Chapter 5 Instrumental Conditioning Foundations Flashcards
What was thorndikes experiment
Put animals like cats and rats into puzzle boxes to find their intelligence
Although over trials took less time didn’t believe showed larger intelligence R-S association instead
Instrumental Behavior
Behavior that occurs because it was previously instrumental in producing certain consequences
Also called goal directed behavior
Why was thorndikes puzzle experiment more like S-R association then intelligence
Animals showed many responses because trapped and one caused a CR response of the door opening so the animals learned to associate that action with door opening
Quickened response came from a stronger association of the two
Law of Effect
If a response in the presence of a stimuli is followed by a satisfying event, the association between the stimulus and the response is strengthened. If the response is followed by an annoying event the S-R association is weakened
There is a learned association between the response and the stimuli present at the time
Discrete Trial Procedures
Similar to thorndikes method
Each training trial ends with removal of the animal from the apparatus and the instrumental response is preformed only once during the trial
Usually in a maze
Running speed
A measure of maze behavior
How fast the animal gets from start to goal
Usually increases with repeated trials
Latency
Another measure of maze behavior
The time it takes the animal to leave the start box and begin moving down the alley
Usually become shorter with trials
Free operant procedures
Allows the animal to repeat the instrumental response w/I constraint
Invented by skinner
Operant Response
The effect a response has in terms of the environment
Activities that have the same environmental effect are considered to be instances of the same operant response
Doesn’t matter how as long as has the same result
Ex press lever
Magazine Training
The first phase of many conditionings
A delivery service of food called the food magazine bring food and is paired with a sound
Sign tracking started by pair
Shaping
Sequence of training steps to get a specific response
Involved 3 components
1) clearly define the final response you want
2) clearly assess the starting level of performance
3) divide the progression from start to finish
Ex rat fed for going on back paws
Then fed when done near lever
Then only when on lever
Appetitive Stimulus
A pleasant outcome/ stimulus in instrumental conditioning situations
Could be turned on or off
Ex getting paid
Aversive stimulus
Unpleasant outcome in instrumental conditioning
Could be turned on or off
Positive reinforcement
The instrumental response produces an appetitive stimulus
If the response occurs an appetitive stimulus presented
If he response doesn’t occur the stimulus not presented
Produces an increase in the rate of responding
Ex give girl cookie for cleaning
Punishment
The instrumental response produces an unpleasant aversive stimulus
Contains positive contingency between instrumental response and stimulus outcome
Effective punishment produces a decline in the instrumental response
Negative reinforcement
Instrumental response turns off aversive stimulus
Has a negative contingency between instrumental response and aversive stimuli
Increase instrumental response
Ex open umbrella to stop rain
Omission training
Withdrawing source of positive reinforcement
Negative contingency between instrumental response and appetitive stimulus
Also called differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)
Ex. Suspending drivers license
Belongingness
Certain responses naturally belong with reinforcers because of animal evolutionary history
Ex) pulling a lever to release from condiment is natural but scratching do not help animals escape and don’t belong with a puzzle box
Instinctive Drift
The extra responses that develop in these food reinforced situations were activities the animals instinctively preform when obtaining food
Positive Contrast
Elevated responding for a favorable reward resulting from prior experience with a less attractive outcome
Negative Contrast
Depressed responding for a small reward because of prior experience with a better outcome
Temporal Relation
One of two responses and a reinforcer
The time between the response and the reinforcer
Temporal contiguity
A special case of the temporal relation
The delivery of the reinforcer immediately after the response
Response reinforcer contingency
Also called casual relation
The second type of relation between a response and the reinforcer
Refers to the extent to which the instrumental response is needed and sufficient for the occurrence of the reinforcer
Secondary or conditioned reinforcer
A conditioned stimulus that was previously associated with the reinforcer
Ex. Verbal promos such as good job
Marking procedure
Introducing a brief light or noise after the target response or by picking up the subject and moving it to a holding box
Superstitious Behavior
Responding as if their behavior was controlled by devilry of the reinforcer when I’m fact the food was provided independently if behavior
Accidental or adventurous reinforcement
The accidental pairing of a response with delivery of the reinforcer
Terminal Responses
Response that occur predominantly toward the end of the interval between successive reinforcers
Learned helplessness effect
Exposure to uncontrollable shock disrupted subsequent learning
Ex shocked dogs that had no control
Triadic design
How learned helplessness experiments conducted
Two phases: exposure phase and conditioning phase
Learned helplessness hypothesis
Based on the conclusion that animals can perceive the contingency between their behavior and the delivery of a reinforcer
During the shock animals learn that the shocks are independent of their behavior and there is nothing they can do to control it and expect it to be independent in the future
Escape behavior
The instrumental response results in the termination of an aversive stimulus
Ex you can feel you are raising your hand even if you can’t see it
