Topic 4 Flashcards
What is operant instrumental conditioning?
learning that is controlled by the consequences of the organisms behavior
What is an antecedent?
an event, stimulus, or situation that precedes and often triggers a particular behavior
What is Thorndike’s law of effect?
if a response in the presence of a stimulus is followed by a satisfying state of affairs. the bond between stimulus and response will be strengthed
What is the difference between positive reinforcement and negative?
Negative: removes stimuli’s while increasing the frequency of desirable behavior
Positive: applies stimulis
What is the three-term contingency?
A (antecedent (stimulus)) : B (Behaviour) - > C (Consequence)
What is an operant Behaviour?
a behaviour that is strengthen through the process of reinforcement
What is operant learning?
A change in a behaviour as a
function of the consequences that followed it
Is negative reinforcement a punishment?
no
What is a free-operant procedure?
animals remain in apparatus and can make many responses, no intervention by the experimenter (skinner)
What is an unconditional (primary) reinforcer?
a reinforcer that acquired its properties as a function of species evolutionary history (food, sleep, water, sex)
What is conditional reinforcer?
otherwise neutral stimuli or events that have acquired the ability to reinforce due to a contingent relationship (hannah montana concert is a conditional reinforcer for me. not for lame people)
What does immediacy mean?
a stimulus is more effective as a reinforcer when it is delivered immediately after the behaviour
What is establishing operations?
make a stimulus more effective as a reinforcer. if you observe the context of the situation
Is a more intense stimulus more effective reinforcer?
yes
What is a continuous reinforcement schedule?
behaviour is reinforced each time it occurs (rare in the natural environment)
What are the four types of intermittent reinforcement schedules?
-fixed-ratio
-Variable-ratio
-fixed-interval
-variable-interval
what is fixed-ratio schedule?
behaviour reinforced after a fixed-number of times
What is variable-ratio schedule?
the number of responses needed varies each time. common in natural environments
Random-ratio: is random (5, 4, 3, 16, 8)
progressive-ratio: move from small to large (3, 4, 5, 8, 16)
What is a PRP?
Post-reinforcement pause: pausing of behaviour
usually increases with ratio size and reinforcer magnitude
What is a fixed-interval schedule?
behaviour is reinforced when it occurs after a given period of time
What is variable-interval schedule?
the timing of the response needed varies each time
Does a low probability reinforce high probability?
no
What is a discriminative stimulus?
a stimulus or event that precedes an operant and sets the occasion for its reinforcement (a stimulus present when a behaviour is reinforced)
What is extinction stimulus?
a stimulus or event that precedes an operant and set the occasion for its non-reinforcement
