Operant Conditioning Flashcards
Thorndike
Focused was on animal intelligence
- Created puzzle boxes & used them with cats
- The cats figured out that if it pulled the wire loop, it would release the door and allow cat to exit
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
The idea that behaviors that result in a positive outcome are likely to be repeated; those that result in a negative outcome are not likely to be repeated
B.F Skinner
Considered one of the founding fathers of psychology
Created the “Skinner box”
- Allowed a rat to push a lever
that would result in food being
delivered
Skinner’s experiment of operant conditioning demonstrated that :
- The behavior must occur FIRST and then it is reinforced or punished
- You cannot respond to the behavior UNTIL it occurs!
4 Types of Operant Conditioning
- Two types strengthen behavior (reinforcements)
- Two types will weaken behavior (punishments)
Reinforcements (definition)
an increase in the strength of a behavior due to its consequences
Positive Reinforcement
A behavior is followed by the APPEARNCE of, or an increase in the intensity of a stimulus
- You execute some behavior and something is ADDED to the equation (such as a good grade or money) that you find reinforcing
- Therefore, you are likely to repeat the behavior
Also called : Reward Learning
Negative reinforcement
A behavior is followed by the REMOVAL of, or decrease in the intensity of a behavior
- You execute some behavior and a NEGATIVE stimulus is removed!
- You are more likely to repeat this behavior in the future because you have been negatively reinforced
Example : A baby is crying (you hate that sound); you pick up the baby and it stops crying! This behavior has been negatively reinforced.
Also called : Escape Avoidance Learning
Positive vs Negative Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement
- something added
Negative reinforcement
- something subtracted
BOTH types lead to a higher chance of repeating a behavior!
Discrete trial procedure
The behavior of the participant ends the trial
___________________________
Example :
Thorndike’s Experiment
- Once the cat hit the level; it was free and the trial ended
REVIEW INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT VARIABLES
- Dependent variable in Thorndike’s work was always the TIME it took the cat to press the lever
Free operant procedure
Behavior may be repeated any number of times
Example : Skinner’s Experiment
- Skinner’s rats would hit the lever over and over again to release more food because no limit was set
REVIEW INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT VARIABLES
- Here the DV was the number of times the lever was pushed
Understanding Operant Conditioning
How does learning occur?
- Behavior is produced and reinforced
How active is it?
- Active; behavior needs to occur before learning
Participation?
- Voluntary; based on motor movement
A. Primary reinforcers
Naturally or innately reinforcing (such as food)
Examples :
Sexual stimulation, relief from heat/cold, drugs, food & water
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Once satiation occurs, the reinforcer loses its strength
- Example : Once you’ve had two M&Ms, the third and forth aren’t as appealing
Secondary reinforcers
Dependent upon their association with other reinforcers.
- Also called “Conditioned Reinforcers” – however do NOT confused this with classical conditioning
Human examples: praise, recognition, smiles, positive feedback.
Example :
- For humans, think about an elementary school teacher giving M&M’s for good behavior (primary reinforcer)
- He/she may use praise as a secondary reinforcer because it takes too long to constantly hand out candy
Generalized reinforcers
A type of SECONDARY reinforcer that can be paired with NUMEROUS primary reinforcers
Example : Money!
- Money can get you many primary reinforcers (ie : prizes)
Contrived reinforcers
Events that have been arranged by someone, usually for the purpose of modifying behavior (lab experiment).
- Related to primary reinforcers
Example : If a rat pushes a lever, it gets a food pellet.
