Chapter 7- Behavioural Views of Learning Flashcards
operant conditioning
learning in which voluntary behaviour is strengthened or weakened by consequences or antecedents, operant behaviour can be altered by changes in the antecedents, the consequences, or both
antecedents
events that precede an action
consequences
events that follow an action, determine whether a person will repeat the behaviour that lead to those consequences
reinforcement
use of consequences to strengthen behaviour, reinforcers typically are preferred activities or they satisfy needs
positive reinforcement
strengthening behaviour by presenting a desired stimulus after the behaviour
negative reinforcement
strengthening the behaviour by removing an aversive stimulus when the behaviour occurs
continuous reinforcement
presenting a reinforcer after every appropriate response
intermittent reinforcement
presenting a reinforcer after some but not all responses
schedules of reinforcement
interval and ratio
interval: length of time between reinforcers
ratio: reinforcement based on the number of responses between reinforcers
cueing
providing a stimulus that “sets up” a desired behaviour
prompt
a reminder that follows a cue to make sure the person reacts to the cue
applied behaviour analysis
the application of behavioural learning principles to understand and change behaviour, requires clear specification of the behaviour to be changed, careful measurement of behaviour, analysis of antecedents and reinforcers that might be maintaining undesirable behaviour, interventions based on behavioural principles to change the behaviour, and careful measurement of changes
premack principle
a principle of reinforcement which states that an opportunity to engage in more probably behaviours (or activities) will reinforce less probable behaviours (or activities)
high frequency behaviour (a preferred activity) can be an effective reinforcer for a low frequency behaviour (a less preferred activity)
shaping
reinforcing each small step of progress toward a desired goal or behaviour
successive approximations
small components that make up a complex behaviour
task analysis
system for breaking down a task hierarchically into basic skills and subskills
positive practice
practicing correct responses immediately after errors
contingency contracts
a contract between a teacher and a student specifying what the student must do to earn a particular reward or privilege
token reinforcement system
system in which tokens earned for academic work and positive classroom behaviour can be exchanged for some desired reward
good behaviour game
arrangement where a class is divided into teams and each team receives demerit points for breaking agreed-upon rules of good behaviour
group consequences
rewards or punishments given to a class as a whole for adhering to or violating rules of conduct
reprimands
criticisms for misbehaviour, rebukes
response cost
punishment by loss of reinforcers
social isolation
removal of a disruptive student for 5 to 10 minutes
