goal-directed behaviour Flashcards
What was Thorndike’s Puzzle Box experiment?
Thorndike’s Puzzle Box was an experiment where animals (often cats) were placed inside a box and had to figure out how to escape by pressing a lever or pulling a string. The behavior of the animal was reinforced with food when it successfully escaped, leading to learning over time.
What did Edward Thorndike contribute to psychology?
Edward Thorndike (1874-1949) is best known for his work on operant conditioning and for formulating the Law of Effect, which states that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are more likely to recur, while those followed by discomfort are less likely to be repeated.
What are Thorndike’s Laws of Learning?
Law of Effect: Behaviors that lead to positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated.
Law of Exercise: Repetition of a response strengthens the connection between stimulus and response.
Law of Readiness: Learning is motivated by an internal state of readiness, meaning that behavior will occur when the organism is ready to act.
Who was B.F. Skinner and what did he contribute to psychology?
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) was an influential psychologist who expanded on Thorndike’s work, developing the theory of Operant Conditioning. Skinner believed that behaviors are shaped and maintained by their consequences, and he introduced the concept of reinforcement.
What is Operant Conditioning?
Operant conditioning is the process of learning through associations between a behavior (response) and its consequences (outcome). It focuses on voluntary behavior, where organisms learn to operate on their environment to achieve specific goals.
What are the main components of Skinner’s operant conditioning?
Reinforcer: A stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
Positive Reinforcement: A stimulus presented after a behavior that increases its likelihood (e.g., food for a hungry animal).
Negative Reinforcement: A stimulus removed after a behavior that increases its likelihood (e.g., turning off a loud sound after a desired action).
**Punishment: **A negative stimulus introduced after a behavior that decreases its likelihood (e.g., scolding).
**Omission: **The removal of a positive reinforcer to decrease a behavior (e.g., stopping giving treats for unwanted behavior).
What are reinforcement schedules
Reinforcement schedules determine when and how often a behavior is reinforced. These schedules can be fixed or variable and can be based on the number of responses (ratio) or the time interval between responses (interval).
What are the different types of ratio schedules in reinforcement?
Fixed Ratio (FR): Reinforcement after a fixed number of responses (e.g., FR10 means reinforcement after every 10th response).
Variable Ratio (VR): Reinforcement after an average number of responses, making it unpredictable (e.g., VR5)
What are the different types of interval schedules in reinforcement?
Fixed Interval (FI): Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time has passed (e.g., FI10 means reinforcement every 10 seconds).
Variable Interval (VI): Reinforcement after a variable amount of time has passed, with an average time (e.g., VI10 means an average reinforcement every 10 seconds).
What is the difference between continuous and partial reinforcement?
Continuous Reinforcement: Every response is reinforced (e.g., giving a treat every time a dog sits).
Partial Reinforcement: Reinforcement occurs only part of the time, leading to slower acquisition but greater resistance to extinction.
What is the main difference between classical and operant conditioning?
Classical Conditioning (Pavlovian): Focuses on learning associations between stimuli (Stimulus-Stimulus Learning) where behavior is elicited automatically by a stimulus (e.g., Pavlov’s dogs salivating at the sound of a bell).
Operant Conditioning (Skinnerian): Focuses on learning associations between behavior and its consequences (Response-Outcome learning) where behavior is emitted voluntarily to achieve a desired outcome (e.g., pressing a lever to receive food).
How do classical and operant conditioning interact in avoidance learning?
In avoidance learning, classical conditioning creates an association between a neutral stimulus (like a tone) and an unpleasant event (like a shock). Through operant conditioning, the organism learns to escape or avoid the unpleasant stimulus by taking a certain action (e.g., moving to a safe space after hearing the tone).
What is taste aversion learning?
Taste aversion learning is a form of classical conditioning where an organism learns to avoid a food or drink that it associates with illness or discomfort. For example, in Garcia & Koelling’s study, rats who were made ill after drinking sweetened water avoided that water in the future, even if the illness was caused by radiation, not the water itself.
What does the Preparedness Principle explain?
The Preparedness Principle (Seligman, 1970) suggests that certain associations are more easily learned than others because of evolutionary predispositions. For example, animals are more likely to develop associations between tastes and illness, but not between visual cues and illness.
What is latent learning?
Latent learning is a form of learning that occurs without reinforcement but becomes apparent when reinforcement is introduced. Edward Tolman’s experiments with rats in mazes showed that rats could learn a maze without being reinforced, and they performed better when reinforcement was provided.
What is the overall summary of associative learning?
Associative learning includes both classical and operant conditioning. It involves forming associations between stimuli and responses (classical) or between actions and consequences (operant). Key principles include learning through reinforcement, the association by contiguity, and the arbitrariness of associations.
What role do reinforcers play in learning?
Reinforcers increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Positive reinforcers present a desirable stimulus, while negative reinforcers remove an undesirable stimulus, both encouraging the repetition of the behavior.
How does punishment affect behavior?
Punishment introduces an undesirable stimulus or removes a positive one to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, reducing undesirable behaviors.
