Download Fixed Ratio (FR)

OPERANT CONDITIONING
OPERANT CONDITIONING
• Learning in which a
certain action is
reinforced or
punished, resulting in
corresponding
increases or
decreases in behavior.
OPERANT CONDITIONING
• Reinforcement:
A stimulus or event that
follows a response and
increases the likelihood
that the response will be
repeated.
• Punishment
An unpleasant
consequence occurs and
decreases the
frequency of behavior
that produced it.
OPERANT CONDITIONING
Positive Reinforcement
Making a behavior stronger
by following the behavior
with a pleasant stimulus.
Example: a rat presses a lever
and receives food.
Negative Reinforcement
Making a behavior stronger
by taking away a negative
stimulus.
Example: a rat presses a lever
and turns off the electric
shock.
PUNISHMENT
+ Positive punishment
– The application of an aversive stimulus after
a response.
Example: You touch a hot plate; the painful
consequence reduces the likelihood of you repeating
that behavior.
- Negative punishment
- Results from the removal of a reinforcer.
Example: Your parents take away your cell phone
because you are not doing well in school.
Limitations of Punishment
• Punishment often only produces temporary changes
• Punishment produces undesirable emotional side effects
• Children who are
physically punished learn
to model or imitate
aggressive acts and often
become more aggressive
in their interactions with
others
• Punishment NEVER teaches
a new behavior
Primary vs Secondary Reinforcers
• Primary
– Innate (unlearned)
• Secondary
– Conditioned (learned)
Schedules of Reinforcement
• Ratio schedules –
Provide reward after a certain number of
responses.
• Interval schedules –
Provide reward after a certain time
interval.
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Variable Ratio (VR)
Fixed Interval (FI)
Variable Interval (VI)
Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Variable Ratio
(VR)
Fixed Interval
(FI)
Variable Interval
(VI)
Rewards appear after a
certain set number of
responses.
e.g. factory workers
getting paid after every
10 cases of product are
completed
Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Variable Ratio
(VR)
Fixed Interval
(FI)
Variable Interval
(VI)
Rewards appear after a
certain number of
responses, but that
number varies from trial
to trial.
e.g. slot machine payoffs
Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Variable Ratio
(VR)
Fixed Interval
(FI)
Variable Interval
(VI)
Rewards appear after a
certain fixed amount of
time, regardless of
number of responses.
e.g. weekly or monthly
paychecks
Schedules of Reinforcement
Fixed Ratio (FR)
Variable Ratio
(VR)
Fixed Interval
(FI)
Variable Interval
(VI)
Rewards appear after a
certain amount of time,
but that amount varies
from trial to trial.
e.g. random visits from
the boss who delivers
praise
Shaping
• A technique in which a new behavior is
produced by reinforcing responses that
are similar to the desired response.
Chaining
• Response chains
– Learned reactions that follow one another in
sequence, each reaction producing the
signal for the next.
Swimming has 3 major chains:
– Arm stroking chain
– Breathing chain
– Kicking chain
Aversive Control
• Escape Conditioning
– Training of an organism to remove or terminate an
unpleasant stimulus.
• Example: A child whines and gags when he eats his
vegetables, so his mother removes them from his plate.
• Avoidance Conditioning
– Training of an organism to
withdrawal from or prevent an
unpleasant stimulus before it starts.
• Example: A child complains that he does not like
vegetables, so his father does not cook them for dinner.
Classical vs. Operant Conditioning
• Classical Conditioning
– involves the
association of two
stimuli (UCS + CS)
before the response
or behavior.
• Operant Conditioning
– involves a
reinforcing
(reward) or
punishing stimulus
after a response or
behavior.