The Behaviourist Approach - Operant Conditioning Flashcards
1
Q
Name the researcher involved with the Operant conditioning (Behaviourist approach) & what he investigated.
A
- Operant Condition was proposed by Skinner (1938)
- Experimented with rats
2
Q
What is Operant Conditioning?
A
Learning through reinforcement
3
Q
State the types of reinforcements.
A
- Positive Reinforcement
- Negative Reinforcement
4
Q
What is meant by the term ‘Positive’ Reinforcement?
A
- Behaviour produced = Satisfying consequence
5
Q
What is meant by the term ‘Negative’ Reinforcement?
A
- Behaviour produced = Eliminates something unpleasant from the environment
6
Q
State the experiment carried out for Positive Reinforcement.
A
- Skinner’s rats:
> Pressed the lever = Food = Makes action more likely
7
Q
State the experiment carried out for Negative Reinforcement.
A
- Skinner’s rats:
> Pressed lever = stopped electric shock = makes action more likely
8
Q
Give a strength of Operant Conditioning.
A
- Done in under well controlled conditions
- Proved
- Reliable
- Replicable
9
Q
Give a limitation of Operant Conditioning.
A
- Relied on non-human animals (rats, pigeons ) = not generalisable
