Operant Conditioning

Question 1

What is the main idea of operant conditioning?

Answer 1

Behavior is shaped by the learner’s history of experiencing rewards & punishments for their actions (as consequences)

Question 2

What is the Skinner Box?

Answer 2

• a microworld in which he could control the animal’s experience of reinforcement & punishment
• pressing the lever was the target behavior, which could be strengthened through reinforcement & weakened through punishment

Question 3

When is a behavior reinforced?

Answer 3

• Whenever a desirable outcome is the consequence
• reinforced behaviours = more likely to be repeated

Question 4

Define reinforcer

Answer 4

any consequence of a behaviour that makes that behaviour MORE LIKELY to occur in the future

Question 5

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 5

when something pleasant is added to increase behaviour

Question 6

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 6

when something unpleasant is removed to increase behaviour

Question 7

Difference b/w continuous and partial reinforcement

Answer 7

• continuous reinforcement leads to RAPID extinction once the reinforce is withheld
• partial reinforcement leads to more PERSISTENT learning because the learner is used to the fact that reinforcement occurs on some occasions and not others

Question 8

What is a variable-ratio schedule (VR)?

Answer 8

when a behaviour is rewarded unpredictably after varying numbers of performances - inderlies the way rewards are distributed in gambling

Question 9

Does extinction happen more rapidly for continuous or partial reinforcement?

Answer 9

It happens more rapidly for continuous reinforcement

Question 10

What is an extinction burst?

Answer 10

a brief increase in responding followed by decrease in trained behaviour

Question 11

What is “shaping”?

Answer 11

involves using reinforcement to reward small steps towards a desired response
- reinforced SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATIONS to the desired behaviour
- ping-pong and pigeons

Question 12

What is punishment?

Answer 12

A behaviour is punished (weakened) whenever the learner experiences an undesirable consequence for that behaviour

Question 13

What is a punisher?

Answer 13

any consequence of a behaviour that makes it less likely to recur in future

Question 14

What is positive punishment?

Answer 14

when an unpleasant stimulus weakens behaviour when added as a consequence of the behaviour

Question 15

What is negative punishment? (also referred to as ‘response cost’)

Answer 15

When a pleasant stimulus that weakens behaviour is removed as a consequence of the behaviour

Question 16

When is punishment effective?

Answer 16

1. contingency (relationship b/w behaviour & punishment clear)
2. contiguity ((punishment follows behaviour swiftly)
3. consistency (needs to occur every time)

Because it mut meet these 3 criteria, punishment is less effective than reward

Question 17

Drawbacks of punishment

Answer 17

1. does not usually work for long-term –> only suppresses behaviour
2. does not teach a more desirable behaviour
3. if threat of punishment is removed, behaviour returns
4. produces negative feelings in learner, which do not promote new learning
5. harsh punishment may teach learner to use such behaviour towards others (social learning)

Question 18

Alternatives to punishment

Answer 18

• stop reinforcing the problem behaviour (extinction)
• reinforce an alternative behaviour
• reinforce the non-occurrence of undesirable behaviour

Question 19

What is an antecedent?

Answer 19

• a ‘cue’ that signals the availability of a reinforcer
• classically conditioned associations become cues for operant behaviours
  e.g. phone becomes antecedant for behaviour of scrolling social media & its rewards

Question 20

ABC model of operant conditioning

Answer 20

antecedant –> behaviour –> consequence

Question 21

When does an antecedant become a discriminative sitmuli?

Answer 21

when it signals which of 2 or more potential behaviours is appropriate in a context
- based on a classically conditioned associated
- e.g. swearing is punished in some contexts & rewarded in others – we can distinguish b/e the 2