Reinforcement

Question 1

What did E.L. Thorndike discover with regards to reinforcement

Answer 1

Place hungry cat into puzzle box with fish outside, cat opens box with trial and error
Behaviour becomes quicker over time = Law of effect

Question 2

What is the law of effect

Answer 2

Behaviour followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to occur again in that situation

Question 3

Definition of operant

Answer 3

Functioning or tending to produce effects: effective

Question 4

Are operant behaviours evoked, elicited or emitted?

Answer 4

Only emitted or evoked

Question 5

What kind of behaviours are elicited

Answer 5

Classically conditioned ones

Question 6

Operant conditioning aka

Answer 6

instrumental conditioning

Question 7

What is operant conditioning

Answer 7

Manipulating consequences of behaviour

Question 8

Characteristics of consequences in operant conditioning

Answer 8

• may increase or decrease beh
• consequence can in itself be a stimulus that leads to another beh
• consequences occur immediately after a beh

Question 9

Definition of reinforcement

Answer 9

The process in which the consequence of a beh strengthens the beh (more likely to occur (freq), occurs more quickly (latency))

Question 10

What is a reinforcer

Answer 10

A stimulus, object, or event that strengthens a behaviour, often is an appetitive stimulus

Question 11

Two types of reinforcement

Answer 11

Positive and negative

Question 12

What is positive reinforcement? E.g.?

Answer 12

a situation in which a behaviour is followed by the presentation of an appetitive (pleasant) stimulus that increases the behaviour
e.g. I tell a joke -> you laugh = I tell more jokes in the future

Question 13

What is negative reinforcement? E.g.?

Answer 13

a situation in which a behaviour is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus that increases the behaviour
e.g. putting up an umbrella -> stops cold rain falling on you = more likely to have umbrella when its raining

Question 14

Two subtypes of negative reinforcement, explain

Answer 14

Escape behaviour = causes removal of existing aversive stimulus
Avoidance = prevents presentation of aversive stimulus

Question 15

Natural vs programmed reinforcement

Answer 15

Natural = occurs spontaneously as part of everyday life (e.g. friend laughs when you tell joke)
Programmed = planned and systematic; given as part of a behavioural treatment

Question 16

Social vs automatic reinforcement

Answer 16

Social = involves another person to deliver reinforcing consequences
Automatic = the individual gets reinforcing consequences directly from the environment (e.g. scratching itch makes it go away)

Question 17

Tangible vs activity reinforcement

Answer 17

Tangible = access to a preferred object (includes consumable reinforcement)
Activity = engaging in a preferred behaviour after doing a non-preferred behaviour (e.g. 25 min study, 5 min break)

Question 18

What is the premack principle

Answer 18

High-probability beh can serve as positive reinforcement for performing a low probability behaviour, thus increasing it (activity reinforcement)

Question 19

What is temptation bundling

Answer 19

Making a more desirable behaviour contingent on performing a less desirable behaviour (e.g. podcast at gym)

Question 20

Is temptation bundling activity reinforcement?

Answer 20

No, it is synchronous reinforcement

Question 21

two types of reinforcers

Answer 21

Unconditioned
Conditioned

Question 22

What are unconditioned reinforcers? Eg?

Answer 22

Stimulus or event that has natural reinforcing effects (not due to prior conditioning/learning)
e.g. food, water

Question 23

What are conditioned reinforcers? Eg?

Answer 23

Previously neutral stimulus that has become associated with an unconditioned reinforcer
e.g. money, clicker

Question 24

Unconditioned reinforcers aka? Conditioned aka?

Answer 24

Primary
Secondary

Question 25

Four factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement

Answer 25

Reward value
Motivating operations
Timing
Contingency (consistency)

Question 26

What are motivating operations

Answer 26

Antecedent events that can temporarily alter the effectiveness of reinforcement, thus affecting behaviour

Question 27

Motivating operations aka

Answer 27

Setting events

Question 28

Two subtypes of motivating operations

Answer 28

1. Establishing operation: establishes/increases the effectiveness of reinforcement (e.g. caloric deficit = want food)
2. Abolishing operation: decreases the effectiveness of reinforcement (e.g. fullness = no want food)

Question 29

Types of setting events/motivational operations

Answer 29

Social e.g. attractive person
Physiological e.g. headache
Environmental e.g. loudness

Question 30

Two types of schedules of reinforcement

Answer 30

Continuous: reinforcement given for each response = rapid acquisition
Intermittent: only some responses are reinforced = longer acquisition

Question 31

Four subtypes of intermittent reinforcement

Answer 31

Fixed/variable ratio
Fixed/variable interval

Question 32

What is fixed ratio schedule

Answer 32

Reinforcer given after set number of responses
High response rate, brief post-reinforcement pause

Question 33

What is variable ratio schedule

Answer 33

Reinforcer given after a random number of responses (deviates around a mean)
High response rates

Question 34

What is fixed interval schedule

Answer 34

Reinforcer given when response occurs after a certain length of time
Responses increase as reinforcement time nears

Question 35

What is variable interval schedule

Answer 35

Reinforcer given when response occurs after a variable length of time (length deviates around mean)
Slow, steady responding

Question 36

Forms of + reinforcement

Answer 36

Natural vs programmed
Social vs automatic
Tangible vs activity

Question 37

Subtype of conditioned reinforcer

Answer 37

Generalized conditioned reinforcer; reinforcer paired with wide variety of other reinforcers (e.g. money can get food, housing, etc)

Question 38

What is deprivation vs satiation

Answer 38

D= type of establishing operation that increases the effectiveness of most unconditioned reinforcers and some conditioned reinforcers
e.g. water deprivation

S= abolishing operation, reinforcer less potent
e.g. ate large meal

Question 39

When are continuous reinforcement schedules used

Answer 39

During acquisition (learning/engaging in beh for first time)

Question 40

When is intermittent reinforcement used

Answer 40

After acquisition, during maintenance