Instrumental Conditioning Flashcards
What is instrumental conditioning? Explain this using an example.
We know that when we touch a hot stove, we will get burned. This is an example of instrumental conditioning. Instrumental conditioning is learning the contingency between behaviours and their consequences.
What did Thorndike predict would happen in his experiment where he observed the apparent behaviour of the cats in the puzzle box?
His experiment involved placing cats in a puzzle box that had a door. The door could be opened if the cats pulled on the string. For motivation, he placed a bowl of food outside the box. The cat would perform various actions, and eventually stumble upon the correct action, and the door would open. Thorndike predicted that when placing the cat in the puzzle box again, the time it would take for the cat to open the door would decrease, as trails went by.
What actually happened in the puzzle box experiment?
It seemed that the random behaviours that did not lead to escape would occur less frequently, leaving only the correct target behaviour left. It seemed like for cats there was never a distinct “aha” moment. The cat seemed to learn from trial-and-error rather than conscious learning of the escape behaviour.
What concept did Thorndike’s experiment create?
His experiment created the law of effect. The law of effect is when favourable behaviours or behaviours with positive consequences are stamped in and unfavourable behaviours were stamped out.
Jason is trying to train his dog, Kelly for a contest. Every time Kelly obeys the given command, Jason rewards him with a treat. What type of instrumental conditioning is he using?
Jason is using reward training, which is a presentation of a positive reinforcer. The presentation of the treat is what pushes Kelly to obey the command.
When Susan’s older brother makes fun of her, her mom yells at him. What type of training is Susan’s mom using?
Susan’s mom is using punishment training, which is a presentation of a negative reinforcer. By scolding him when he yells at Susan, she will likely be decreasing this behaviour.
Punishment training can sometimes be controversial. What type of instrumental conditioning can be done instead of this? Provide an example.
Omission training can be used instead of punishment training. Omission training is the removal of a positive reinforcer. Looking at the same example as before, instead of yelling at her brother, Susan’s mom can instead take away his phone. This too will decrease the behaviour of making fun of Susan.
What is escape training? Provide an example.
Escape training is the removal of a negative reinforcer. For example, a landlord has a tenant living above him that always blasts music. The landlord decides to hit ceiling with the broom, and the tenant stops. The landlord has learned that he can avoid the music (negative reinforcer) by banging on the ceiling.
When is the best time to present or remove the reinforcer?
The best time would be immediately after behaviour. This would ensure effectiveness of the presentation or removal of the reinforcer.
In terms of instrumental conditioning, what is acquisition?
The process of acquisition leads to learning the contingency between a response and its consequences. It depends on the response rate of a behaviour.
What equipment is used to visualize the response rate of behaviour?
Cumulative recorder is used to visualize the response rate of behaviour.
Define autoshaping.
Autoshaping is learning without direct guidance.
Can all behaviours be learned by autoshaping?
No, some behaviours are too complex to be learned by autoshaping. For example, when trying to teach a dolphin to do a backflip with reward training, you cannot expect the dolphin to learn it by the next day. This instead can be done by a technique called shaping by successive approximation, which organizes the complex behaviour into smaller steps which gradually build up to the final response.
What is the discriminative stimulus (SD or S+)? Provide an example.
SD indicates when a contingency is valid. For example, when a kid eats their vegetables at their parent’s home, they may receive a reward, but when they eat vegetables at their grandparents house they do not. This is because at their grandparents house, the contingency is not valid. This invalidity can be indicated with S-delta or S-.
What is the difference between CS of classical conditioning and SD of instrumental conditioning?
CS is involuntary and automatic. The CS is paired with the US and it elicits a response reflexively. The SD is also paired with the response-reinforcer outcome but it does not elicit the response, it just sets the occasion for a response by signalling when the response-reinforcer outcome relationship is valid.
