Module 21

Question 1

who more or less invented operant conditioning and who did he base his ideas on

Answer 1

B.F. Skinner
Thorndike

Question 2

what is operant conditioning about

Answer 2

learning to associate behaviour with consequences

Question 3

what is the method of successive approximations in shaping behaviour

Answer 3

responses that are increasingly closer to the final desired behavior are rewarded; all other responses are ignored

Question 4

positive reinforcement

Answer 4

add a positive stimulus

Question 5

negative reinforcement

Answer 5

remove negative stimulus

Question 6

positive punishment

Answer 6

add a negative stimulus

Question 7

negative punishment

Answer 7

remove a positive stimulus

Question 8

types of reinforcement schedules

Answer 8

• fixed ratio schedule
• fixed interval schedule
• variable ratio schedule
• variable interval schedule

Question 9

four major drawbacks of physical punishment

Answer 9

-The punished behavior is suppressed, but not forgotten. This temporary state may (negatively) reinforce parents’ punishing behavior.
-Punishment teaches discrimination among situations—perhaps only selectively decreasing the undesired behavior.
-Punishment can teach fear.
-Physical punishment may increase aggression by modeling violence as a way to cope with problems

Question 10

Reinforcing Desired Behaviors and Extinguishing Undesired Behaviors (steps)

Answer 10

state - decide - monitor - reinforce - reduce