Operant Conditioning

Question 1

Law of Effect

Answer 1

Positive effects are more likely to reoccur than negative effects

Question 2

Who created the Law of Effect

Answer 2

Edward Thorndike

Question 3

Operant conditioning

Answer 3

Method of learning that uses rewards and punishment to modify behavior

Question 4

Radical behaviorism

Answer 4

behavior is completely determined by environmental and genetic factors

Does not believe in free will

Question 5

Founder of operant conditioning

Answer 5

B.F. Skinner

Question 6

Skinner box

Answer 6

chamber used to conduct operant conditioning with animals. Has a level that animals operate to obtain food within the chamber as reinforcement.

Question 7

Operant response

Answer 7

Response that operates on the environment to produce certain consequences.

Question 8

Reinforcer

Answer 8

Stimulus that increases likelihood of the response happening again

Question 9

Superstitious behavior

Answer 9

Behavior accidentally reinforced

Question 10

Positive reinforcement

Answer 10

Desirable stimulus is given to increase behavior

Getting an A on the test was the positive reinforcement I needed to keep studying.

Question 11

Negative reinforcement

Answer 11

Undesirable stimulus is taken away to increase desired behavior

Ex: People want to avoid nagging, so they do what needs to be done

Question 12

Primary reinforcers

Answer 12

Stimuli that are rewarding because they satisfy basic biological needs.

Examples: food,water, relief from pain, sexual stimulation

Question 13

Secondary reinforcers

Answer 13

acquire reinforcement value when they’re associated with a primary reinforcer.

Question 14

Discriminative stimulus

Answer 14

a specific environmental cue that signals to an individual that a particular behavior will be reinforced or punished

Examples are money or good grades.

Question 15

Discriminative stimulus

Answer 15

a specific environmental cue that signals to an individual that a particular behavior will be reinforced or punished

Question 16

Shaping

Answer 16

gradually molding or training an organism to perform a specific response (behavior) by reinforcing any responses that are similar to the desired response

Question 17

Schedule of reinforcment

Answer 17

the rules that determine how often an organism is reinforced for a particular behavior

Question 18

Schedule of continuous reinforcment

Answer 18

Reinforcement follows each instance of the operant response.

Ex: Rat in Skinner box receives a food pellet every time it presses the lever

Question 19

Schedule of partial reinforcment

Answer 19

Only a portion of responses are reinforced

Question 20

Fixed-Ratio schedule

Answer 20

Reinforcement is given after a specified number of correct responses.

Question 21

Variable-Ratio schedule

Answer 21

Partial schedule of reinforcement in which a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses

Question 22

Two types of partial reinfrocement schedules

Answer 22

ratio schedules and interval schedules

Question 23

Fixed-Interval schedule

Answer 23

Reinforcement is given only for a correct response made after a fixed amount of time has elapsed since the last reinforcement.

Ex: Food given after 30 min intervals
Ex: Scheduled test

Question 24

Variable interval schedule

Answer 24

The amount of time that must elapse before a reinforcement can be given for a correct response is variable rather than fixed.

Ex: Pop quizzes since students don’t know the exact day they are given

Question 25

Escape learning

Answer 25

Learning of behaviors that allows an organism to escape from an aversive stimulus\

Ex: Rat taught to press bar to turn off an electric shock

Question 26

Avoidance learning

Answer 26

The organism learns to perform a response that avoids an aversive stimulus

Ex: Rat recieves signal that shock is about to be delivered

Question 27

Reinforcment

Answer 27

Strengthens the behavior

Question 28

Punishment

Answer 28

Weakens the behavior

Question 29

Positive punishment

Answer 29

Adding a unpleasant stimulus to reduce a behavior

Ex: Parent scolds child for slamming door

Question 30

Negative punishment

Answer 30

Removing a positive stimulus to reduce behavior.

Ex: Taking child’s toy away after they did smthn wrong