Download Operant Conditioning - Little Miami Schools

OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Learning in which a certain
action is reinforced or
punished, resulting in
behavioral change
B.F. Skinner is best known for his work with the operant
conditioning theory.
Believed that how we turn out is a direct result of what
we learn from all of the operations (operant) that we
make over the years
Skinner
Box
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Uses the term response
Uses the term behavior
Response is biologically based (ex:
fear or anxiety); involuntary
Behavior is not biologically based;
it is voluntary
Main components: stimulus and its
response
Main components: behavior and
its consequence
Cannot be used to shape behavior
Can be used to shape behavior
Stimulus causes the response
Consequence influences the
behavior
To extinguish the response: stop
pairing
To decrease learned behavior: stop
reinforcing
Reinforcement is something that follows a response and
strengthens the tendency to repeat that response
PRIMARY & SECONDARY REINFORCERS
Primary reinforcement is something that is necessary
for survival. Ex: food or water
Secondary reinforcement is a stimulus that we have
learned to value (linked to a primary reinforcer)
Positive Reinforcement
• Positive consequence that increases
the chance of desired behavior
because something is added (+) or
presented.
• Can be thought of as a reward!
• Getting a present on X-mas for being
Good all year
Negative reinforcement is when something that is
unpleasant is stopped or taken away when something is
done
Headache stops
when you take
Tylenol so you
strengthened the
behavior of
taking Tylenol
Reinforcement always strengthens a response,
rather than weakening it.
Punishment involves decreasing
the frequency of a behavior.
Punishment always weakens a response,
rather than strengthening it.
Operant Conditioning
There are two types of consequences:
• positive (sometimes called pleasant)
• negative (sometimes called aversive)
Operant Conditioning
Two actions can be taken with these stimuli:
• they can be ADDED to the learner’s
environment.
• they can be SUBRACTED from the
learner’s environment.
Changing behaviors……..
Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement,
Increase
Behavior
Positive:
An Item
added
Negative :
An Item
Take away
Add (+)
Positive
Reinforcement
Subtract (-)
Negative
Reinforcement
Punishment,
Decrease
Behavior
Add (+)
Positive
Punishment
Subtract (-)
Negative
Punishment
REINFORCEMENT
(STRENGTHENS)
(Increase a behavior)
POSITIVE
(ADDED)
To situation
NEGATIVE
(SUBTRACTED)
From situation
• Clean the house and earn
$5
• You get a mint for
answering a question in class
• a paycheck for working
• $10 for getting an “A” on
your report card
• You get praised for coming
home before curfew.
•Faking a stomach ache to
avoid school (avoidance)
• Turning down the volume
of a very loud radio
• studying for the next exam
in Psych to avoid getting
another bad grade in Mr.
Fruhwirth’s class
PUNISHMENT
(WEAKENS)
(Decrease behavior)
• You get your mouth
washed out with soap when
you say a bad word.
• Getting a ticket for
speeding
•Doing push-ups for being
late to Mr. Frith’s class.
•You get a detention for
being late to class—for the
5th time.
• You lose your driving
privileges for breaking
curfew
• Time out, or the loss of
freedom to combat bad
behavior
•You lose your cell phone
because of last months
phone bill
Analyzing An Example
Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He campedout on every Friday during the month of June. The
last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to
his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of
cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three
weeks.
1. What behavior was changed?
Camping out
Analyzing An Example
Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He campedout on every Friday during the month of June. The
last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to
his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of
cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three
weeks.
2. Was the behavior strengthened or
weakened?
Weakened (Behavior decreased)
We Eliminate positive and negative
reinforcement
Analyzing An Example
Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He campedout on every Friday during the month of June. The
last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to
his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of
cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three
weeks.
3. What was the consequence?
Having water thrown on him.
4. Was the behavior consequence added or
subtracted?
Added +
Analyzing An Example
Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He campedout on every Friday during the month of June. The
last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to
his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of
cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three
weeks.
Since a consequence was ADDED and the
behavior was WEAKENED (REDUCED),
the process was Positive Punishment.