B.F Skinner: Behavioral Analysis Flashcards
who were the two early pioneers of behaviorism? (SKINNER)
E.L Thorndike and John Watson
what is radical behaviorism? (SKINNER)
a doctrine that avoids all hypothetical constructs, such as ego, traits, drives, needs, hunger,
and so forth.
how can skinner be regarded as a determinist?
he rejected the notion of volition or free will
how can skinner be regarded as an environmentalist?
Skinner held that psychology must not explain behavior on the basis of the physiological or constitutional components of the organism but rather on the basis of environmental stimuli
what was Skinner’s’ “dark year”?
this was when he decided to become a writer
what were skinner’s three main inventions?
the Skinner Box
the Cumulative Recorder
the Baby Tender
what was important about the Cumulative Recorder?
with this, B.F Skinner found that behavior did not depend on the preceding stimulus as John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov maintained. and called the behaviors he discovered OPERANT BEHAVIOR
what is the law of effect? (BANDURA)
the law of effect is an observation Thorndike made that says learning takes place mostly because of the effects that follow a response
what were the two parts of the ‘law of effect’ (SKINNER)
the first states that responses to stimuli that are followed immediately by a satisfier tend to be “stamped in”
the second held that responses to stimuli that are followed immediately by an annoyer tend to be “stamped out.”
what did John B. Watson argue about psychology? (SKINNER)
Watson further argued that the
goal of psychology is the prediction and control of behavior and that goal could best be reached by limiting psychology to an objective study of habits formed through stimulus-response connections.
why did Skinner insist that psychology must avoid internal mental factors and confine itself to observable physical events?
a lot about psychology is relegated to cosmology if it is not confined within observable physical events.
if magkain ang tao kasi gutom sila and di natin makita ang gutom, then ano yan.
what are the three characteristics of science, according to B.F Skinner?
- science is cumulative
- it is an attitude that values empirical observation
- science is a search for order and lawful relationships
what are the two kinds of conditioning (SKINNER)
classical and operant
what is the distinction between classical and operant conditioning? (SKINNER)
in classical
conditioning, behavior is elicited from the organism, whereas in operant conditioning, behavior is emitted
An elicited response is drawn from the organism, whereas
an emitted response is one that simply appears
what happens in classical conditioning? give an example from the book (SKINNER)
In classical conditioning, a neutral (conditioned) stimulus is paired with—that is,
immediately precedes—an unconditioned stimulus a number of times until it is capable of bringing about a previously unconditioned response, now called the conditioned response
LITTLE ALBERTT
why is operant conditioning called operant? (SKINNER)
This conditioning is called operant conditioning because the organism operates on the environment to produce a specific effect.
is a procedure in
which the experimenter or the environment first rewards gross approximations of the behavior, then closer approximations, and finally the desired behavior itself (SKINNER)
shaping
what are the three conditions that are present in operant conditioning? (SKINNER)
the ANTECEDENT (environment or setting)
the BEHAVIOR
the CONSEQUENCE
what is operant discrimination? (SKINNER)
it is a learning technique that involves responding to a specific stimulus and not to similar stimuli
A response to a similar environment in the absence of previous reinforcement is called? (SKINNER)
stimulus generalization
what are the two effects of reinforcement? (SKINNER)
strengthens the behavior and
it rewards the person
what is a positive reinforcer? (SKINNER)
Any stimulus that, when added to a situation, increases the probability that a given behavior will occur
what is negative reinforcement? (SKINNER)
The removal of an aversive stimulus from a situation also
increases the probability that the preceding behavior will occur
is the presentation of an aversive stimulus, such as an electric shock, or the removal of a positive one, such as disconnecting an adolescent’s telephone (SKINNER)
punishment
what are the three effects of punishment? (SKINNER)
- it can suppress behavior
- the conditioning of a negative feeling
- the spread of its effects
are those environmental stimuli that are not by nature satisfying but become so because they are associated with such unlearned or primary reinforcers as food, water, sex, or physical
comfort (SKINNER)
conditioned reinforcers
what are the five important generalized reinforcers, according to Skinner.
attention
approval
affection
submission of others
tokens (money)
when does operant extinction take place? (SKINNER)
Operant extinction takes place when an experimenter systematically withholds reinforcement of a previously learned response until the probability of that response diminishes to zero
according to Skinner, what are the three forces that shape human behavior?
- natural selection
- cultural practices
- the individual’s history of reinforcement
how does NATURAL SELECTION shape human behavior? (SKINNER)
Those behaviors that, throughout history, were beneficial
to the species tended to survive, whereas those that were only idiosyncratically reinforcing tended to drop out.
example: natural selection has favored those individuals whose pupils of their eyes dilated and contracted with changes in lighting
how have cultural practices shaped human behavior? (SKINNER)
Cultural practices such as toolmaking and verbal behavior began when
an individual was reinforced for using a tool or uttering a distinctive sound
what did Skinner say about human thought? (SKINNER)
Skinner (1974) admitted that human thought is the most difficult of all behaviors to
analyze; but potentially, at least, it can be understood as long as one does not resort to a hypothetical fiction such as “mind.”
what is creativity to Skinner? (SKINNER)
To Skinner, then, creativity is simply the result of random or accidental behaviors (overt or covert) that happen to be rewarded
what are the 4 principal methods of operant conditioning? (SKINNER)
positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and the two
techniques of punishment
what are the three basic strategies people use when social control is excessive? (SKINNER)
escape
revolt
passive resistance
in this defensive strategy, people withdraw from the controlling agent either physically or psychologically (SKINNER)
escape
what is Skinner’s theory based on?
his behavioral analysis
of rats and pigeons.
what are the 4 ways social control can be achieved? (SKINNER)
(1) operant conditioning,
(2) describing
the contingencies of reinforcement,
(3) depriving or satiating a person, or
(4) physically restraining an individual
how was B.F Skinner’s childhood
- first child, felt like his brother was more loved by both parents
- father was a lawyer and politician while mother was a housewife
- Skinner was inclined towards music and literature
how long was Skinner’s dark year?
18 months
