operant conditioning Flashcards
what is operant conditioning?
positive reinforcer: takes place because of actions and rewards rather than involuntary behaviour through consequences.
an association is made between an action and a reward (reinforcer)
what did Thorndike do?
what happened and the results?
conducted an experiment where he put a cat in a cage with a latch on the door and a piece of salmon outside the cage.
after first trying to reach through the cage and then scratching at the bars of the cage, the cat finally hit the latch on the door and the door opened.
after repeating many times, the effort spent reaching and scratching decreased and the releasing pf the latch occurred sooner.
what was Thorndike’s analysis of the behaviour in his experiment?
that behaviour that produced the desired effect became dominant and therefore occurred faster in the next experiments.
-trial and error learning.
-Thorndike stated that this was the law of effect
(if the effect of learning, to get out, was good, food, then the behaviour is learnt and repeated.
what is the law of effect?
if the effect of learning is good then the behaviour is learnt and repeated.
Evaluation of operant conditioning
Supporting studies- thorndike
Thorndikes research sup[ports operant conditioning, showing how behaviours are shaped by consequences
His ‘law on effect’ demonstrated that animals (cats) were more likely to repeat behaviours that led to a positive outcome (escaping box) and less likely to repeat behaviours that resulted in no reward.
The experiment highlights the prince;e of reinforcement in operant conditioning- behaviours followed by satisfying outcomes reinforced, making them More likely to be repeated.
Evaluation of operant conditioning
Supporting studies-Skinner
Skinners research supports operant conditioning showing how reinforcement can shape behaviour.
In this experiment with pigeons and rats in skinners box, he demonstrated that animals could be trained to perform specific actions (like pressing a lever) when reinforced with food.
By rewarding the desired behaviour (lever pressing) skinners showed that operant conditioning can effectively shape ad maintain behaviour, reinforcing the idea that behaviour is influenced by its consequences.
Evaluation of operant conditioning.
Criticisms of supporting studies
Skinner
Methods are objective and can be tested for reliability.while the objective and controlled nature of these studies allows for high reliability, the artificial environment may not reflect real life conditions like skinners rats in the box.
This limits the extent to which the findings can be applied to natural settings as reinforcing human behaviour may differ outside the lab.
Evaluation of operant conditioning
Opposing studies
Kohler.
Operant conditioning fails to take account the role of inherited/cognitive factors in learning.
Kohler (1924) found that primates often seem to solve problems in a flash of insight rather than be trial and error learning.
This is an incomplete explanation of the learning process in humans and animals.
Evalutation of operant conditioning
Different theories.
Bandura
Social learning theory provides alternative explanation.
Rather than reinforcement of behaviour, social learning theory believes we learn through observing and imitating out role models instead.
Observed behaviour may be limited if desirable consequences are expected without the need for trial and error practice.
Evaluation of operant conditioning
Application to real life (1)
There is a resulting treatment called token economy programmes
Skinners principles of reinforcement have been applied to settriongs like schools, prisons and mental health institutions through token economy programmed, where individuals earn tokens for positive behaviours which are exchanged for rewards.
These programmers have been proved effective in promoting desirable behaviours and modifying unfavourable ones, demonstrating practical value of operant conditioning.
