Conditioning Flashcards
Operant conditioning
A control of behaviour through the manipulation of rewards and punishment
Is operant conditioning active or passive?
An active form of conditioning because the animal/person must do something
The Law of Effect
the linking of an action, outcome and the likelihood of future actions.
- This helps account for the regularity of our behaviour
- An action is linked to an outcome, if this outcome is positive the action is more likely to be repeated and vice versa
Habit hierarchy
a ranking of the likelihood of a persons response based on prior conditioning
Rewarded = higher on hierarchy
Reinforcer
Reward for behaviour - makes us more likely to repeat it
Primary reinforcer
satisfy biological needs
Secondary reinforcer
helps you obtain a primary reinforcer e.g. money
Positive reinforcer
Something pleasant is given
Negative reinforcer
Something unpleasant is removed
Positive punishment
Something unpleasant is given e.g. shock
Negative punishment
Something pleasant is removed
Continuous reinforcement schedule
Reinforcers are given every single time behaviour is exhibited
- Behaviour is learned faster compared to partial reinforcement schedules but will also fade faster
- Unfeasible in real life
Partial reinforcement schedules
Reinforcers are given some of the time the behaviour is exhibited
- Partially reinforced behaviours are more resistant to extinction but take longer to learn
Time based or Response based
Response-based schedules
behaviour is rewarded after it has been repeated a number of times e.g. slot machine - you play a certain number of times
Time-based schedules
reward is given if behaviour is completed within a certain amount of time
e.g. once a month salary - not paid for every day, which is why it’s partial not continuous
Fixed schedules
behaviour is rewarded after repeated a set number of times
Variable schedules
number of times a behaviour has to be rewarded is not consistent. It varies between rewards
Discrimination in operant
We discriminate between situations and choose when to show a behaviour based on what stimuli are around
e.g. you participate in English because you get rewarded but not in Biology because there is no incentive
Discriminative stimulus
The stimulus is used to discriminate between situations and therefore, our responses
Generalization
We respond easily and quickly to new situations that have similarities to old ones
Traits
Consistency in behaviour leads to observable traits
Familiar cues lead us to act a certain way
Extinction
Behavioural tendencies fade
Operant - rewards/punishments are no longer given
Classical - link between conditioned and unconditioned stimulus fades
Spontaneous recovery
Behaviour returns after the reintroduction of reward/punishment or stimulus
Most effective schedule
Variable, response-based schedule
Extinction process is slower
