Operant Conditioning

Big Question: Is the organism learning associations between events that it does not control (classical) OR

is it learning associations between its behavior and resulting events (operant)

Module 19

Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)• Introduced the “Law of Effect”• Behaviors with favorable consequences

will occur more frequently.• Behaviors with unfavorable

consequences will occur less frequently.• Developed into Operant Conditioning

• Created puzzle boxes for research on cats

Thorndike’s Puzzle Box

Operant Conditioning

• A type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior

• The frequency will if the consequence is reinforcing to the subject.

• The frequency will if the consequence is not reinforcing to the subject.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)• Developed the fundamental principles

and techniques of operant conditioning.• Devised ways to apply these principles

in the real world.• Designed the Skinner

Box. (operant box)

B.F. SKINNER

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AepqpTtKbwo (Skinner discusses pigeons)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGazyH6fQQ4&feature=related (ping-pong)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGazyH6fQQ4&feature=related (pigeon v. human)

Reinforcement v Punishment• Reinforcement - Any consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior to be repeated. • Punishment - Any consequence

that decreases the likelihood

of the behavior to be repeated.

I. ReinforcementA. Types of Reinforcement

1. Positive Reinforcement• Anything that increases the likelihood

of a behavior by following it with a desirable event or state

• The subject receives something they want

• Will strengthen the behavior

Positive Reinforcement

Operant Conditioning Activity:Positive Reinforcement

Get in groups of three. Choose who will be the recorder, the experimenter, and the subject.

Subjects please leave the room for a moment.

Directions……

2. Negative Reinforcement• Anything that increases the likelihood of a

behavior by following it with the removal of an undesirable event or state

• Something the subject doesn’t like is removed

• Will strengthen

the behavior (Definition of Reinforcement)

ORX X

Negative Reinforcement

Positive/Negative Reinforcement

• Positive Reinforcement-any condition that follows and strengthens a response.

• Getting a hug• Receiving a paycheck• Food, money, sex• Attention, praise,

smile

• Negative Reinforcement-subtraction of the unpleasant stimulus

• Fastening a seatbelt to turn off beeping.

• Pushing snooze button will silence your annoying alarm.

• Use umbrella to avoid getting wet.

II. Ways of Reinforcement:

A. Primary v Secondary

A. 1. Primary Reinforcement• Something that is naturally reinforcing• Examples: food, warmth, water, etc.• The item is reinforcing in and of itself

A. 2. Secondary Reinforcement

• Something that a person has learned to value or finds rewarding because it is paired with a primary reinforcer

• Money is a good example• Cooking utensil

II. Ways of Reinforcement

B. Shaping • Step by step reinforcement of behaviors that are more and more similar to the one you want to occur.

(Progress Reports, etc)•Technique used to

establish a new

behavior

II. Ways of Reinforcement: C. Immediate v Delayed

C. Immediate/Delayed Reinforcement

• Immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed reinforcement- however humans will respond to delayed reinforcement better than animals.

• Ability to delay gratification predicts higher achievement

II. Ways of Reinforcement

D. Schedules of Reinforcement:

1. Continuous Reinforcement

D. 1. Continuous reinforcement

• A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response

• Most useful way to establish a behavior.• The behavior will extinguish quickly

once the reinforcement stops.

D. 2. Partial Reinforcement

• A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows only some correct responses-initial learning is slower but there is a greater resistance to extinction.

• Includes the following types:–Fixed-interval and variable interval–Fixed-ratio and variable-ratio

(a) Fixed- Interval Schedule

• A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period of time

• i.e. weekly quiz in a class; monthly pay check

(a) Variable-Interval Schedule

• A partial reinforcement that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of time

• i.e. “pop” quiz in a class; fishing

(b) Fixed-Ratio Schedule• A partial reinforcement schedule that

rewards a response only after some defined number of correct responses

• The faster the subject responds, the more reinforcements they will receive.

• Ex. Pay a worker a dollar for every 10 tires they fix

(b) Variable-Ratio Schedule• A partial reinforcement schedule that

rewards an unpredictable number of correct responses

• This schedule is very resistant

to extinction.• Sometimes called the “gambler’s

schedule”; similar to a slot machine; people who make sales pitches by telephone

Schedules of Reinforcement

III. Punishment:The Process of

PunishmentDecrease a behavior

from happening again by following it with a negative consequence

II. A. Types of Punishment(1) An undesirable

event following a behavior

(2) A desirable state or event ends following a behavior

III. Punishment: B. Problems With

Punishment

Module 16: Operant Conditioning

II. B. Negative Effects of Punishment

• Doesn’t prevent the undesirable behavior when away from the punisher

• Can lead to fear, anxiety, and lower self-esteem

• Children who are punished physically may learn to use aggression as a means to solve problems.

II. C. Positive Effects of Punishment

• Punishment can effectively control certain behaviors.

• Especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior

• Most still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment

IV. The Role of Cognition: New Understandings of Operant Conditioning

Module 16: Operant Conditioning

III. A. Latent Learning

• Learning that takes place in absence of an apparent reward

III. B. Cognitive Map

• A mental representation of a place• Experiments showed rats could learn a

maze without any reinforcements

III. C. Overjustification Effect

• The effect of promising a reward for doing what someone already likes to do

• The reward may lessen and replace the person’s original, natural motivation, so that the behavior stops if the reward is eliminated

The End