Operant Conditioning, Behaviour Shaping

Question 1

Operant Conditioning as an Explantion of Human Behaviour (P1) - Intro, Reinforcement

Answer 1

• Developed by Skinner, refers to learning due to the consequences (+/-) of behaviour
• Referred to reinforcement (strengthens a behaviour) and punishment (weakens a behaviour)
• Positive Reinforcement - behaviour is followed by the addition of something pleasant e.g. praise or reward (a reinforcer)
• Primary Reinforcers (e.g, food, necessary for survival)
• Secondary Reinforcer (e.g. stickers, exchange for primary reinforcer)
• Length of time it takes for a behaviour to be learnt can depend on the schedule of reinforcement used:
  • Continuous reinforcement -> quickly learn the new behaviour but it quickly extinguishes
  • Variable ratio -> unpredictable rewards lead to behaviour changes that are difficult to extinguish
• Negative Reinforcement - removal of something unpleasant to strengthen a behaviour

AO3 ‹+› Skinner (S.E) used his operant conditioning chambers which showed that rewarding an animal’s behaviour will strengthen the behaviour, rats press lever to get more food pellets, done in a controlled, laboratory setting, increases internal validity of the findings into learning behaviour in animals

AO3 ‹-› cannot generalise studies on animal to humans (different anatomy and physiology, cannot communicate in the same way), findings from Skinner using rats and pigeons may be less generalisable to humans and the processes involved in learning

Question 2

Operant Conditioning as an Explanation of Human Behaviour (P2) - Punishment

Answer 2

• Punishment - unpleasant consequence to discourage or weaken a behaviour
• Positive Punishment - addition of something unpleasant for bad/unwanted behaviour e.g. speeding fine, points on a licence
• Negative Punishment - removal of something pleasant after bad/unwanted behaviour e.g. removal of phone after caught smoking
• Behaviour Modification - gradual alteration of a behaviours using techniques (e.g. behaviour shaping) which use positive reinforcement for approximations of behaviour as you work towards the target behaviour

AO3 ‹+› Nasa et al (S.E) found that behaviour shaping was successful in supporting a child (11 yrs old) with ADHD to concentrate on tasks, demonstrates U.A of positive reinforcement (O.P) in society, supports children developing skills which can aid their learning in the classroom

AO3 ‹-› behaviour shaping is only the manipulation of surface behaviour, individuals encourage a behaviour they think is socially acceptable (could be viewed as a form of social control), ethical implications if this is misused (particularly with young children and vulnerable people - more impressionable), doesn’t address root cause as it could be a coping mechanism

Question 3

Operant Conditioning as an Explanation for Human Behaviour (Conclusion)

Answer 3

AO3 ‹+› more scientific, focuses on studying outward, observable behaviour, not concerned with internal, mental processes than cannot be directly measured, findings more valid as objective measurements of behaviour as used

AO3 ‹-› reduced the complex human behaviour of learning to learning through consequences, underestimated the role of biological factors (genetics, instincts), fails to account for unobservable behaviours (mental/emotional experiences), limited and oversimplified explanation for a theory of learning

Question 4

Behaviour Modification (AO1)

Answer 4

• Type of therapy involving the gradual alteration of behaviour patterns through shaping and schedules of reinforcement
• To extinguish undesirable behaviour, replace it with a more desirable behaviour and reinforce it
• Identify the target behaviour and then give rewards for behaviour that moves towards the target behaviour
• Rewards can become more selective to gradually shape the behaviour