Download Unit 1: Psychology*s History and Approaches

Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
A type of
learning where
the frequency of
a response
depends on its
consequence.
Edward Thorndike= Law of Effect
B. F. Skinner
Operant Procedures
Appetitive
Starts
Stimulus

Pos Reinforcement
(Reward)

Neg Punishment

Ends
Stimulus
Aversive

Pos Punishment

Behavior’s Consequence
Stimulus
Neg Reinforcement

3 Keys to Operant Conditioning
• Positive & negative are mathematical terms,
not value judgments.
• Reinforcement always increases behavior;
punishment always decreases behavior.
• The first step is to identify the behavior being
learned, and the behavior cannot be the
absence of behavior.
Big Bang Theory: “Sheldon Shaping Penny”
Click picture for video clip
Big Bang Theory, Take 2
Click picture for video clip
Continuous v. Partial
Reinforcement
•
•
•
•
Continuous
Reinforce the behavior
EVERYTIME the behavior
is exhibited.
Usually done when the
subject is first learning
to make the association.
Acquisition comes really
fast.
But so does extinction.
Partial
• Reinforce the behavior
only SOME of the times
it is exhibited.
• Acquisition comes more
slowly.
• But is more resistant to
extinction.
• FOUR types of Partial
Reinforcement
schedules.
Reinforcement Schedules
How often to you give
the reinforcer?
• Every time or just
sometimes you see
the behavior.
Ratio Schedules
Fixed Ratio
• Provides a
reinforcement after a
SET number of
responses.
Variable Ratio
• Provides a
reinforcement after a
RANDOM number of
responses.
• Very hard to get
acquisition but also very
resistant to extinction.
Fixed Ration- She gets a manicure for every 5
pounds she loses.
Interval Schedules
Fixed Interval
Variable Interval
• Requires a SET amount
of time to elapse before
giving the
reinforcement.
• Requires a RANDOM
amount of time to elapse
before giving the
reinforcement.
• Very hard to get
acquisition but also very
resistant to extinction.
Fixed Interval: She gets a
manicure for every 7 days she
stays on her diet.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Total Responses
VR
Faster responding
Harder to extinguish
FR
VI
FI
CRF
Time
Latent Leaning
Edward Toleman
Three rat experiment.
Latent means hidden.
Sometimes learning is
not immediately
evident.
• Rats needed a reason
to display what they
have learned.
•
•
•
•
Insight Learning
• Wolfgang Kohler and
his Chimpanzees.
• Some animals learn
through the “ah ha”
experience.
Click pic to see insight learning.
Bobo Doll Experiment
Learning by Observing
• The likelihood of acting on vicarious learning changes
when we see the consequences of other people’s
behavior
• Vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment
affects the willingness of people to perform
behaviors they learned by watching others
Observational Learning
• Albert Bandura and his
BoBo Doll
• We learn through
modeling behavior from
others.
• Observational learning +
Operant Conditioning =
Social Learning Theory
Click pic to see some observational learning.
Results
• Children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to
act in physically aggressive ways than those who were not
exposed to the aggressive model. (Boys averaged 38.2 with 12.7
for girls)
• Children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to
engage in novel hostile acts.
• Children are more influenced by same-sex models.
• Results showed that boys exhibited more aggression when
exposed to aggressive male models than boys exposed to
aggressive female models. When exposed to aggressive male
models, the number of aggressive instances exhibited by boys
averaged 104 compared to 48.4 aggressive instances exhibited
by boys who were exposed to aggressive female models.
Live and Virtual Models
Virtual
Model
Live
Model
Mirror Neurons
Neuroscientists discovered mirror neurons
in the brains of animals and humans that
are active during observational learning.