Operant conditioning

Question 1

Operant conditioning is learning via…

Answer 1

Reinforcement

Question 2

Define ‘Law of Effect’.

Answer 2

Behaviours which are rewarded will be repeated

Question 3

What process did the cat in Thorndike’s (1911) experiment learn through?

Answer 3

Trial and error.

Question 4

Positive reinforcement is?

Answer 4

Being given something you like (reward) to increase the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 5

Negative reinforcement is?

Answer 5

Having something you dislike taken away to increase the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 6

Positive punishment is?

Answer 6

Being given something you don’t like to decrease the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 7

Negative punishment is?

Answer 7

Having something you like taken away to decrease the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 8

What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer 8

A reward which fulfills a basic need

Question 9

What is a secondary reinforcer?

Answer 9

Something which you don’t need but can be traded for something you do need i.e. tokens

Question 10

What is continuous reinforcement?

Answer 10

Being rewarded/punished every time you do a behaviour

Question 11

What is Partial reinforcement?

Answer 11

Only being rewarded/punished on some occassions

Question 12

What is variable interval reinforcement?

Answer 12

Being rewarded/punished after a time period which alters as long as you did the correct behaviour in that time

Question 13

What is fixed interval reinforcement?

Answer 13

Being rewarded/punished after a set period of time as long as you did the right behaviour in it

Question 14

What is fixed ratio reinforcement?

Answer 14

Being rewarded/punished after a certain number of occurrences

Question 15

What is variable ratio reinforcement?

Answer 15

Being rewarded/punished after a certain number of occurrences but the number of occurrences changes

Question 16

Define shaping

Answer 16

Learning a new skill through successive approximation, going through different stages, being rewarded each time for getting closer to the final result

Question 17

What did Skinner show?

Answer 17

Rats can be taught to press a button when they have an electrical wire in the pleasure areas of their brain

Question 18

What is an issue with Skinner and Thorndike?

Answer 18

The research from animals cannot be applied to humans because they have differences in their biology which effect behaviour

Question 19

What did Skinner show about ratio of reinforcement and punishment?

Answer 19

Ferster and Skinner (1957) identified that a variable ratio
schedule of reinforcement produced the highest level of
attempts and responses

Question 20

Why is operant conditioning useful?

Answer 20

It has been used for processes like Token Economy Programmes

Question 21

What is a strength about the testability of Operant Conditioning?

Answer 21

It is empirical as it ignores mental processes and only measures behaviour like their responses

Question 22

Why is operant conditioning reductionist?

Answer 22

Ignores biological explanations of behaviour i.e. genetics, hormones etc as a cause of behaviour and it also ignores cognition and thought processes seeing behaviour as just a stimulus and response