Operant Conditioning Flashcards
did operant conditioning develop before or after classical conditioning?
after
what type of behaviour is operant conditioning concerned with?
voluntary
e.g. pressing a lever
why does learning occur during operant conditioning?
due to the consequences of an action
what is a reinforcer?
the event that leads to an increased likelyhood of the behaviour being repeated
primary reinforcer
the reward has biological significance
example of a primary reinforcer
food
shelter
sex
secondary reinforcer
rewards which become associated with a primary reinforcer
examples of a secondary reinforcer
good job - sexually attractive
money - buys food
positive reinforcer
takes place when something pleasant is introduced following a behaviour
examples of a positive reinforcer
smile
praise
negative reinforcer
takes place when something unpleasant is being removed
a behaviour to remove an unpleasant feeling
examples of a negative reinforcer
leaving a loud restaurant to go to a quieter one
punishment
when an event following a behaviour makes its repetition less likely
positive punishment
takes place when something unpleasant is introduced following a behaviour
examples of positive punishment
getting slapped during an arguement
negative punishment
when something nice is removed
examples of negative punishment
phone being taken away for not helping around the house
uncontrollable reinforcers
happen regardless of behaviour
but we associate our actions with that reinforcer and continue to repeat the behaviour
which study illustrated uncontrollable reinforcers?
Skinner illustrated this by placing 8 pigeons in Skinner boxes
describe the Skinner box
one wall with a pad the pigeons could peck
contained food dispenser - controlled by experimenter
when would the pigeons in the box receive food
every 15 seconds
regardless of what the pigeons did
how did the pigeons respond to the food
six of the eight birds responded by adopting repetitive and unusual behaviours
examples of the unusual behaviours of the birds
hopping up and down
head-bobbing
what happened when Skinner adjusted the food dispenser to administer food more slowly
the head bobbing bird increased the speed of its head bopping
why did Skinner propose he had created ‘superstitious pigeons?
food had followed the repeated movement
the birds had come to learn that food would always follow that behaviour
food motivated them to repeat the behaviour constantly
what did Skinner argue about punishment?
punishment is largely irrelevant
we should be able to predict and control peoples behaviours by the appropriate distribution of reinforcements
so that punishment should never be necessary
what doesn’t punishment teach us?
what we ought to do
why is it thought that reinforcement is more effective than punishment?
it increases desirable behaviour which is arguably more effective than decreasing undesirable behaviours
in what cases can punishment act as a reinforcer?
it can be a means of attention or some people may enjoy punishment
this means their behaviour may increase as a result
3 conditions that need to be met for punishment to work
predictable & consistent
must be given by someone who seems neutral rather than emotionally involved
reflect / support social norms
contingent
clear link between the persons behaviour and the consequence it produces - they know exactly what they are being rewarded or punished for
contiguent
the consequence follows soon after the behaviour - conditioning is weakened if there’s too long a delay.
what 2 things must effective conditioning using punishment and reinforcers be?
contingent & contiguent
5 major schedules of reinforcement
continuous
fixed ratio
variable ratio
fixed interval
variable interval
continuous reinforcement
where the desired effect is reinforced every time it occurs
fixed ratio reinforcement
such as every fifth or tenth, or any such regular correct response is reinforced
variable ratio reinforcement
where the number of correct responses is constantly altered
fixed interval reinforcement
reinforcement made once every fixed number of minutes, so long as there has been at least one correct result during that time
variable interval reinforcement
where the time between reinforcements is varied
which type of reinforcement did Skinner find that animals were quickest to condition by?
continuous reinforcement
shaping
any behaviour which vaguely resembles what is being looked for is reinforced
reinforcements then become increasingly selective
