task 6 - instrumental conditioning Flashcards
operant conditioning
the process whereby organisims learn to make responses in order to obtain or avoid certain outcomes (instrumental conditioning)
shaping (response)
an operant conditioning technique in which successive approximations to a desired response are reinforced
chaining (response)
an operant conditioning technique in which organisms are gradually trained to execute complicated sequences of discrete responses
3 main points of instrumental conditioning
discriminative stimulus -> response -> outcome
SD
- a stimulus that signals whether a particular response will lead to a particular outcome
- the box
R
the sequence of movements needed to open the door
O
the escape
discrete trials paradigm
an operant conditioning paradigm in which the experimenter defines the beginning and end points
free-operant paradigm
an operant conditioning paradigm in which the animal can operate the experimental apparatus “freely” responding to obtain reinforcement (or avoid punishment) when it chooses
skinner box
a conditioning chamber in which reinforcement or punishment is delievered automatically whenever an animal makes (or ceases making) a paticular response (such as pressing a lever)
reinforcers (outcome)
a consequence of behavior that leads to increased likelihood of that behavior occuring again in the future
primary reinforcer
a stimulus, such as food, water, sex, or sleep that has innate biological value to the organism and can function as a reinforcer
drive reduction theory (hull)
the theory that organisms have innate drives to obtain reinforcers and that learning is driven by the biological need to reduce those drives
secondary reinforcer
stimulus (such as money or tokens) that has no intrinisic biological value but that has been paired with primary reinforcers that provides access to primary reinforcers
negative contrast (still outcome)
situation in which an organism will response less strongly to a less-preferred reinforcer that is provided in place of an expected preferred reinforcer than it would have if the less-preferred reinforver had been provided all along
punishers (outcome)
a consequence of behavior that leads to descreased likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future
punishment
in operant conditioning the process of providing outcomes for a behavior that decreased the probability of that behavior occurring again in the future
differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)
decreasing unwanted behaviors to increase wanted alternative behaviors
positive reinforcement
a type of operant conditioning in which the response cause a reinforcer to be “added” to the environment; over time, response becomes more frequent
positive punishment
a type of operant conditioning in which the response causes a punisher to be “added” to the environment; over time, the response becomes less frequent