chapters 6.2 operant conditioning Flashcards
what is operant conditioning
a type of learning in which behaviour is influenced by consequences
why is operant used
because people operate on the environment before consequences can occur
what kind of actions does operant conditioning involve
voluntary actions
- speaking
- listening
- starting or stoping
what is contingency
a consequence depends upon an action
- earning a good grade is contingent on studying
what is reinforcement
an event or reward that follows a response increases the likelihood of that response occurring again
what is the law of effect
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
what does satisfaction mean in terms of the law of effect
the desire being achieved or it received some kind of reward for the behaviour
where do basic principles of operant conditioning happen
laboratories conducted on non-human species
what is a reinforcer
a stimulus that is contingent upon a response and that increases the probability of that response occurring again
- food is a reinforcer
what is a punishment
a process that decreased the future probability of a response
what is a punisher
a stimulus that is contingent upon a response and that results in the decrease in behaviour
what is the difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning
classical conditioning a response is not required for a reward, but operant conditioning is
what is required for learning in operant conditioning
a consequence and a response because without a response, there can not be a consequence
what is reinforcement
INCREASES the chances of a behaviour
what is punishment
DECREASES the chances of behaviour
what is positive
this means a stimulus is ADDED to a situation
what is negative
this means a stimulus is SUBTRACTED from a situation
what is negative reinforcement
involved the strengthening of a behaviour because it removes a stimulus
- talking an advil removes a painful headache
what are the two learnings apart of negative reinforcement
- avoidance learning
- escape learning
what is avoidance learning
type of negative reinforcement that removes the possibility that a stimulus will occur
- leaving an event early to beat traffic
what is escape learning
occurs if a response removes a stimulus that is already present
- covering ears once hearing overwhelmingly loud music
what is positive reinforcement
strengthening of behaviour after potential reinforcers follow that behaviour
- laughing at prof jokes so he makes more jokes
what is negative punishment
occurs when a behaviour decreases because it removes a particular stimulus
- taking away a childs toy
what is positive punishment
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
what is shaping
reinforcing successive approximations of a specific operant response
- done step by step fashion until tha\e desired response is learned
what is chaining
linking together two or more shaped behaviours into a more complex action or sequence of actions
what is the nucleus accumbens
a specific brain circuit that is included in understanding the underlying motivation that seeks out the primary and secondary reinforcers
when does the nucleus accumbens become activated
during the processes of rewards
- eating
- having sex
- smoking a cigarette
why are primary reinforcer, not the only things that release dopamine
- 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
where is dopamine released
in parts of the basal ganglia and the medial regions of the frontal lobes
how does dopamine relate to operant conditioning
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
what happens when a response is learned
the individual may soon learn that the reinforcement or punishment will occur only for certain conditions and circumstances
what is a discriminative stimulus
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
what are the similarities and differences of discrimination and generalization with operant and classical conditioning
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
what did Thorndike notice about reinforcement
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
what is extinction
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
why does dopamine decrease during extinction
you no longer gain the reward for your behaviour
the schedules of reinforcement
rules that determine when reinforcement is available
what is continuous reinforcement
every response made results in reinforcement
- learning can occur quite rapidly
- vending machines always produce snacks when you pay the right amount of money
what is partial reinforcement
only certain numbers of responses are rewarded, or a certain amount of time passes before reinforcement is available
what are the 4 terms in partial reinforcement
- fixed ration
- variable ratio
- variable interval
- fixed interval
what is a ratio schedule
reinforcements are based on the amount of responding
what is interval schedule
reinforcements based on an amount of time between reinforcements, not the number of responses an animal takes
what is fixed schedule
schedule of reinforcement stays the same
what is interval schedule
schedule of reinforcement, although linked to an average, varies from reinforcement to reinforcement
what is a fixed ratio schedule
reinforcement delivered after a specific number of responses have been completed
- a rat needs to press the lever 10 times to get a reward
what is variable ratio schedule
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
what are intervals based on
the passage of time
what is fixed interval schedule
reinforces the first response occurring after a set amount of time passes
- having an exam every 4 weeks. responding decreases after each reinforcement
what is variable interval schedule
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
what do partially reinforced responses tend to be
very persistent
- for a slot machine a high rate of responding is maintained and may not decrease until after a great many loses
what is partial reinforcement evident in
extinction
what is the partial reinforcement effect
a phenomenon in which organisms that have been conditioned under partial reinforcement resist extinction longer than those conditioned under continuous reinforcement
what is normally systematic and predictable
reinforcement
how can superstition be explained though operant conditioning
- 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
what happens when you apply punishment
people tend to be more sensitive to unpleasantness of punishment than the rewards that bring pleasure
- losing $100 is worse than being rewarded $100
are corporal punishment acceptable
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
what are the punishment principles
- severity
- initial punishment level
- contiguity
- consistency
- show alternatives
what is the severity principle
should be proportional to offense
what is the initial punishment level principle
needs to be sufficiently strong to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence
what is the contiguity principle
most effective when it occurs immediately after the behaviour, long delays in punishment are known to reduce its effectiveness
what is the consistency principle
should be consistent, if not the behaviour wanted will not be achieved as easily
what is the show alternatives principle
more successful, and side effects are reduced if the individual is clear on how reinforcement can be obtained by engaging in appropriate behaviour
are classical and operant conditioning distinct events
classical conditioning produces an emotional response, while operant conditioning maintains the behaviour
