Chapter 7.2 - Operant Conditioning Flashcards
What are Operant Conditioning?
A type of learning in which the consequences of an organism’s behavior determine whether it will be repeated in the future.
What are Instrumental Behaviors?
Behavior that required an organism to do something, solve a problem, or otherwise manipulate elements of its environment Note: Think Thorndike
What is the Law of Effect?
The principle that behaviors that are followed by a “satisfying state of affairs” tend to be repeated and those that produce and “unpleasant state of affairs” are less likely to be repeated.
What is Operant Behavior?
Behavior that an organism produces that has some impact on the environment. Note: Skinner Box
What is a Reinforcer?
Any stimulus or event that functions to increase the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.
What is a Punisher?
Any stimulus or event that functions to decrease the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.
What are Primary Reinforcers?
Food, comfort, shelter, or warmth. Satisfy biological needs
What are Secondary Reinforcers?
Handshakes, verbal approval, an encouraging grin, a bronze medal, money. Don’t need to live.
What is the Over-justification Effect?
Circumstances when external rewards can undermine the intrinsic satisfaction of performing a behavior. Ex: Kids given incentives to draw, draw better until they stop receiving incentives compared to kids that never received incentives.
What is fixed interval schedule? (FI)
An operant conditioning principle in which reinforcements are presented at fixed time periods, provided that the appropriate response is made. Ex: College students cramming for tests.. ha
What is Variable Interval Schedule? (VI)
An operant conditioning principle in which behavior is reinforced based on an average time that has expired since the last reinforcement. Ex: How radio promotions work
What is Fixed Ration Schedule? (FR)
An operant conditioning principle in which reinforcement is delievered after a specific number of responses have been made. Note: This is also known as continuous reinforcement
What is Variable Ratio Schedule? (VR)
An operant conditioning principle in which reinforcement the delivery of reinforcement is based on a particular average number of responses. Ex: How casinos work
What is Intermittent Reinforcement?
An operant conditioning principle in which only some of the responses made are followed by reinforcement.
What is the Intermittent Reinforcement Effect?
The fact that operant behaviors that are maintained under intermittent reinforcement schedules resist extinction better than those maintained under continuos reinforcement.
