Chapter 6 part 2 Flashcards
operant conditioning
what is operant conditioning?
a learning process in which a behavior becomes associated with a consequence. as a result of this association, the consequence influences the probability of that behavior occurring again in the future
who is Edward L. Thorndike and what did he do?
scientist that first demonstrated the power of changing behavior by manipulating the consequences of that behavior
can the consequence of a behavior be good or bad?
yes
what consequence do you give if you want someone to do a behavior more?
reward the behavior
what consequence do you give if you want someone to do a behavior less?
punishment after the behavior
what is the law of effect?
if a behavior is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it will tend to be repeated. if a behavior is followed by an unpleasant consequence, it will tend not to be repeated
who did the cat in the box experiment?
Thorndike
what happened during the cat in the box experiment?
the first time the cat goes in the box, the cat meows and scratches, but those behaviors don’t lead to escape. by accident, the cat steps on the lever and gets out to eat the food. Thorndike stops the timer and repeats the experiment again and again. After the 10th-ish time, the cat goes right over to the lever and steps on it because stepping on the lever was the only behavior that led to a reward
who is B.F. Skinner and what did he do?
extremely influential scientist associated with further defining operant conditioning and using it to modify and control behavior
was B.F. Skinner a behaviorist and believed free will is nonexistent?
yes
what is behaviorism?
behavior changes through rewards and punishments. can only know what is directly observable. no speculation about what is going on in “the mind”
what is reinforcement in operant conditioning?
the response if followed by a pleasant consequence
what is the result of reinforcement?
the response is more likely to occur (increase in the amount of time spent doing that behavior)
what is punishment in operant conditioning?
the response is followed by an unpleasant consequence
what is the result of punishment?
the response is less likely to occur (decrease in amount of time spent doing behavior)
what are the two ways to reinforce behavior?
positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement
what is “positive” in operant conditioning?
presence of –> getting something
what is “negative” in operant conditioning?
absence of –> taking something away
OR doing a behavior to prevent / avoid something bad
what is an example of positive reinforcement?
get an A on a test by studying hard and parents get you a gift card, now you are more likely to study hard
what is an example of negative reinforcement? (removal)
took me to the airport –> I offer to do the dishes for you all week (taking away the burden of doing dishes) now that person is more likely to take me to the airport
what is an example of negative reinforcement? (avoid)
going to class to remove the possibility of failing
negative reinforcement =
avoidance / escape
what are the two ways to punish behavior?
get something bad or remove something good
what is positive punishment?
punishing behavior by giving the person something bad
what is an example of positive punishment?
the cat scratches the blinds and you squirt them with water (they don’t like water, so you are giving them something they don’t like), now the cat is less likely to scratch the blinds
what is negative punishment?
punishing behavior by removing something good
what is an example of negative punishment?
a kid is bickering with their sibling so you put them in timeout (taking away free will), now the kid is less likely to bicker with their sibling
what type is this? touch the filing cabinet –> get a shock
positive punishment
what type is this? open umbrella –> don’t get wet
negative reinforcement
what type is this? come home after curfew –>no TV for a week
negative punishment
what type is this dog sits on command –> gets a treat
positive reinforcement
how do you reward a behavior that never occurs?
shaping
what is shaping?
rewarding successive approximation of the goal behavior until the goal behavior has been mastered
with shaping, after learning the 2nd, more difficult task, do you reward for the easier, 1st task?
no, you never reward for the 1st task again
what are the reinforcement schedules?
continuous reinforcement and partial reinforcement
what is continuous reinforcement?
reinforcement occurs after every target response
what is partial reinforcement?
sometimes the target response is reinforced, and sometimes it is not reinforced
what are the partial reinforcement schedules?
fixed ratio (FR)
fixed interval (FI)
variable ratio (VR)
variable interval (VI)
what is a fixed ratio schedule?
there is a set number of times that you must make the response before you are reinforced
what is an example of a fixed ratio schedule?
you know exactly what to do to get reinforcement, you have to buy 6 cups of coffee to get the 7th free. how long it takes is up to you
what is a fixed interval schedule?
there is a set interval of time that must pass before you can make the response and get reinforced
what is an example of a fixed interval schedule?
you work 10 hours a week, but get paid at the end of 2 weeks. It doesn’t matter if you work 1day or 5 days a week, you still have to wait the 2 weeks for the paycheck
what is variable ratio schedule?
the number of time that you must make the response before you are reinforced varies from trial to trial
what is an example of a variable ratio schedule?
slot machines: don’t know how many times you have to play before you are rewarded with a win
what is variable interval schedule?
the amount of time that must pass before you get reinforced varies from trial to trial
what is an example of a variable interval schedule?
pop quiz: don’t know how much time has to pass before you get another one
do different schedules result in different patterns of behavior?
yes
what behavior results from the fixed ratio schedule?
bursts of doing the behavior and bursts of doing nothing: they do exactly what they have to to get the reward and then stop
what behavior results from the fixed interval schedule?
do nothing, then as it gets close to time to be rewarded, they start to do the behavior more and more until the reward
what behavior results from both of the variable schedules?
constantly doing the behavior to check if they are rewarded
what is observational learning?
acquiring knowledge, skills, rules, beliefs, and attitudes by watching others
what are other words for observational learning?
modeling, social learning, imitation
what are the characteristics of observational learning?
- eliminates trial and error learning
- takes less time than operant conditioning
- involves four main processes
what are the four main processes in observational learning?
- attention
- retention
- motor reproduction
- reinforcement / motivation
what separates observational learning from imitation?
reinforcement / motivation
what is attention in observational learning?
being able to pay attention long enough to watch and learn what you want to copy
what is retention in observational learning?
being able to remember the information you watched long enough to copy it
what is motor reproduction in observational learning?
being able to do the movements
what is reinforcement / motivation in observational learning?
doing this behavior because you have a reason to do it
what did Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment ask?
does watching aggressive behavior on TV cause a person to act more or less aggressively?
what did the results of the Bobo Doll experiment show?
people who watched aggressive TV were more prone to aggressive behavior
what was an impact of the Bobo Doll experiment?
it was a main factor in why we have ratings on TV shows and movies
