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Section 3
Interactive Study Guide
Chapter 8
Strengthening Operant Behavior
1. Reinforcement that occurs after every desired behavior is exhibited is called continuous
reinforcement
a. While continuous reinforcement is good for quick initial learning, it is not good at
preventing extinction as the subject expects to receive reinforcement each time
and when does not will stop exhibiting desired behavior
2. When reinforcement for the desired behavior is given occasionally this refers to the
partial reinforcement (intermittent schedule)
a. The use of a partial reinforcement schedule is good for desired response long term
because the subject is left guessing when reinforcement is going to be given
b. Four types of Partial Reinforcement Schedules (ratio- behaviors performed)/
interval based on time elapsed)
i. Reinforcement that is provided after a set number of the correct responses/
behaviors performed- like buy 4 cups of coffee the 5th is one free is called
a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule
ii. Reinforcement that is provided after a varying number of correct
responses/ behaviors are performed- like a slot machine in a casino- is
called a variable-ratio (VR) schedule
iii. Reinforcement is provided for the first desired response after a set amount
of time has elapsed is called a- like your favorite showing coming on
every Monday night at 8:00 fixed-interval (FI) schedule
iv. Reinforcement is provided after the first desired response after a varying
amount of time has elapsed- like your favorite TV show coming after the
football game is done (which is unpredictable) is called variable-interval
(VI) schedule
Removing Operant Behavior
3. For extinction to take place, the reinforcement must be not given or absent after the
desired response is displayed.
Applications of Operant Behavior
4. A variety of professions, teachers, coaches, bosses, use B.F. Skinner’s principle of
operant conditioning. A change in a previous behavior to a newly desired behavior is
called behavior modification
Section 3
Interactive Study Guide
Chapter 8
a. An environment that reinforces desirable behavior by rewarding the behavior with
secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for other reinforcers is called a token
economies
Cognitive Learning
5. Cognitive psychologists believe that the mental interpretation or representation of an
event is necessary for learning to take place.
Learned Helplessness
6. Martin Seligman believed that failure to continue exerting effort for an outcome because
all previous attempts have failed refers to learned helplessness. If a person or animal
perceives that they have no control over a situation or an outcome, they will then abandon
all efforts in trying to change the situation.
Latent Learning and Cognitive Mapping
7. Edward Tolman conducted research on the cognitive learning of mice when placed in a
maze. He believed that learning takes place cognitively rather than observationally.
Mental representations that people rely on to understand complex patterns, situations, or
places are called cognitive map- a mental map- picturing routes and destinations.
a. Learning that may not be displayed until a later time, is not always observable and
may lie hidden or dormant until proper circumstances arise that require this prior
learning to be displayed called latent learning. For example, going over football
plays at home, but actually showing you know the plays in the game.
Observational Learning
8. Observational learning, acquiring knowledge by watching others perform a task, were
conducted and researched by whom?
Albert Bandura
a. What was the name of Bandura’s experiment?
Bobo Doll Experiment
b. The purpose of this study was to examine what effects the violence displayed in
the media might have on o children’s behavior. Bandura’s study concluded that
children who watched a recorded adult actor behave violently toward the Bobo
doll and also got rewarded would then act the same- which he called modeledimitated or copied the behavior that was directly observed.