Operant Conditioning Flashcards
What is Operant Conditioning?
Learning through reinforcement and consequences of behaviour.
Positive Reinforcement
the addition of something desirable after a behaviour that increases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated. E.g. push lever get food. Push lever again
Negative Reinforcement
The removal of something bad after a behaviour that increases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated. E.g. push lever don’t get electric shock. Push lever again.
Positive Punishment
the addition of something bad after a behaviour that decreases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated. E.g. don’t push lever. Get an electric shock.
Negative Punishment
the removal of something desirable after a behaviour that decreases the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated. E.g. don’t push lever. Don’t get food.
Behaviour Modification
reinforce a broad behaviour but remove reinforcement until the behaviour gets closer to the specific, desired behaviour.
+Supported by Skinner’s Rats
Skinner found that the rats behvioru was increased through reinforcement and decreased through punishment.
+Supported by Thorndike Cats
Highlights how this may transfer to real life, we constantly learn through trial and error. In this study cats learnt how to escape from a puzzle box through trial and error.
+Scientific
use of animal research and controlled experiments to make observable behaviour more objective and repeatable (reliable)
+Usefulness:
treatment of phobias. E.g. Token economy
-Animal Research
Difficult to generalise the results of animals to human beings as we are not 100% the same genetically. Furthermore our behaviour and social environment is more complex.
-Reductionism
greatly underestimates the role of biological factors, including genetic differences and instincts, on behaviour. Human mental and emotional states are oversimplified.
-Testability
Ecological validity. The research that the theory is based on struggles to full represent learning in the real world. This is a sacrifice of being objective and scientific- the theory becomes unrepresentative of the real world.
