Operant Conditioning

Question 1

what is the behavior changes of operant conditioning?

Answer 1

behavior changes as a result of consequences that follow it

Question 2

what are the differences between classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 2

classical: focuses on elicited (involuntary) behavior
operant: focuses on emitted (voluntary) behaviors

Question 3

what is operant conditioning?

Answer 3

the process whereby organisms learn to make responses in order to obtain or avoid certain outcomes. is really a three part association (SRO).

Question 4

what is instrumental learning?

Answer 4

organism’s behavior is instrumental in bringing about certain outcomes

Question 5

what is thorndike’s law of effect?

Answer 5

“affect of consequences on future behavior”
1. responses followed by a satisfying (unsatisfying) consequence becomes more (less) likely to occur

Question 6

Describe SRO

Answer 6

S: discriminative stimulus (context)
R: response
O: outcome
- this knowledge guides future behaviors

Question 7

What is the R that is learned in SRO?

Answer 7

1. is not a rote motor program
2. if normal motor program is blocked, animal will use other methods to achieve the same ends
3. is a behavioral unit. not a single behavior but a class of behaviors producing an effect. some call it a goal or intention

Question 8

Describe S in SRO

Answer 8

1. tells us which contingencies are in effect. operant conditioning is about contingencies (if R, then O)
2. crucial in operant learning, ensuring that we select behaviors that are appropriate to the situation

Question 9

What is the straight runway procedure?

Answer 9

(instrumental conditioning) Animal is put in a start box, has to go down a straight alley to reach the goal box w/ reinforcement.

Question 10

what measures are in the straight runway procedure?

Answer 10

latency: slowness, how long it takes the animal to learn. as learning occurs, latency decreases
speed: as learning occurs, speed increases as animal goes down alley faster

Question 11

what is the T-Maze paradigm?

Answer 11

Rats are put in a maze shaped like a T. They are placed in the bottom. Food is on one side of the T. Rats have to figure out which direction to turn over a series of trials.

Question 12

what measures are in the T-Maze paradigm?

Answer 12

• latency
• speed
• error rate: the amount of mistakes the rat makes (how many wrong turns). As rat becomes more accurate, error rate would decrease

Question 13

What is the skinner box?

Answer 13

(operant conditioning)
1. animal is placed in a ‘free’ chamber, no experimenter intervention
2. context (S): light that signals box is on
3. behavior (R): rate of lever pressing
4. outcomes (O): food delivery (reward) or shock (punishment)

Question 14

What is shaping?

Answer 14

(operant conditioning)
shaping through successive approximation builds a complex R incrementally. Reward for each step you take (potty-training)

Question 15

What is chaining?

Answer 15

(operant conditioning)
chaining builds complex R sequences by linking together SRO conditions
(building complex behaviors, like dog obstacle courses)

Question 16

define reinforcement

Answer 16

response strengthened by consequence that follows
*something can’t be a reinforce if the person doesn’t perceive it as a reward

Question 17

define punishment

Answer 17

response weakened by consequence that follows

Question 18

define primary reinforcers

Answer 18

stimuli that organism finds reinforcing because they satisfy biological needs (e.g. food, drink)
*things you do not have to learn to find rewarding

Question 19

define secondary reinforcers

Answer 19

acquire reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers (e.g. money, praise)
*just the opportunity to engage in behavior can also be rewarding. doesn’t have to be things (ex. hanging out w/ friends, skiing, go out to play)

Question 20

define positive reinforcement

Answer 20

occurs when a response is strengthened by the presentation of a stimulus (the positive reinforcer) that follows it
*something good is added

Question 21

define negative reinforcement

Answer 21

response strengthened by removal (or avoidance) of an aversive stimulus (the negative reinforcer)
*something undesirable is taken away
*always strengthens behavior

Question 22

True or False: You can have positive and negative reinforcement at the same time

Answer 22

True

Question 23

Provide examples of negative reinforcement

Answer 23

1. you go to the gym to lose weight
2. anxious about germs. I wash my hands and the anxiety goes away
3. phobias. avoiding where you’ll be triggered to get rid of anxiety and obsessive thought

Question 24

describe escape learning

Answer 24

consequence of behavior is terminating an already present aversive stimulus
*the aversive thing is happening right now

Question 25

provide examples of escape learning

Answer 25

1. someone calls and you don’t want to talk, you pick up and hang up
2. running away from murder
3. going to the gym to lose weight
4. taking medicine b/c you have high blood pressure

Question 26

describe avoidance learning

Answer 26

consequence of behavior is preventing the appearance of an aversive stimulus
*preventive actions. things hasn’t happened yet, trying to avoid it
*usually a signal that alerts you

Question 27

provide examples of avoidance learning

Answer 27

1. someone calls and you don’t want to talk, so you let it ring
2. running away from murder
3. going to the gym to prevent challenges of old age

Question 28

What are the factors that affect positive reinforcement?

Answer 28

1. AMOUNT, magnitude of reinforcer
2. QUALITY, of reinforcer
3. DELAY, timing between behavior and consequence
4. SCHEDULE, relationship between behavior and consequence

Question 29

What are the factors that affect negative reinforcement?

Answer 29

1. AMOUNT, magnitude of reinforcer
2. DELAY, timing between behavior and consequence
3. SCHEDULE, relationship between behavior and consequence

Question 30

In negative reinforcement, one of the factors affecting it is schedule. When will reinforcement work best?

Answer 30

*when given a timeline. The quicker in time you get the consequence, the quicker you learn
*behaviors need to be continuously reinforced

Question 31

Why is quality not a factor affecting negative reinforcement?

Answer 31

*something is being taken away in N.R. You can’t measure the quality of something that is not there

Question 32

What is continuous reinforcement?

Answer 32

every response of a particular type is reinforced

Question 33

provide examples of continuous reinforcement

Answer 33

1. every time you put your dollar in the vending machine, you get a snack
2. every time you put the key in the ignition, the car starts

Question 34

what is partial reinforcement?

Answer 34

only some responses are reinforced