Chap 6–Operant Conditioning Flashcards
Operant Conditioning
A type of learning in which the organism learns through the consequences of its behavior.
Law of Effect
A principle discovered by E L Thorndike, which states that behaviors that lead to positive consequences will be strengthened and behaviors that lead to negative consequences will be weakened.
Reinforcement
The strengthening of a response that occurs when the response is rewarded.
Positive Reinforcement
Strengthening a behavior by adding something pleasant to the environment of the organism.
-giving treats to reward correct behavior
Negative Reinforcement
Strengthening a behavior by removing something unpleasant from the environment of the organism.
-pinched by collar, walks towards me, is rewarded when the pinch goes away.
Punishment
The weakening of a response that occurs when a behavior leads to an unpleasant consequence.
Positive Punishment
Weakening a behavior by adding something unpleasant to the organism’s environment.
-squirt with water bottle
Negative Punishment
Weakening a behavior by removing something pleasant from the organism’s environment.
-put in kennel; leave alone; take away toys
Skinner Box
A device created by B F Skinner to study operant behavior in a compressed time frame; in a Skinner box, an organism is automatically rewarded or punished for engaging in certain behaviors.
Extinction Burst
A temporary increase in a behavioral response that occurs immediately after extinction has begun.
Schedule of Reinforcement
The frequency and timing of the reinforcements that an organism receives.
–may give treat every time, maybe every other time, etc.
Continuous Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded for every instance of the desired response.
–giving treat every time
Partial Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded for only some instances of the desired response
–giving treats sporadically to keep them guessing
Fixed Ratio Schedule
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded for every xth instance of the desired response.
–giving treats ever three successful times
Variable Ratio Schedule
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded on average for ever xth instance of the desired response.
–hard to describe, is a kind of random one, or, variable!
Fixed Interval Schedule
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded for the first desired response in an xth interval of time.
–giving a treat every two minutes as part of the stay
Variable Interval Schedule
A schedule of reinforcement in which the organism is rewarded for the first desired response in an average xth interval of time.
–length of the interval varies. May be every two mins, then three, then one, etc. Keeps them guessing
Shaping
Using operant conditioning to build new behavior in an organism by rewarding successive approximations of the desired response.
–Can not teach to hold a tribble in first go, have to slowly work up to it in small lessons
Primary Reinforcer
A reinforcer that is reinforcing in and of itself.
–directly reinforcing
Secondary Reinforcer
A reinforcer that is reinforcing only because it leads to the primary reinforcer.
Token Economy
A system of operant conditioning in which participants are reinforced with tokens that can later be cashed in for primary reinforcers.
Behaviorism
A school of thought in psychology that emphasizes the study of observable behavior over the study of the mind.
Insight
A sudden realization about how to solve a problem that occurs after an organism has studied the problem for a period of time
–figuring out how to get food out of toy
Latent Learning
Learning that cannot be directly observed in an organisms behavior.
–kind of like spontaneous learning that will help with other things farther along
Cognitive Map
A mental representation of the environment that is formed through observation of one’s environment.
Observational Learning, Social Learning, Modeling
Learning through observation and limitation of others’ behavior.
More on Modeling
Attention, retention in memory, reproduction of the behavior, motivation.
