Skinner Flashcards
Skinner believed that learning was due to
contingency
Skinner argued that reinforcement increased the probability of 1)____ given 2____ (i.e., learning
occurs because of its consequences).
1) response
2) stimulus
Did Skinner believe that learning was because of consequences or association?
consequences
The operant paradigm involves the increasing ______ of behaviours that lead to reinforcing consequences
dominating
Skinner’s operant paradigm is similar to Hull, but what is the difference?
There is no distinction between learning and performance.
Learning is inferred from performance, the ability to repeat a response that leads to reinforcement.
Positive and Negative reinforcement refer to?
Positive = adding something positive
Negative = taking something negative away
Positive and negative punishment refer to?
Positive = adding something negative
Negative = Removing something positive
This is Skinner’s key concept, explain it
This consists of a discriminant stimulus that signifies the presence or absence of reward, the response, and the reinforcer.
What are the three-terms in Skinner’s 3-term contingency?
Discrimination learning
Generalisation gradient
Extinction and spontaneous recovery
What is discrimination learning?
Animals also learn to recognise the conditions that signal whether making a response will have any effect.
For example, in a Skinner Box, this was commonly
achieved by turning the lights off. Lights off: bar-presses = no effect, Lights on: bar-
presses result in the delivery of pellets.
What is Generalisation gradient?
If this learning is generalised to other stimuli (i.e., the animal responds to similar stimuli), we say that generalisation has occurred.
(e. g. I have seen a similar drink machine so I know how to operate it)
* The plot of response probability and stimulus similarity tends to follow a normal curve.*
What does Extinction and spontaneous recovery refer to?
Animals who are deprived of reinforcement will gradually reduce their rate of responding until no response is emitted (extinction). Responses return after an absence of exposure to extinction conditions (spontaneous recovery).
The animal still has a memory of the association, i.e., the pattern of neurological firing still exists, but to a lesser extent.
Name the 4 behaviour modification tools that Skinner described?
Shaping and successive approximations
Response chaining and conditioned reinforcement
Fading
Assisted or Forced Learning
Name the schedules of reinforcement.
Recording response rates
Intermittent reinforcement
Fixed ratio schedule
Fixed interval schedules
Variable ratio
Variable Interval
