operant conditioning Flashcards
what is operant conditioning?
a type of learning in which behavior is influenced by consequences
what was the skinner box?
device designed by bf skinner to automatically reinforce certain action while keeping a cumulative record of behavior
what are the two essential components of operant conditioning?
reinforcement and punishment
what is the difference between reinforcement and punishment?
reinforcement is the response strengthened by an outcome that follows from it, whereas punishment is a response weakened by an outcome that follows from it
skinner believed in the a + b leads to c theory. what does a, b and c stand for?
antecedent, behavior, and consequence
what is the antecedent in the a+b=c?
stimuli presented before a behavior occurs
what is the behavior in the a+b=c?
something the organism does
what is the consequence in the a+b=c?
something that is conditional on the behavior
what is the different between classical conditioning and operant conditioning?
classical conditioning involves learning an association between two stimuli that occurs before a particular behavior and is elicited (automatic)
operant conditioning involves learning an association between a particular behavior and consequence, with the consequence occurring after the behavior and is emitted (voluntary)
what are the two kinds of reinforcement?
positive and negative reinforcement
what is positive reinforcement?
response is a presentation of a pleasant/desired stimulus; providing something pleasant as a reward
what is negative reinforcement?
response is strengthened by removal (or avoidance) of an aversive stimulus; removing something unpleasant as a reward
what are the two kinds of punishment?
positive and negative punishment
what is positive punishment?
weakens response by introduction of something unpleasant (spankings, nagging, etc)
what is negative punishment?
weakens response by removal of something valued
operant conditioning has two kinds or reinforcers, what are they?
primary and secondary reinforcers
what are primary reinforcers?
stimuli that is reinforcing because they satisfy/disrupt biological needs (food, pain)
what are secondary reinforcers?
acquire reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers (money, tokens)
does reinforcement/punishment that occurs immediately after a behavior have a stronger effect?
yes
what is the delay of gratification?
the ability to forego an immediate smaller reward fir a delayed but more satisfying outcome
a reward that is __________ feels less rewarding than a reward that is __________
further, closer
what is operant extinction?
weakening/disappearance of operant response if no longer reinforced
can the resistance to extinction of operant conditioning vary?
yes
what is operant generalization?
operant response extended to new antecedent stimulus/situation
what is operant discrimination?
operant response is withheld from antecedent stimulus/situation
what is shaping in operant conditioning?
begin with a behavior that organism is already able to do that somehow resembles that eventual goal (target behavior) but is much easier
trying to get an organism to learn a behavior by starting with a less extreme version of the task, and ramp up the intensity
an example of shaping is if a child is not speaking in front of other people. how would shaping allow for the child to speak?
- begin by having them whisper a single word
- have them say the word slightly louder
- trying to have them say more words
what is chaining?
a very specific sequence (chain) of events of responses is reinforced in steps, want to step up the behavior that as soon as the first step is completed, the second step follows
how do chaining and shaping differ?
unlike shaping, chaining is about putting the pieces together exactly how they were learned
what are the two schedules of reinforcement?
fixed and variable schedules
what is the difference between fixed and variable schedules?
fixed schedules are where the reinforcement is entirely predictable, whereas variable schedules reinforcement is not predictable
fixed schedules are divided into fixed ratios and fixed intervals. what are the differences?
fixed ratios are when the reinforcement occurs after completing a constant number of responses, whereas fixed intervals are reinforcement that is available after a constant length of time
variable schedules also have variable ratios or intervals. what is the difference?
the variable ratio is when reinforcement occurs after a changing number of responses, whereas the variable interval is reinforcement that is available after a changing length of time
did ratios or intervals have a higher rate of responding?
ratios
what is continuous reinforcement?
every response of a particular type is reinforced
what is partial reinforcement?
only sometimes are reinforced
what is the difference between continuous and partial reinforcement?
continuous is more rapid, yet lost quicker, while partial is slower, yet is more resistant to extinction
what is escape conditioning?
learn response to terminate aversive stimuli (ie. aloe on sunburn)
what is avoidance conditioning?
learn response to avoid aversive stimuli (ie. put on sunblock to avoid sunburn)
what is the two factor theory of avoidance?
initial association between the stimuli develops (via classical conditioning)
negative reinforcement maintains avoidant response (via operant conditioning mechanisms)
how can operant conditioning be applied?
specialized animal training: training animals to perform certain tasks that assist people with various kinds of disabilities
behavior modification/applied behavior analysis (ABA): using principles of conditioning to stop behavior considered problematic
token economy: reinforce good behavior with ‘tokens’ that can be exchanged for tangible rewards
