Operant Conditioning

Question 1

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 1

• It is anything pleasant which is given to you when the desired behaviour is performed.
• THE ADDITION OF SOMETHING

Question 2

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 2

• It is when something unpleasant is removed/avoided after the desired behaviour is performed.
• THE REMOVAL OF SOMETHING

Question 3

What is punishment?

Answer 3

• Punishment involves causing some kind of physical or mental distress by giving a unpleasant response.
• If we know that we will be punished severly for something, we are less likely to do it.
• It stops undesirable behaviour

Question 4

What is primary reinforcer?

Answer 4

• Directly receiving the reward, typically with things that aid survival, food, shelter, social interaction.

Question 5

What is a secondary reinforcer?

Answer 5

• Tokens, money or stickers to enable you to get a primary reinforcer.

Question 6

How are reinforcers use?

Answer 6

• they are used to increase likelihood of desired behaviour.

Question 7

What are schedules of reinforcement?

Answer 7

• certain schedules of reinforcement may be more effective in specific situations.
• two types: continous and partial

Question 8

What is the response rate?

Answer 8

• the rate at which the rat pressed the lever

Question 9

What is Extinction Rate?

Answer 9

• The rate at which the lever pressing died out.

Question 10

What is continous reinforcement?

Answer 10

• the repeated reinforcement of a behavior every time it happens

Question 11

What is partial reinforcement?

Answer 11

• the response is reinforced only part of the time
• learned behaviours are acquired more slowly with partial reinforcement, but the response is more resistant to enxtinction.

Question 12

What is Fixed - interval schedules?

Answer 12

• the first response is rewarded only a specified amount of time has elapsed.
• This schedule causes high amounts of responding near the end of the interval, but much slower responding immediately after the delivery of the reinforcer.

Question 13

What is variable- interval schedules?

Answer 13

• A response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of times has passed.
• This produces a slow, steady response rate

Question 14

What is a Fixed - ratio schedules?

Answer 14

• A response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses.
• This schedule produces a high, steady rate of responding with only a brief pause after the delivery of the reinforcer.

Question 15

What is variable-ratio schedule?

Answer 15

• A response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses.
• This schedules creates a high steady rate of responding.

Question 16

What is shaping?

Answer 16

• Shaping is used to teach complex behaviours as it is broken down into a series of simple behaviours.
• These are taught one by one using reinforcement and punishment to gradually create the desired complex behaviour.

Question 17

What is positive punishment?

Answer 17

• punishes the undesirable behaviour by adding something unpleasant
• (a shock, a criticism, copying out lines)

Question 18

What is negative punishment?

Answer 18

• which punishes by removing something pleasant
• (being ‘grounded’, deducting money, removing the Xbox).