted behaviour is stopped
how does the theory of operant conditioning account for individual differences
- skinner suggested that positive and negative reinforcements occur in a individuals environment and because everyone’s environment they are accounted for
how is operant condoning deterministic
- skinner suggested that induvial are not in control of their environment and upbringing
what evidence is there of a token economy in the real world
paul and lentz
what is a token economy
- a treatment method that provides secondary reinforcement for a desirable behaviour that can be saved up or exchanged for primary reinforce
- e.g house points for golden time
how is evidence in support and the methodology a strength of operant conditioning when evaluating it as an explanation for human behaviour
- theory is backed by scientific research and empirical evidence
- only directly observable behaviour was studies by skinner, gathered quantitative data which provides objective statistical evidence
- skinners research is in a lab setting with high control e.g skinners box allowed for careful manipulation of reward and punishment etc
- increases internal validity and credibility
- also falsifiable and reliable due to standardised procedures
how are applications a strength of operant conditioning when evaluating it as an explanation for human behaviour
- many practical applications as it provodes a concrete explanation for how people get addicted to drugs and how behaviour can be changed through reinforcements
- OC is used widely in schools in the form of token economy’s
how is methodology a weakness of operant conditioning when evaluating it as an explanation for human behaviour
- skinners research uses arts and pigeons which lowers the generalisability to humans
- animals do not have the cognitive abilities of humans like language thus making there learning experiences different as human learning is much more complex
- ecological validity is lowered because most organisms learn in far more complex environments than a skinners box, limiting the credibility
- ethics are low as it caused unnecessary suffering with the use of electric shocks
how is OC being reductionist a weakness of operant conditioning when evaluating it as an explanation for human behaviour
- reductionist as it focusses only on positive and negative reinforcers to explain human behaviour and ignores other factors
- social learning theory provides an alternate view
what is the response rate
- the rate at which the rat pressed the lever
what is the extinction rate
- the rate at which the lever pressing dies out
what is continuous reinforcement
- when behaviour is rewarded and punished each time that it occurs
what are the 4 schedules of reinforcement
- fixed ratio reinforcement -> fixed no behaviours
- fixed interval reinforcement-> fixed time
- variable ratio reinforce->random no behaviours
- variable interval reinforcement-> random time
what schedules are the most effective at reinforcing desired behaviours
- variable schedules
define shaping
- form of rewards or punishments for complex behaviour by breaking it down into smaller parts
describe the process of shaping
- rewarding small behaviours at first
- then waiting for an action that is nearer to the desired behaviour before a reward is given
- finally waiting for the actual behaviour before reinforcing
