skinners rats (pack 3 OC) Flashcards
what did skinner want to investigate?
how reinforcements could change or shape their behaviour
what did skinner show worked by placing a rat into a skinner box
positive reinforcement
how did the experiment work with the box?
box contained a lever on the side, as the rat moved around, it would accidently knock the lever, immediately a food pellet would drop into box
the rats learned to go for the lever after a few times of being in the box
why did the rats continue to press the lever?
consequence of receiving food if they pressed lever ensured they would repeat the action again and again
why was the box used?
to deliver positive and negative reinforcements
what is a primary need for the rats
to eat and therefore survive
How did Skinner use reward in his tests?
if rats carried out desired behaviour, rewarded with food, every time they saw a red light they pressed the lever and rewarded with food.
Rats learnt over time to associate touching a lever with reward
increased likelihood of pressing lever
How did skinner use punishment in his tests
used electric shock generator wired to grid
if he punished behaviour rats were less likely to do it
