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intro to psychology > chapters 6.2 operant conditioning > Flashcards

chapters 6.2 operant conditioning Flashcards

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1
Q

what is operant conditioning

A

a type of learning in which behaviour is influenced by consequences

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2
Q

why is operant used

A

because people operate on the environment before consequences can occur

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3
Q

what kind of actions does operant conditioning involve

A

voluntary actions
- speaking
- listening
- starting or stoping

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4
Q

what is contingency

A

a consequence depends upon an action
- earning a good grade is contingent on studying

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5
Q

what is reinforcement

A

an event or reward that follows a response increases the likelihood of that response occurring again

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6
Q

what is the law of effect

A

the idea that responses followed by satisfaction will occur again in the same situation, whereas those that weren’t followed by satisfaction become less likely

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7
Q

what does satisfaction mean in terms of the law of effect

A

the desire being achieved or it received some kind of reward for the behaviour

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8
Q

where do basic principles of operant conditioning happen

A

laboratories conducted on non-human species

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9
Q

what is a reinforcer

A

a stimulus that is contingent upon a response and that increases the probability of that response occurring again
- food is a reinforcer

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10
Q

what is a punishment

A

a process that decreased the future probability of a response

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11
Q

what is a punisher

A

a stimulus that is contingent upon a response and that results in the decrease in behaviour

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12
Q

what is the difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning

A

classical conditioning a response is not required for a reward, but operant conditioning is

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13
Q

what is required for learning in operant conditioning

A

a consequence and a response because without a response, there can not be a consequence

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14
Q

what is reinforcement

A

INCREASES the chances of a behaviour

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15
Q

what is punishment

A

DECREASES the chances of behaviour

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16
Q

what is positive

A

this means a stimulus is ADDED to a situation

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17
Q

what is negative

A

this means a stimulus is SUBTRACTED from a situation

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18
Q

what is negative reinforcement

A

involved the strengthening of a behaviour because it removes a stimulus
- talking an advil removes a painful headache

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19
Q

what are the two learnings apart of negative reinforcement

A
  1. avoidance learning
  2. escape learning
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20
Q

what is avoidance learning

A

type of negative reinforcement that removes the possibility that a stimulus will occur
- leaving an event early to beat traffic

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21
Q

what is escape learning

A

occurs if a response removes a stimulus that is already present
- covering ears once hearing overwhelmingly loud music

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22
Q

what is positive reinforcement

A

strengthening of behaviour after potential reinforcers follow that behaviour
- laughing at prof jokes so he makes more jokes

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23
Q

what is negative punishment

A

occurs when a behaviour decreases because it removes a particular stimulus
- taking away a childs toy

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24
Q

what is positive punishment

A

a process in which a behaviour decreases in frequency because it was followed by a particular, usually unpleasant, stimulus
- spraying a cat with water to get it to get off the table

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25
Q

what is shaping

A

reinforcing successive approximations of a specific operant response
- done step by step fashion until tha\e desired response is learned

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26
Q

what is chaining

A

linking together two or more shaped behaviours into a more complex action or sequence of actions

27
Q

what is the nucleus accumbens

A

a specific brain circuit that is included in understanding the underlying motivation that seeks out the primary and secondary reinforcers

28
Q

when does the nucleus accumbens become activated

A

during the processes of rewards
- eating
- having sex
- smoking a cigarette

29
Q

why are primary reinforcer, not the only things that release dopamine

A
  1. people who are more prone to risky behaviour such as gambling are more likely to have inherited particular copies of genes that are code for dopamine and other reward chemicals in the brain
30
Q

where is dopamine released

A

in parts of the basal ganglia and the medial regions of the frontal lobes

31
Q

how does dopamine relate to operant conditioning

A

when behaviour is rewarded for the first time dopamine is released, this reinforces these new, reward-producing behaviours so that they will be performed again

32
Q

what happens when a response is learned

A

the individual may soon learn that the reinforcement or punishment will occur only for certain conditions and circumstances

33
Q

what is a discriminative stimulus

A

a cue or event that indicates that a response, if made, will be reinforced
- we check to see if the light on the kettle is turned off before we leave the house

34
Q

what are the similarities and differences of discrimination and generalization with operant and classical conditioning

A

discrimination and generalization in classical conditioning were due to the strengthening of synapses as a result of simultaneous firing

discrimination and generalization in operant conditioning were due to the mechanisms that appear to be dopamine-releasing neurons

35
Q

what did Thorndike notice about reinforcement

A

it was more effective if there was very little time between the action and the consequence
- delays of as little as half a second decrease the amount of neural activity in dopamine-releasing neurons

36
Q

what is extinction

A

the weakening of an operant response when reinforcement is no longer available
- your parents say no to giving you the car every time, no matter if they are in a good more or not

37
Q

why does dopamine decrease during extinction

A

you no longer gain the reward for your behaviour

38
Q

the schedules of reinforcement

A

rules that determine when reinforcement is available

39
Q

what is continuous reinforcement

A

every response made results in reinforcement
- learning can occur quite rapidly
- vending machines always produce snacks when you pay the right amount of money

40
Q

what is partial reinforcement

A

only certain numbers of responses are rewarded, or a certain amount of time passes before reinforcement is available

41
Q

what are the 4 terms in partial reinforcement

A
  1. fixed ration
  2. variable ratio
  3. variable interval
  4. fixed interval
42
Q

what is a ratio schedule

A

reinforcements are based on the amount of responding

43
Q

what is interval schedule

A

reinforcements based on an amount of time between reinforcements, not the number of responses an animal takes

44
Q

what is fixed schedule

A

schedule of reinforcement stays the same

45
Q

what is interval schedule

A

schedule of reinforcement, although linked to an average, varies from reinforcement to reinforcement

46
Q

what is a fixed ratio schedule

A

reinforcement delivered after a specific number of responses have been completed
- a rat needs to press the lever 10 times to get a reward

47
Q

what is variable ratio schedule

A

number of responses required to receive reinforcement varies according to the average
- a VR5 (variable ratio with an average of 5 traits between reinforcement) could include traits that require 7 lever presses for a reward, followed by 4, and then 6 etc
- a slot machine

48
Q

what are intervals based on

A

the passage of time

49
Q

what is fixed interval schedule

A

reinforces the first response occurring after a set amount of time passes
- having an exam every 4 weeks. responding decreases after each reinforcement

50
Q

what is variable interval schedule

A

first response is reinforced following a variable amount of time
- watching the sky during a meteor shower, you are rewarded for looking up at an irregular times

51
Q

what do partially reinforced responses tend to be

A

very persistent
- for a slot machine a high rate of responding is maintained and may not decrease until after a great many loses

52
Q

what is partial reinforcement evident in

A

extinction

53
Q

what is the partial reinforcement effect

A

a phenomenon in which organisms that have been conditioned under partial reinforcement resist extinction longer than those conditioned under continuous reinforcement

54
Q

what is normally systematic and predictable

A

reinforcement

55
Q

how can superstition be explained though operant conditioning

A
  • doing behaviours in hopes that you will get a reward out of it
  • humans are prone to acquiring an ‘ illusion of control’ meaning that people mistakenly believed that there behaviour
56
Q

what happens when you apply punishment

A

people tend to be more sensitive to unpleasantness of punishment than the rewards that bring pleasure
- losing $100 is worse than being rewarded $100

57
Q

are corporal punishment acceptable

A

it is a generally effective punisher for immediate causes, however, it can cause poorer parent-child relationships, poorer mental health for both parent and children

58
Q

what are the punishment principles

A
  • severity
  • initial punishment level
  • contiguity
  • consistency
  • show alternatives
59
Q

what is the severity principle

A

should be proportional to offense

60
Q

what is the initial punishment level principle

A

needs to be sufficiently strong to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence

61
Q

what is the contiguity principle

A

most effective when it occurs immediately after the behaviour, long delays in punishment are known to reduce its effectiveness

62
Q

what is the consistency principle

A

should be consistent, if not the behaviour wanted will not be achieved as easily

63
Q

what is the show alternatives principle

A

more successful, and side effects are reduced if the individual is clear on how reinforcement can be obtained by engaging in appropriate behaviour

64
Q

are classical and operant conditioning distinct events

A

classical conditioning produces an emotional response, while operant conditioning maintains the behaviour

intro to psychology (7 decks)

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