Behaviorism: Operant conditioning Flashcards
everyday consequences of behavior
- concrete rewards: food
- activity rewards: free time
- “exemption” rewards: no homework
- social reward: praise
- Loss of privileges: cannot sit where you want
- Fines: lost points
- Extra Works: homework
operant conditioning
- is the same as instrumental conditioning
- concerned with the effects of consequences on behaviors (consequences not always bad)
- not isolated to using UCS’s like salivation or pain that cause involuntary responses, operant conditioning is based on voluntary responses
- much more common than classical conditioning
Operant conditioning applied examples
teacher praise Chuck E Cheese: tokens for A's class clown
primary reinforcers
satisfy basic human needs
- food
- water
- security
- oxygen
- warmth
- sex
secondary reinforcers
acquire value by being associated with Primary reinforcers; neutral
- social reinforcers (praise, smile, hugs, or attention)
- activity reinforcers (access to toys, games, or fun activities)
- Symbolic/token reinforcers (money, grades, stars)
ABC model
- antecedent: the stimulus
- behavior: the behavior that occurs as a result of the antecedent (the response)
- consequence: what happens after the behavior
purpose of consequneces
-happens after the behavior to either increase or decrease the probability of happening again
key component of operant conditioning
-consequences: they drive behavior
types of consequences
punishment: decreases probability of a behavior, does NOT eliminate behavior
- very common, not very effective
reinforcement: always increases probability of a behavior
positive vs. negative
positive is adding something the environment
negative is taking something away
negative reinforcement
- strengthens a response by reducing or removing an aversive or disliked stimulus
- allows you to either
- escape: something you don’t like that is already present
- avoid: something before it occurs
positive punishment
- punishment by application: adding something you do not like
ex: yelling or spanking, detention, embarrassment in front of peers
negative punishment
punishment by removal
-taking away something that you like (losing a privilege, can’t go to the party, paying a fine)
why punishment may not work
- doesn’t suggest an alternative form of behavior
- punished organisms may withdraw from the situation
- may lead to anger and hostility
- may model a negative way of problem solving or coping with stress
decreasing inappropriate behavior:
overcorrection
have the individual make restitution for inappropriate behavior
ex: write on one desk, must clean all desks
decreasing inappropriate behavior: reprimand
verbal punishment
decreasing inappropriate behavior: satiation
ask person to perform inappropriate behavior repeatedly until no longer fun or reinforced
decreasing inappropriate behavior: response cost
-loss of previously earned privileges/desired activity
decreasing inappropriate behavior: social isolation
remove from situation
Time out– careful
school-wide positive behavior supports
- we need to teach students how to behave
- there is always a function to behavior
- popular, relatively new system in schools
increasing appropriate behavior: Premack Principle
provide reward of engaging in a highly valued activity if person does a less valued activity first
Increasing appropriate behavior: shaping
when not currently displaying desired behavior at all, rewarding small steps that approximate the desired behavior until the desired behavior is displayed
ex: Skinner’s Pigeons
increasing appropriate behavior: chaining
using shaping and reinforcing 2 responses, then a sequence of three, and so on towards a complex sequence
ex: learning a routine learn one thing at a time and then put all together
