Operant Conditioning

Question 1

Operant conditioning

Answer 1

The process whereby organisms learn to make or to refrain from making certain responses in order to obtain or avoid certain outcomes.

Question 2

Law of effect

Answer 2

The observation, made by Thorndike, that the probability of a particular behavioral response increases or decreases depending on the consequences that have followed that response.

Question 3

Discriminative stimulus

Answer 3

In operant conditioning, a stimulus indicating that a particular response (R) may lead to a particular outcome (O).

Question 4

Temporal & causal relationship

Answer 4

N/A

Question 5

Discrete-trials paradigm

Answer 5

An operant conditioning paradigm in which the experimenter defines the beginning and end points of each trial.

Question 6

Free-operant paradigm

Answer 6

An operant conditioning paradigm in which the animal can operate the apparatus as it chooses in order to obtain reinforcement (or avoid punishment).

Question 7

Skinner box

Answer 7

A chamber used for operant conditioning and designed so that reinforcement or punishment is delivered automatically whenever an animal makes a particular response (such as pressing or releasing a lever).

Question 8

Cumulative recorder

Answer 8

A device used for recording responses in operant conditioning, designed in such a way that the height of the line it draws represents the total (cumulative) number of responses made up to a given time.

Question 9

Shaping

Answer 9

the production of new forms of operant behavior by reinforcement of successive approximations to the behavior

Question 10

Chaining

Answer 10

An operant conditioning technique in which organisms are gradually trained to execute complicated sequences of discrete responses.

Question 11

Reinforcer

Answer 11

A consequence of behavior that leads to increased likelihood of that behavior in the future.

Question 12

Punisher

Answer 12

A consequence of behavior that leads to decreased likelihood of that behavior in the future.

Question 13

Primary reinforcer

Answer 13

A reinforcer, such as food, water, or sleep, that is of biological value to an organism.

Question 14

Drive reduction theory

Answer 14

The theory, proposed by Clark Hull, that all learning reflects the innate, biological need to obtain primary reinforcers.

Question 15

Negative contrast

Answer 15

The phenomenon in which the reinforcing value of one reward is reduced because a better reward is expected.

Question 16

Secondary reinforcers

Answer 16

A reinforcer that initially has no biological value but that has been paired with (or predicts the arrival of) a primary reinforcer.

Question 17

Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors

Answer 17

A method used to decrease the frequency of unwanted behaviors by instead reinforcing preferred alternative behaviors.

Question 18

Positive reinforcement

Answer 18

A type of operant conditioning in which the response causes a desirable element to be “added” to the environment; over time, the response becomes more frequent.

Question 19

Positive punishment

Answer 19

A type of operant conditioning in which the response causes an undesirable element to be “added” to the environment; over time, the response becomes less frequent.

Question 20

Negative reinforcement

Answer 20

A type of operant conditioning in which the response causes an undesirable element to be “subtracted from” the environment; over time, the response becomes more frequent.

Question 21

Reinforcement schedule

Answer 21

A schedule that determines how often reinforcement is delivered in an operant conditioning paradigm.

Question 22

Continuous reinforcement

Answer 22

A reinforcement schedule in which every instance of the response is followed by the reinforcer.

Question 23

Partial reinforcement

Answer 23

A reinforcement schedule in which only some instances of the response are followed by the reinforcer.

Question 24

Avoidance paradigm

Answer 24

N/A

Question 25

Two-factor theory (Mowrer)

Answer 25

A theory that avoidance involves an interaction between classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Question 26

Cognitive theory of avoidance

Answer 26

N/A

Question 27

Response blocking

Answer 27

physically preventing a maladaptive behavior from occurring

Question 28

Fixed-ratio (FR)

Answer 28

A reinforcement schedule in which a specific number of responses must occur before a reinforcer is delivered; thus, FR 5 means that reinforcement arrives after every fifth response.

Question 29

Post-reinforcement pause

Answer 29

In operant conditioning, a brief pause in responding that follows delivery of the reinforcer.

Question 30

Fixed-interval (FI)

Answer 30

A reinforcement schedule in which the first response after a fixed amount of time is reinforced; thus, FI 1-min means that reinforcement follows the first response made after a 1-minute interval since the last reinforcement.

Question 31

Variable-ratio (VR)

Answer 31

A reinforcement schedule in which a specific number of responses, on average, must occur before a reinforcer is delivered; thus, VR 5 means that, on average, every fifth response is reinforced.

Question 32

Variable-interval (VI)

Answer 32

A reinforcement schedule in which the first response after a fixed amount of time, on average, is reinforced; thus, VI 1-min means that reinforcement follows the first response made after a 1-minute interval, on average, since the last reinforcement.

Question 33

Partial reinforcement effect

Answer 33

partial-reinforcement extinction effect (PREE) implies that learning under partial reinforcements is more robust than learning under full reinforcements