Lec. 14 (operant conditioning) Flashcards
classical or operant?
organism learning associations between events it does NOT CONTROl (tone, salivating reflex)
classical conditioning
classical or operant?
organism learning associations between its OWN behavior and RESULTING events
operant conditioning
the strengthening of behaviors through CONSEQUENCES (ex: switching a light switch on and then lights turn on)
operant conditioning
BF SKINNER =
operant conditioning
operant conditioning started with who?
Thorndike
put cats in boxes and determined how they learned – PUZZLE BOXES
Thorndike
Thorndike + BF Skinner were both ________
behaviorists
focused on learning and OBSERVING animals
behaviorists
if a response made to a particular stimulus is followed by satisfaction, that response is more likely to occur the next time the stimulus is present
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
principle Thorndike used/dexplained through his Law of Effect
instrumental conditioning
thorndike used ___________ to explain instrumental conditioning
puzzle pox
skinner extended thorndikes law of effect/instrumental conditioning by saying that an organism learned a response by ________ on the environment
operating
says “consequences shapes behavior”
operant condioning
using Thorndikes law of effect as a starting point, Skinner developed the ________ to study operant conditioning
skinner box (rats in boxes)
skinner boxes were also called wha?
operant chambers
Thorndike =
Skinner =
- cats
- rats
a reponse/behavior that has some effect on the world
operant
a stimulus event that INCREASES the probability that the operant behavior will occur again
reinforcer
T/F: reinforcer = punishment
false
PLEASANT stimulus that when given strengthens the response if it follows that response
positive reinforcer
an UNPLEASANT stimulus that – if REMOVED – strengthens the response that removes the stimulus (something bad gets taken away)
negative reinforcer
both positive and negative reinforcers ________ responses
STRENGTHENS
reinforcements will always _______ the likelihood that the operant will occur again
increase
getting a hug; receiving a paycheck =
positive reinforcement
fastening seatbelt to turn off beeping sound =
negative reinforcement
TYPES of reinforcers (2):
- primary
- secondary
type of reinforcer: events or stimuli that satisfy needs basic to SURVIVAL (ex: food, water, shelter – candy/calories)
primary
type of reinforcer: rewards that people or animals LEARN to like (ex: money for adults, praise)
secondary
secondary reinforcers are sometimes called what?
“conditioned reinforcers”
TIMING of reinforcers (2):
- immediate
- delayed
timing of reinforcer: rat gets food after pressing a button
immediate
timing of reinforcer: paycheck arrives after two week; effect may be WEAKENED
delayed
with delayed reinforcers, the effect may be ______
weakened
process of reinforcing successive approximations to the target behavior (each approximate desired behavior that is demonstrated is reinforced, while behaviors that are not approximations of the desired behavior are not reinforced)
shaping
how OFTEN you provide reinforcement
schedules of reinforcement
types of schedules of reinforcement (2):
- continuous
- partial/intermittent
type of schedule of reinforcement: reinforcer is delivered EVERY time a particular response occurs
continuous
type of schedule of reinforcement: reinforcement is given only some of the time
partial/intermittent
TYPES of PARTIAL reinforcement schedules (2):
1) response-based
2) time-based
type of partial reinforcement: reinforcement based on number of desired behaviors
response-based
type of partial reinforcement: reinforcement based on TIME
time-based
TYPES of response based partial reinforcement (2):
- fixed ratio (FR)
- variable ratio (VR)
TYPES of response-based partial reinforcement (2):
- fixed ratio (FR)
- variable ratio (VR)
type of response-based partial reinforcement: fixed number of responses required for reinforcement
fixed ratio (FR)
type of response-based partial reinforcement: number of responses required for reinforcement varies around an average
variable ratio
TYPES of time-based partial reinforcement schedules (2):
- fixed interval (FI)
- variable interval (VI)
type of time-based partial reinforcement: fixed set of time must elapse (is predictable) before next opportunity for reinforcement
fixed interval (FI)
type of time-based partial reinforcement: time interval that must elapse before next opportunity for reinforcement varies/is unpredictable
variable interval (VI)
partial reinforcement schedule ex: free coffee after 10 visits; “10th caller” in a radio contest
FR (fixed ratio)
partial reinforcement schedule ex: lottery, gambling, slot machines
VR (variable ratio)
partial reinforcement schedule ex: UPS delivery of your new gadget, studying for an upcoming test
FI (fixed interval)
partial reinforcement schedule ex: email “ding,” an unexpected pop quiz
VI (variable interval)
the presentation of an AVERSIVE stimulus or the REMOVAL of a pleasant one following some behavior; always results in the DECREASE in the frequency of a response
punishment
______ always results in an INCREASE in freq. of a response and _______ results in a DECREASE in freq. of a response
reinforcer; punishment
negative reinforcement always ________ behavior and punishment always ________ behavior
strengthens; weakens
2 ways to punish / decrease behavior…
- administer an aversive stimulus (spanking; parking ticket)
- withdraw a desirable stimulus (time out from privileges; revoked driver’s liscense)
T/F: in general, reinforcers are much better at changing behavior than punishments
true
drawback of punishments (4):
- does not “erase” an undesirable habit, merely suppresses it
- must be give IMMEDIATELY after undesirable behavior
- can become aggression, even abuse, when given in anger
- signals what is inappropriate behaviors but does not specify correct alternative behavior
challenges to behavioral view of classical and operant conditioning; argued that learning may result from not only automatic associations but also from MENTAL PROCESSES; says learning is more than just associations, reinforcements, and punishment
cognitive processes (in learning)
in cognitive maps, the big change in learning for rats who were given reinforcement (cheese) after trial 11 displays what?
latent learning
the subconscious retention of information without reinforcement or motivation; one changes behavior only when there is sufficient motivation later than when they subconsciously retained the information
latent learning
__________ said latent learning was impossible since it occurs in the mind and you couldn’t study it
behaviorists
the discovery of latent learning was the beginning of the end of _____________ since it obviously had limits; began studying the MIND and INTRINSIC motivation
operant conditioning
the desire to perform a behavior for its own sake (ex: to be successful)
intrinsic motivation
the desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishments (ex: money, time-out)
extrinsic motivation
higher animals, especially humans, learn through ________ and ________ others
observing + imitating
learning by OBSERVATION begins as early as ________ in children (ex: imitates the adult on TV pulling a toy apart)
14 months
showed that children in elementary school who are exposed to violent TV, videos, and video games express increased aggression
Gentile et al.
T/F: violent TV and video games does not DIRECTLY cause violence in children, but it does not help (ex: may imitate it)
true
T/F: research shows that viewing media violence leads to an increased expression of aggression
true
