Me 3.8a Operant Conditioning: Basic Concepts

Question 1

law of effect

Answer 1

Thorndike’s principle that behaviours followed by favourable (or reinforcing) consequences become more likely, and that behaviours followed by unfavourable (or punishing) consequences become less likely.

Question 1

operant conditioning

Answer 1

a method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behaviour. Done consciously.

Question 2

reinforcement

Answer 2

Any event that strengthens (increases the frequency of) a preceding response.

Question 2

operant chamber

Answer 2

a chamber (also known as a Skinner box) containing a bar or key that
an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal’s rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

Question 3

shaping

Answer 3

gradually guiding the rat’s actions toward the desired behaviour.

Question 4

discriminative stimulus

Answer 4

when a child engages in the target behavior of cleaning their room when a parent is present, but not engaging in the behavior when the parent is not present.

The parent is the discriminative stimulus they influences the target behavior of cleaning the room.

Question 5

positive reinforcement

Answer 5

increasing behaviours by presenting a pleasurable stimulus. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

Question 6

negative reinforcement

Answer 6

increasing behaviours by stopping or reducing na aversive stimulus. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response. (Note: Negative reinforcement is not punishment.)

Question 7

primary reinforcer

Answer 7

an innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

Question 8

conditioned reinforcer

Answer 8

a stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer. (Also known as a secondary reinforcer.)

Question 9

What do delays in stimulus and results do?

Answer 9

Reduces the association learned, but humans are better at perceiving delayed rewards,

Question 10

continuous reinforcement schedule

Answer 10

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.

Question 10

reinforcement schedule

Answer 10

a pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.

Question 11

partial (intermittent) reinforcement
schedule

Answer 11

reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement.

Question 12

What creates superstitions

Answer 12

Accidental timing of rewards.

Question 13

fixed-ratio schedule

Answer 13

in operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.

Question 14

variable-ratio schedule

Answer 14

a reinforcement schedule that
reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses. Animals will pause only briefly after a reinforcer before returning to a high rate of resoinding.

Question 15

punishment

Answer 15

an event that tends to decrease the behaviour that it follows.

Question 16

Positive punishment

Answer 16

Administer an aversive stimulus.

Question 17

Negative punishment

Answer 17

Withdraw a rewarding stimulus.

Question 18

Fixed-Interval schedule

Answer 18

Reinforcement after a specific amount of time has passed (e.g., every week).

Question 19

Variable-Interval schedule

Answer 19

Reinforcement after a random amount of time has passed (e.g., every week).