B.F. Skinner Flashcards
Created an operant chamber/Skinner box
One wall had a bar that pigeons could peck at to get food, when placed in a box the pigeon would peck at anything and eventually food would appear
This determined that behavior followed by a reinforcing stimulus results in an up, they will do it again in the future
Operant
Thing being tested
Example - pigeon
Operant chamber
The environment
Example - the box
Behavior
Doing what it learned to gain something
Example - pressing / pecking at the bar
Reinforcer
What the operant will receive
Example - food
Extinction
If the lever gives no food, it will stop pushing the lever
Turn food back on after extinction they will immediately remember
Schedules of reinforcement = intermittent reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement Fixed ratio schedule Fixed interval schedule Variable schedule Variable interval
Continuous reinforcement
Every time the behavior happens, the reinforcement happens
Fixed ratio schedule
For every X times, the behavior gets reinforcement
Example - piece work = for every X time you sell something you get paid an X amount
Fixed interval schedule
Timing device
Example - the rat pressed the bar at least once in 20 minutes it got food after the time resets, so it figured out the schedule and paced itself
Variables schedule
Change X, animal has no idea when to get treat
Variable interval
Changes time so the animal does not know the schedule and when they get their reinforcement
Example - goes from every 5 seconds to every 10 seconds to every 15 seconds, etc.
Shaping
Method of successive approximations
Reinforce behaviors (positive or negative) works better with positive
Example - teaching animals a complicated trick or treating a phobia
-called systematic deproximation
Aversive stimuli (punishment)
Behavior followed by a punishment decreases probability of it happening again
What are some problems with punishment ?
We relate punishment to person, not always that said behavior
It may not stop behavior, just around that punisher
Person may get mad at the punisher
Reinforcement
Gets you to do the behavior
Two types of reinforcement
Positive - person does behavior you want –> deliver something pleasant (ex - get good grades = give money)
Negative - do desired behavior and something not liked stops
(Ex - alarm clocks, fire alarm)
Punishment
Stops the behavior
Two types of punishments
Positive - do something undesired by someone and they do something bad to that person or thing (ex - spanking when talked back too)
Negative - do undesired task and get something taken away (ex- time out or grounded = taking away freedom)
Behavior modification
A treatment method
Distinguish undesired behavior by removing something they like by doing that behavior (uses negative punishment)
Example - a small kid throws tantrums so don’t give what they want until they can talk it out)
Rewards
People tend to see that the reward is the reason for the behavior
Example - odyssey should be an intrinsic motivation but is extrinsic because we are forced
What is the goal of rewards?
To create long term change
Extrinsic
Force you to do something with rewards as an external motivation
Intrinsic
Makes you want to do something from within
Operant conditioning
Reward/punishment = Reinforcement behavior
The creature does have a response from the community and can be rewarded or punished
