B. F. Skinner Flashcards
Explain the Skinner box
- A small box in which an animal is free to roam around in
- Pressing bar/button frequently for reward
- The rate of responding will increase
What is conditioning?
Refers to the strengthening of behaviors which results from reinforcement
Explain Type S conditioning
- S = stimulus
- Pavlovian concept of conditioning (pairing of conditioned and unconditioned stimulus)
- respondent behavior->response (the importance of drawing out a response from the organism)
- RESPONSES ARE CONTROLLED BY CONSEQUENCES
Explain Type R conditioning
- R = response
- emphasis end response
- operates on environment to produce an effect
- operant behavior
Reinforcement
- response strengthening - making response more likely to occur
- reinforcer - any stimulus/event following a response that leads to response strengthening
- reinforcers/rewards are defined based their effects - cannot be determined in advance
- reinforcers are situationally specific - teachers must thing on their feet
Explain positive reinforcement
- presenting a stimulus or adding something to a situation following a response
- increases the future likelihood of that response occurring in that situation
Explain negative reinforcement
- it is NOT bad
- to remove something undesirable
- increases the future likelihood that the response will occur in that situation
Immediacy of reinforcement
Responses can be established at the highest rate when reinforced
Extinction
- the decline of a response strength due to reinforcement
- isn’t the same as forgetting
- forgetting is a true loss of conditioning over time
What is a primary reinforcer?
- need for survival
* food, water and shelter
What is a secondary reinforcer?
- conditioned through their association with primary reinforcers
- bottled/purified water
Explain the Premack Principle
- takes time - observing and teacher energy
- observing what people do when they have a chance
- ordered in terms or likelihood (most - least likely chosen option)
- able to be done in a smaller class
- order is not permanent - order may change
Explain punishment
- decreases the future likelihood of response/responding to a stimulus
- may involve withdrawing a positive reinforcer/presenting a negative reinforcer following a response
- suppressed a response but doesn’t eliminate it
- punished response may return if threat of punishment is removed
Give the 4 alternatives to punishment
- Change the discriminative stimuli for negative behavior
- Allow the unwanted behavior to continue until the perpetrator becomes satiated
- Ignore it
- Use positive reinforcement
Reinforcement _____ in behavior
Increases
Punishment _____ in behavior
Decreases
Extinction ______ in behavior
Declines
Critiques on instructional applications in school
- students don’t have want/motivation to do an assignment - do it to avoid punishment
- reinforcement at school is infrequent (no continuity)
- there isn’t immediate feedback on tasks (limited time) - more time spent on corrective feedback
- teachers move onto next topic without fully mastering the previous one
- children should be taught individually to make sure they all understand
Programmed machines
- teaching machines
- students are given materials in small steps - minimum errors
- student answer correctly, move on
- student answer incorrectly, try again
Branching
- no progress without understanding
- if you fail, you repeat section that you failed
- if you passed, you continue the work
Computer Based Instructions (CBI)
- commands the students attention
- immediate feedback
- work can be personalized
Discrimination
Responding differently depending on stimulus or features of a situation
Generalization
Responding similarly depending on stimulus or features of a situation
Cognitive behavior modification
When learners verbalize their thoughts. Those thoughts function as a discriminative and reinforcing stimuli
Contingency contracts
An agreement between the teacher and student specifying what work the student will accomplish and the expected outcome
