Chapter 3: Reinforcement Flashcards
operant behavior
behavior influenced by antecedent and consequence events (e.g. press a button in an elevator to go to the 14th floor)
antecedent
observable stimulus that is present before the behavior occurs (think of ABC sheets) (e.g. the elevator button)
consequence
observable stimulus change that happen
after behavior occurs. (e.g. the elevator doors close and take you to the 14th floor)
________ behavior is influenced by the __________ it produces.
operant, consequence
How do you measure the effects of a consequence on behavior?
By “turning on and off” the consequence i.e. turning off the 14th floor button in the elevator.
contingent relation
if –> then
response and consequence
non-contingent relation
something occurs after a response, but not because the response caused it to occur (e.g. raise my hand, a bird flew over head)
reinforcer
a CONSEQUENCE that increases operant behavior above its baseline level
if it doesn’t increase the operant behavior then it is not a reinforcer
A B | C (it’s the C)
reinforcement
the process or procedure whereby a reinforcer increases operant behavior above its baseline level.
rewards
beneficial consequences we THINK will function as reinforcers, but we don’t know for sure
Thorndike
the first scientist reinforcement
cat in a box, it had to pull a string to get out, really only did that when there was a reinforcer (food) outside the box.
Skinner
studies operant behavior in more species and under intermittent reinforcement
reinforcement contingency–give a consequence when they do a behavior
response variability
exploration
try different things to get the consequence we want (e.g. the cat in Thorndike’s experiment tried to squeeze through the bars first, then pull the string after that didn’t work
