Chapter 5

Question 0

Law of effect

Answer 0

Nature of animals behavior in a puzzle box
Relationship between actions and outcomes
Either satisfying or annoying
Thorndikes: behavior is a function of the consequences of behavior
Thorndike was first to demonstrate that behavior is systematically strengthened or weakened based on its consequences

Question 1

Edward lee thorndike

Answer 1

Father of the study on animal intelligence
Memory and observation bias
Able to examine by studying animal learning
Present animal with a problem

Question 2

B.f. Skinner

Answer 2

Operant learning
Behavior that operates on the environment and is instrumental in producing outcomes is either strengthened or weakened by consequences that result

Question 3

Operant vs Pavlovian conditioning

Answer 3

Pc= passive ( a U.S. Follows a cs regardless of what the organism does 
Ol= active ( an organism acts on the environment and the resulting change either strengthens or weakens the behavior that produced the change)

Question 4

Reinforcement

Answer 4

Behavior must have a consequence
Behavior must be more likely to occur again
Increase in strength must be the result of the consequence that the behavior produced

Question 5

Positive reinforcement

Answer 5

Addition of a stimulus makes behavior more likely to occur again
Sometimes called reward learning
Paradoxical nature of positive reinforcement (ex: suspending a kid from school for skipping but he didn’t want to be in school in the first place )

Question 6

Negative reinforcement

Answer 6

Removal of a stimulus strengthens a behavior
Ex:taking away rope climbs when they behave
The mechanism that makes this work is the escape from an aversive experience which over time tends to become avoided altogether
Sometimes called escape avoidance learning

Question 7

Discrete trial procedure

Answer 7

A form of operant learning in which the participants successful behavior ends the trial
DV: the time it takes to complete the task
Ex: how long it takes a dog to sit down

Question 8

Free operant procedure

Answer 8

Form of operant learning in which the participants behavior is free to vary
DV: in this model is most often the number of times a specific behavior (e.g. The one that gets rewarded) is displayed in a certain time period
Ex: how many times a kid shares with in a time period at daycare

Question 9

Abcs of operant learning

Answer 9

A: antecedent (what came before)
B: behavior ( what was observed)
C: consequence ( what happened as a result)
Length of behavior is important for determining change

Question 10

Pavlovian vs operant

Answer 10

In Pavlovian learning, one stimulus is contingent upon another stimulus
In operant learning, a stimulus (reinforcing or punishing) is contingent upon a behavior occurring
PL typically involves involuntary behavior whereas OL typically involves more willful behavior

Question 11

Primary reinforcer

Answer 11

Those that do not depend on their association with other reinforcers 
Naturally reinforcing (sleep)

Question 12

Satiation

Answer 12

Phenomenon whereby primary reinforcers lose their effectiveness with continued access

Question 13

Secondary reinforcers

Answer 13

Dependent on their association with other reinforcers
Also called conditioned reinforcers
Ex: money (clicker for animals )
Ultimately owe their effectiveness directly or indirectly to primary reinforcers

Question 14

Advantages of secondary reinforcers

Answer 14

More durable/reach satiation slower
Easier to reinforce with quicker than primary
Less disruptive than primary
Can be used in many different situations

Question 15

Generalized reinforcers

Answer 15

Ones paired with many others

Question 16

Main disadvantage to secondary reinforcers

Answer 16

Effectiveness depends on their association with primary reinforcers

Question 17

Contrived reinforcers

Answer 17

Events that have been arranged by someone, usually for the purpose of modifying behavior

Question 18

Natural reinforcers

Answer 18

Typically events that follow automatically from the behavior

Question 19

Where do new behaviors come from ?

Answer 19

Shaping: reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired behavior
Getting closer to target that you want to see
Upping the ante

Question 20

Behavior chain

Answer 20

Connected sequence of behaviors

Process of teaching a behavior chain

Question 21

Task analysis

Answer 21

Procedure of breaking an overall task down into its component parts

Question 22

Forward chaining

Answer 22

Reinforcing until step 1 is completed perfectly. Then step 1 and step 2. Then step 1,2, and 3

Question 23

Backward chaining

Answer 23

Start with last move but it is not training them to do it backwards

Question 24

Contingency

Answer 24

The degree of correlation between a behavior and its consequence
Strong one can make even small reinforcers quite effective

Question 25

Contiguity

Answer 25

Refers to the interval of time between when a behavior occurs and when reinforcement is received (consistency)

Question 26

Magnitude

Answer 26

Large reinforcers are more effective than smaller ones

Question 27

Preferred-ness

Answer 27

A reinforcer that is qualitatively of higher value to the organism will be more effective in producing learning

Question 28

Task difficulty

Answer 28

More difficult tasks are harder to learn than easier ones

Question 29

Biological dispositions

Answer 29

Certain actions will be more inherent to a species which will make it easier to train

Question 30

Auto shaping

Answer 30

A procedure in which a stimulus is followed by a reinforcer regardless of what the organism does
Often results in shaping of a behavior with out a reinforcement

Question 31

Motivating operations

Answer 31

Anything that establishes conditions that improve the effectiveness of a reinforcer
Based on deprivation
Anything that makes a consequence more reinforcing necessarily changes the outcome of the reinforce the procedure

Question 32

Role of competing contingencies

Answer 32

Procrastination. Other things that seem more reinforcing are interesting than doing the work

Question 33

Neuro mechanics of reinforcement

Answer 33

Olds and Milner: demonstrate reinforcing potential of electrical stimulation of the brain
Builds notion of a reward pathway of the brain (reinforcers stimulate this area and they are thought to be located in septal region and running from midline of brain to frontal cortex)
Region has high concentration of dopamine neurons

Question 34

Extinction

Answer 34

In the context of operant learning involves withholding the consequences that reinforce the behavior until that behavior no longer occurs

Question 35

Extinction burst

Answer 35

A phenomenon whereby that removal of behavior maintaining reinforcement leads to a sharp increase in the behavior in the immediate short-term
After the burst, will lead to a steady and rapid decline the behavior

Question 36

Spontaneous recovery

Answer 36

Will also occur with operant learning following extinction trials

Question 37

Resurgence

Answer 37

Phenomenon involving the reappearance of previously reinforce behavior following removal of reinforcement

Question 38

Factors affecting rate of extinction

Answer 38

Number of times behavior was reinforced prior to extinction, the effort the behavior requires, and the magnitude of the reinforcer used during training

Question 39

Theories of reinforcement

Answer 39

Clark Hulls Drive reduction theory
Drive: motivational state where we are trying to satisfy that state
Deprivation
drawback:this theory has difficulty explaining secondary reinforcers because it is physiologically based

Question 40

David Premacks relative value theory

Answer 40

Considers reinforcers to be behaviors rather than stimuli and attributes a reinforcers effectiveness to its probability relative to other behaviors
Ex: act of eating as reinforcer, not the food itself

Question 41

Premack principle

Answer 41

High probability behavior reinforces low probability behavior
The advantage is this theory is entirely empirical
The problem: low probability behavior can reinforce high probability when the former is restricted

Question 42

Responsive deprivation theory (timber lake and Alison)

Answer 42

Behavior becomes reinforcing when the organism is prevented from engaging in it at its normal frequency (e.g. Baseline)
Relative values are not the most important, rather, the degree to which each behavior occurs below its normal unimpeded baseline rate
Drawback: just a confirmation of a response can be reinforcing. There are many simple ones. This theory has trouble explaining how these are meaningful