Behaviourist Approach (Operant Conditioning) Flashcards
operant conditioning
- form of learning in which behaviour is shaped + maintained by its consequences
= positive + negative reinforcement + punishment - positive and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
- punishment decreases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated
reinforcement
- a consequence that makes a behaviour more likely to occur
- positive reinforcement
- negative reinforcement
punishment
- consequence that makes a behaviour less likely to occur
- positive punishment
- negative punishment
positive reinforcement
- receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
- primary = this reinforcement meets natural needs
- secondary = meeting all needs
negative reinforcement
- occurs when we avoid something unpleasant
positive punishment
- adding something unpleasant as a consequence
negative punishment
- taking away something
- Finding a way to avoid that would be negative reinforcement
Skinner’s experiment
- method of learning focuses on behaviour producing consequences e.g. punishment, positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement
- The Skinner box was a cage which has loud speakers, lights, a lever, a door and a floor which could be electrified
- One hungry rat at a time would be placed in the skinner box + would be allowed to freely run round
- The rat might accidentally press the lever + the rat would be rewarded by a food pellet which would drop into the skinner box (positive reinforcement)
- The rat would continue to press the lever in order to receive a food pellet in the future,
= the rat soon learns that pressing the lever leads to a reward - The rat could also learn that by pressing the lever they could avoid something unpleasant
- An example is that by pressing the lever the rat could avoid receiving an electric shock
= negative reinforcement
schedules of reinforcement
- continuous reinforcement
- fixed interval
- fixed ratio
continuous reinforcement - schedules of reinforcement
Every time the rat presses the lever they will always receive a food pellet
fixed interval - schedules of reinforcement
The rat presses the lever and only receives a food pellet during a fixed time only, e.g. every 30 seconds
fixed ratio - schedules of reinforcement
The rat must press the lever for a fixed number of times and then it will receive the food pellet
ads of operant conditioning
- token economy
- experimental method
disads of operant conditioning
- free will
- ethical issues
token economy - ads of operant conditioning
- research evidence to support the idea of operant conditioning in real world
- token economy is used in prisons + hospitals
- acts as a form of behaviour modification
- works by rewarding behaviour with a token
= exchanged for privileges (secondary positive reinforcement) - psychs used token economy to treat SZ patients
= found their behaviour became more appropriate
experimental method - ads of operant conditioning
- using the Skinner box meant that he replied on the experimental method
- used highly controlled conditions to discover the relationship between variable
= establish cause + effect relationship - e.g. pressing lever caused the rat to learn food will arrive (reward)
free will - disads of operant conditioning
- ignores the concept of free will
- suggests that past experiences involving operant conditioning will affect future behaviour
= people have no control over their actions or the behaviours they show
= determinitic view of behaviour + doesn’t account for free will
= human/ animal has a choice over how they behave
ethical issues - disads of operant conditioning
- criticised in terms of ethical issues
- rats + pigeons were often placed in the Skinner box in stressful + aversive conditions
= negative effect of psychological + physical health - also issue about generalising the results gained from rats + pigeons to humans
- animals are very different to humans
= results that Skinner gained from his experiments might not be applicable to humans
