Download Module 16- Operant Conditioning

Module 16- Operant Conditioning
Consequences and their Effects
Which situation of each group would make you more willing to continue the describe behavior.
1. a. Your parents offer you $100 for each A you receive on your report card.
b. Your parents make you pay them $100 for each time you don’t make an A.
2. a. A mother puts her child in time out for 10 minutes when her toddler whines for
cookies.
b. A mother gives her child cookies only when he/she asks for cookies in a pleasant
voice.
These are all examples of operant conditioning. This is a type of learning where a frequency of a
behavior is related to the consequence.
Edward Thorndike- psychologist who stated the Law of Effect, which simply means behaviors
with positive consequences will happen more often, and those with negative consequences will
not frequently occur.
B. F. Skinner- developed the principles of operant conditioning related to reinforcement and
punishment.
-positive reinforcement
-negative reinforcement
-immediate reinforcement
-delayed reinforcement
-Primary reinforcement (natural)
-Secondary reinforcement (learned)
What are problems with punishment?
Shaping- reinforcing the behavior in steps
Schedules of reinforcementContinuous
Partial
Fixed-interval
Variable-interval
Fixed-ratio
Variable-ratio
What is the role of cognition in operant conditioning?
Latent learning- learning without rewards
Reminders about reinforcement: reinforcement increases a behavior. You can reinforce a
substitute, incompatible behavior (if my dog is jumping on my guests, I can’t reinforce NOT
jumping, I CAN reinforce sitting or laying down.)
Module 17
Observational Learning
This type of learning always involves a model.
Albert Bandura was the pioneer associated with this type of learning.
Describe the Bobo Doll Experiment.
Pick one of the following media outlets.
Television
Films
Magazines
Books
The Internet
Advertisements
a. What are things that you might learn from observing this type of media?
b. What are pros and cons in the access that young people have to the media?