Lecture 5 Flashcards
What are the different theories of reinforcement?
- The role of response and reinforcement
- Skinner’s theory
- Drive reduction
- Behaviour regulation (Premack)
What is Skinner’s operational definition of reinforcement?
- Reinforcer increases rate of behaviour
- Punisher decreases rate of behaviour
What is Drive reduction theory?
If homeostasis is disrupted drive is observed
Drive = unpleasant state that the animal wants to reduce (being thirsty so it drinks)
What are non-biological agents for drive reduction theory?
Money
Wild rats or mice running in wheels
Pleasure seeking
What is Premack’s principle? (Behavioural regulation)
A high probability behaviour can reinforce a low probability behaviour
(e.g. we want our child to do homework. So we say after 30mins of work you can play outside. Then you say after 30mins of playing outside you can watch Netflix. So you are rewarding the child with things they like more and more.
What is escape learning?
Emit a response that terminates an aversive consequence (negative reinforcement)
What is avoidance learning?
Emit a response to prevent the occurrence of an aversive consequence altogether
What is learned helplessness?
Animals / people start to behave as if their behaviour has no effect on what happens to them. They have learned they are helpless because they have had too much exposure to punishment
How do you combat learned helplessness?
Place the subject in a situation where it cannot fail, so it learns it has some control
What are the attributes for depression according to learned helplessness?
Internal, stable, global
What are the attributes that are depression reducing according to learned helplessness?
External, unstable, specific
What are the attributions of learned helplessness?
- Internal vs external
(Because of me / not because of me) - Stable vs unstable
(A trait that I have / one off incident) - Global vs specific
(Applies to all contexts / applies to this one context)
