Week 1: Behaviourism: Operant Learning Flashcards
Edward Lee Thorndike (1874 - 1949)
He believed much of behavior could be explained by reflexes and connections, and he also acknowledged the potential role of internal mental processes (mediators) in explaining human behavior.
Thorndike’s Puzzle Box
A specific apparatus developed by Thorndike to measure aspects of animal intelligence.
Mediation
Key to cognitive psychology.
Internal mental events influencing behavior.
Connectionism
Trial and Error Learning
Operant Conditioning VS Classical Conditioning
Operant learning differed from classical conditioning in that it was based on the association, the stimulus and a response, and the subsequent outcome or reward, rather than the simple pairing of a US and a CS.
Operant Conditioning = Contingency Learning
Classical Conditioning = Contiguity Learning
Operant Conditioning
Sometimes seen as an example of contingency learning, or SR learning, when a specific response is made contingent upon a specific stimulus being present.
Classical Conditioning
Sometimes called contiguity learning, based on the temporal contiguity or pairing of two stimuli.
Thorndike’s Law of Effect (operant or
instrumental learning)
Individuals learn over time based on the consequences of their actions.
Behaviorism was no longer just looking to explain associations between a stimulus and a response but considering the critical role of the consequences of that response for the organism and its role in future behavior.
Positive Effect
Where a response led to satisfaction/reward, the same behavior was more likely to be repeated on the next occasion.
Negative Effect
While the behaviors that lead to dissatisfaction were correspondingly less likely to be repeated.
Three Term Contingency
Fundamental behaviorism concept that describes how a behavior is influenced by the events that precede and follow it.
Stimulus / Situation / Discriminative Stimulus / Antecedent
Response / Response / Response / Behavios
Stimulus / Effect / Reinforcer / Consequence
Discriminative Stimulus
A cue or signal that indicates whether a particular behavior will be reinforced.
Burrhus Frederick Skinner (1904 - 1990)
An experimental psychologist who was a famous proponent of behaviorism.
He defined and codified both the conceptual and theoretical framework of behaviorism, standardized the tools to investigate it, and defined its language.
Operant Conditioning
Skinner developed a detailed categorisation system to describe different types of consequences depending on 1) whether they increased or decreased behaviour
AND
2) whether they were positively added or they were something that was taken away.
Reinforcement (Reward)
An outcome that increases future behaviour
Punishment (Threat)
A consequence that decreases future behaviour
Positive Reinforcement
Giving or obtaining a reinforcer to increase behaviour
Negative Reinforcement
A negative outcome is removed or avoided as a consequence of that behaviour
Positive Punishment
Something that is added and leads to a decrease in behaviour, typically something unpleasant
Negative Punishment
Taking away something pleasant to reduce behavior
Appetitive Stimuli
We have an appetite for them and a biological
drive to satisfy that appetite.
Aversive Outcome / Aversive Stimuli
These are consequences, such as pain, loud noise, or bitter tastes, the animal will seek to either avoid or to withdraw from, that is, to escape.
Reinforcer / Punisher
Things that seem to have the ability to influence and change behaviour.
Adding or taking away any of these is a powerful determinant of learning and future behaviour.
Power of Reinforcers
The strength of the reinforcer is not absolute.
Their power depends on the state of the organism at the time (i.e., food will look good if hungry instead of when satiated).
Primary Reinforcers
These are so-called primary, natural, or unconditioned reinforcers.
Secondary Reinforcers
These stimuli acquire reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers (i.e., money, praise, or tokens).
Approach Behavior
This refers to an organism’s actions towards obtaining a desired stimulus or reward. It’s the behavior that brings the organism closer to the reinforcer.
Subsequent Behavior
This is the behavior that follows the delivery of the reinforcer.
It has no intrinsic biological or survival value, but we find it intensely pleasurable to receive even in small amounts. However, it also seems to have an intrinsic value in itself. We like having money even when we don’t spend it.
Skinner’s Box
Features of Skinner’s Box:
- A means of providing a stimulus
- A means of the animal making a response,
- A means of delivering a reinforcer or punishment
- The box is linked to a controller/computer that determines the presentation of the stimuli, controls the delivery of the reward or punishment, and records the animal’s response.
Reinforcement Schedules
Determine when a behavior is reinforced
Continuous Reinforcement (CRF)
Reinforcement occurs after every response.
Intermittent/Partial Reinforcement Schedule
Reinforcement occurs only after some responses.
Parameters that define the main types of schedules
1) Timing or quantity of responses
2) Certainty or predictability that the response will lead to reinforcement
Ratio Schedules
Based on the number of responses.
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Reinforcement after a fixed number of responses.
Variable Ratio (VR)
Reinforcement after an average number of responses.
Interval Schedules
Based on the amount of time elapsed.
Fixed Interval (FI)
Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time.
Variable Interval (VI)
Reinforcement after an average amount of time.
Extinction
The gradual decrease and eventual cessation of a previously reinforced behavior when reinforcement is withheld.
Extinction Burst
A temporary increase in the frequency or intensity of a behavior before it eventually extinguishes.
Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect (PREE)
Behaviors acquired through intermittent reinforcement are more resistant to extinction than those acquired through continuous reinforcement.
Learned Association
The association between the stimulus and response is not forgotten during extinction but becomes inactive.
Chaining
Linking together a series of learned responses to form a complex behavior.
