operant conditioning Flashcards
definition
operant conditioning is learning through concequence/ reinforcment, punishment or reward to learn new novel behaviours
point 1
strength: skinner, used rats to demonstrate + and - reinforcment
used positive reinforcment to make rats press a lever to retirieve a treat, learning through trial and error , every time pressed lever and retrieved a treat, positively reinforcing behaviour- reinforcing when something pleasent given when perform desired behaviour
- reinforcment also shown where when the rat pressed a button the electric shock floor would stop, reinfocrment through removing something negative when desired behaviour performed
skinner also showed how uncontrollable reinforcers can lead to superstitious behaviour. food was given to pigeons every set interval- period of time 5 seconds , not based on a behaviour being performed, but piegon associated behaviour it was doing at the time it was given the treat as what caused them ot receive the trat e.g. hitting head against cage, this demonstrates how we can form -/+ superstitions based on unrealted reinforcers
no direct c+e
weakness- use of animals limits generalisability as animals dont have higher order cognition nor rational thought or problem solviing abilities, while animals may use trial and error to learn behaviours, humans may use problem solving/ rational thought, therefore hie animals learn may differ from how humans learn, limiting credibility of skinners findings.
point 2
A01- shaping can be used by changing schedules of reinforcment to create new/ novel behvaiours, where firstly rewarded for a behaviour in the direction of the desired behaviour, then not again until similar behaviour, and not again until complete desired behaviour
strength: thorndike also showed how OC can be used in animlas to reinforce a desired behaviour using a cat in a puzzle box, found they learned through trial and error, positive reinforcment where recieved a treat when lever was pulled but punished with electric shocks when not producing desired behaviour demonstrating how reinforcment and punishment can be used ot create new novel behaviours
weakness- SLT proposes that learning can also occur through observation without the need for trial and error but learning from concequences of other people, vicarious reinfocemnt, where if somone else gets rewarded for a certian behaviour, reproduce, and if gets punihsed wont reproduce, bandura supports suggests that in 1965 study when observed role models be rewarded and applaused 1.9 from 0.5 when punished.
‘ big bully’
no need trial and error
application
token economy primary and secondary reinforcers, encourage positive behaviour in closed institutions
