Sac 4

Question 1

Operant Conditioning…

Answer 1

A 3 phase model showing learning process in which the likelihood of a particular behaviour occurring is determined by the consequences of that behaviour.

Question 2

What is an operant?

Answer 2

A response (or set of responses) that occurs and acts (operates) on the environment to produce some kind of effect.

• Behaviour can be strengthened if the consequences are positive and weakened if the consequences are negative
• The leaner in Operant conditioning is active.

Question 3

What is the ABC model operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Antecedent: Discriminative stimulus- The trigger
Behaviour: Operant response- What you do, the action that occurs
Consequence: e.g. go to party, have terrible time, never go to party again and vice versa
Consequences sway and direct future behaviours

Question 4

Antecedents can be broken up into which 4 parts?

Answer 4

Prompting
modeling
feedback
goals

Question 5

Behaviours can be split into which 2 parts?

Answer 5

Desired
Undesired
The behaviour that happens is an active component of decision making

Question 6

Consequences in which 4 parts?

Answer 6

Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment
Response cost

Question 7

How many types of consequences are there and what are they?

Answer 7

There are 2 types of consequences
Reinforcement and
Punishment

Question 8

what is Reinforcement ?

Answer 8

When desirable behaviour is encouraged with the view to strengthening it:

• Give something desirable (pleasant)
• Take away something undesirable (aversive)

Question 9

what is punishment?

Answer 9

When undesirable behaviour is discouraged with a view to weakening it/stopping it:

• Give something undesirable (aversive)
• Take away something desirable (pleasant)

Question 10

What is positive reinforcement ?

Answer 10

you can present something good to try strengthen and encourage the behaviour eg: a star for doing homework

Question 11

What is punishment ?

Answer 11

You can give something bad to decrease the likelyhood of the behaviour occuring eg detention

Question 12

what is response cost ?

Answer 12

removing something pleasant from someone eg remove tv privileges

Question 13

What is Negative reinforcement ?

Answer 13

removing something bad so we strengthen the behaviour eg let off doing chores

Question 14

What is continuous reinforcement?

Answer 14

Reinforcement is given after every correct response,

This is essential in the acquisition stage but not effective for maintaining a maximum response rate

Question 15

What is partial reinforcement?

Answer 15

Reinforcing after some responses but not all of them.
Used after the acquisition stage and responses tend to be stronger less easily extinguished
eg: The pokies

Question 16

The 3 main components that impact on the effectiveness of reinforcement are?

Answer 16

Order of presentation
Timing
Appropriateness
“OAT”

Question 17

Oder of presentation…?

Answer 17

States that a reinforcement or punishment should always occur after a desired response (and should be consistent).

Question 18

Timing…?

Answer 18

States that the punishment or reinforcement are most effective when given immediately after response has occurred.

Question 19

Appropriateness…?

Answer 19

Needs to take into account the personal characteristics of the individual and the individual situation when deciding whether the stimulus will act as a reinforcer or punishment (be careful with appropriateness of punishment)
Punishment has to fit the crime

Question 20

Why doesn’t operant conditioning always work?

Answer 20

Operant conditioning is an active process, individuals have a choice.
Consequences guide behaviour but they don’t control it

Question 21

what is Stimulus generalisation with Operant Conditioning?

Answer 21

Occurs when the correct response is made to another stimulus that is similar ( but not necessarily identical) to the stimulus that was present when the original behaviour was reinforced eg: also works hard in other subjects, stops swearing at work and home

Question 22

Stimulus discrimination in Operant conditioning ??

Answer 22

is when an organism makes the correct response to a stimulus and is reinforced, but does not respond to any other stimulus, even when stimuli are similar ( eg: good behaviour for mum but not for dad OR works in one subject but not others.

Question 23

Acquisition in Operant conditioning…

Answer 23

The Establishment of a response through reinforcement.

When individuals establish that behaviours go together, a certain behaviour brings about a certain consequence

Question 24

Extinction in Operant Conditioning…

Answer 24

The gradual decrease in the strength or rate of a learned response following consistent non- reinforcement of the response
stop occurring

Question 25

Spontaneous recovery in Operant Conditioning…

Answer 25

Can occur after the apparent extinction and involves the organism once again showing the response in absence of any reinforcement. Responses will most likely be weaker and not last very long.

Question 26

Other facts on Operant conditioning in regards to shaping and voluntary behaviour …

Answer 26

As the behaviours in Operant conditioning are voluntary they are therefore more complex

Shaping: Where there are rewards given for each successive approximation as it leads to the target behaviour

Question 27

Comparison between Classical conditioning and Operant conditioning…

Answer 27

Role of the learner: In CC the participant is PASSIVE and in OC the participant is ACTIVE

Nature of the response: In CC The nature of the response is INVOLUNTARY In OC The nature of the response is VOLUNTARY

Timing of stimulus and response: In CC the stimulus is presented BEFORE the response occurs and in OC the Stimulus (Consequence) is presented AFTER the response (behaviour) has occurred