L3 - operant conditioning and skinners research Flashcards
what was the skinner box
box with loud speakers, lights, lever, door, floor which could be electrified
how was positive reinforcement investigated in the skinner box
hungry rat places in box, freely ran around, if rat accidentally pressed lever, it was rewarded with food pellet
continued to press lever to receive food, learns that pressing lever is reward
how was negative reinforcement investigated in the skinner box
rat pressed lever to avoid something unpleasant (electric shock conducted from floor)
how did extinction work in the skinner box
when rat presses lever and no longer receives reward, rat learns that pressing lever leads to no reward so stops pressing the lever
how did spontaneous recovery work in the skinner box
after extinction
if rat presses lever again and suddenly receives food pellet, rat will learn that lever results in food
will spontaneously recover what was previously learnt
what is continuous reinforcement
every time rat presses lever, they will always receive food pellet
what is fixed interval reinforcement
rat presses lever and only receives food pellet during a fixed time e.g every 30 seconds
what is fixed ratio
rat presses lever a fixed number of times before receiving food pellet
strength of research by skinner
relied on experimental method
used highly controlled conditioned
could establish cause and effect
2 weaknesses of skinners research
- ignores free will, suggest past experiences with operant conditioning will affect future behaviour, deterministic as humans have control over behaviours and ignores fact that there is choice over behaviour
- ethical issues, rats and pigeons placed often in stressful situations, negative effect on psychological and physical health, generalising results to humans, may not be applicable
