operant conditioning Flashcards
what was thorndikes study and when was it
puzzle box 1911
what method does throndike suggest cats use
trial and error
how does thorndike suggest animals learn a response- operant conditioning
not through reasining but because of favourable concequences increasing propbability behaviour will be repeated
whats the difference between CC and OC
CC a natural response or reflex- unconditioned response response already naturally occurs - learning through association
OC- create new and novel behaviours in response to a concequence - learning through concequenece
whats the law of effect
Consequences or effects of our actions influence our future behaviour
whats positive reinforcment
Anything pleasant which is given to you when a desired behaviour is performed increasing the probability of the behaviour being repeated for example when a dog sits food is given which means the dog will probably sit again
What is a primary reinforcer
Satisfies a basic need for example food
What is a secondary reinforcer
Enables you to access the primary reinforcer for example money
What’s negative reinforcement
When something unpleasant is removed or avoided after the desirable behaviour is performed this increases the probability of the desirable behaviour being repeated for example when the rat presses the lever to stop the electric shock will press lever again
What is shaping and successive approximations
A technique used to teach or modify behaviour by reinforcing successive approximations towards a desirable behaviour for example reinforcing behaviours progressively until desired behaviour is achieved for example using a knife and Fork
What’s chaining
Linking together a series of behaviours or steps in order to complete a Complex task or achieve a desired outcome by breaking the task into smaller manageable components once each behaviour is learned it’s linked together to form a chain of behaviours
What are uncontrollable reinforces
Types of reinforcement that are not under the control of an individual
how do uncontrollable reinforces lead to superstitious behaviour
When an individual experiences positive reinforcement without understanding the cause of the positive reinforcement it can lead to superstitious behaviour
How did the skinner show this superstitious behaviour in pigeons
Pigeons were placed in a cage and bought to a state of hunger then presented with food at A 5 second interval the food was not given as a result of an action but at regular intervals regardless of the behaviour
The pigeon began to associate whatever random action they were doing when presented with food and believed that that behaviour caused the food to come due to coincidental timing
What are the three principles of operant conditioning
Extinction
generalisation
Discrimination
