behaviourism-operant conditioning

Question 1

who created the theory of operant conditioning

Answer 1

BF skinner

Question 2

what is operant condtioning

Answer 2

learning as an active process wherby humans and animals operate on their enviroment.Behaviour is shaped and maintained by its consequences(whether positive or negative).

Question 3

what animals did his experiments consist of

Answer 3

rats and pigeons

Question 4

the skinner box was used in his experiment ,what happened in this box

Answer 4

when a rat activated a lever ( or a pigeon pecked a disc ) the animal was rewarded with a food pellet.

Question 5

what did the reward of the food pellet show

Answer 5

a desirable consequence led to a behaviour being repeated.

Question 6

what else happened in the skinner box ?

Answer 6

if pressing the level (rat) or pecking a disc(pigoen) meant avoiding an electric shock the behaviour would also be repeated.

Question 7

whats a positive reinforcement

Answer 7

recieving a reward when a behaviour is peformed.

Question 8

whats a negative reinforcement

Answer 8

avoid something negative when a behaviour is peformed

Question 9

whats punishment

Answer 9

unpleasant consequence of behavior

Question 10

whats positive punishment

Answer 10

adding an unpleasant stimulus after an undesired behaviour is peformed

Question 11

whats negative punishment

Answer 11

removing a positive stimulus after an undesired behaviour is peformed

Question 12

whats extinction

Answer 12

if the reinforcing consequences stop then the animal stops peforming the behaviour.

Question 13

how do we reduce the chance of extinction

Answer 13

partial and continuos reinforcement

Question 14

whats continuous reinforcement ?

Answer 14

behaviour is reinforced everytime it is peformed

Question 15

how many types of partial reinforcement are there

Answer 15

4

Question 16

is partial reinforcement more resistant to extinction than continous reinforcement

Answer 16

yes

Question 17

partial reinforcement:fixed ratio schedule

Answer 17

reinforcement given after a fixed number of behaviours/ reponses occured e.g food pellet given after 4 pulls of the lever

Question 18

partial reinforcement:variable ratio schedule

Answer 18

reinforcement given after a varying number of reponses/ behaviours has occured. e.g the rat pulls the lever twice to get a food pellet and has to pull it 4 times to get a food pellet again.Number required changes after every reward.

Question 19

partial reinforcement:fixed interval schedule

Answer 19

reinforcement given after a fixed amount of time elapsed following the behaviour . e.g 10 mins after the rat pulled the lever it is given a food pellet

Question 20

partial reinforcement : variable interval schedule

Answer 20

reinforcement given after a varying amount of time elapses following the behaviour . time changes after each reward given

Question 21

whats behaviour shaping

Answer 21

the ability to train animals to peform complex tasks.

Question 22

what type of partial reinforcement is most effective

Answer 22

variable ratio schedule

Question 23

how does behaviour shaping work

Answer 23

the simple behaviour is rewarded than behaviour closer to the desired behaviour is rewarded more and more til the desired behaviour is peformed (revise this , update definition)