Download Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning
Mr. Koch
AP Psychology
Forest Lake High School
Operant Conditioning
• Type of learning in which behavior is
strengthened if followed by reinforcement or
diminished if followed by punishment
– (aka - Instrumental Conditioning)
• Antecedent → Behavior → Consequence
(stimulus)
(response)
– Law of Effect (Thorndike)
• Principle that behaviors followed by:
– Favorable consequences → more likely
– Unfavorable consequences → less likely
B.F. Skinner
(1904-1990)
Skinner Box
(aka Operant Chamber)
• Controlled environment
with a bar or key for
animal to manipulate to
obtain food/water
reinforcer
• Contains devices to
record responses
Operant Conditioning
• Reinforcement
– Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows
• Positive Reinforcement
– Increases frequency of behavior by adding a pleasant stimulus
• Ex: Money, praise, prizes, attention
• Negative Reinforcement
– Increases frequency of behavior by removing an unpleasant
(aversive) stimulus
• Ex: Aspirin, giving in to tantrum, faking sick, drugs to avoid withdrawal
Operant Conditioning
• Primary Reinforcer
– Innately reinforcing stimulus (satisfies a biological
need)
• Ex: food, water, relief from pain, etc.
• Secondary Reinforcer (aka - Conditioned Reinforcer)
– Gains its reinforcing power through its association
with a primary reinforcer
• Ex: money, grades, etc.
Operant Conditioning
• Shaping
– Reinforcing a series of behaviors which
progressively become more specific and similar to
desired response
• (guide toward closer approximations of desired goal)
• Note:
– What is reinforcing to one may not be to another
• Depends upon perspective of learner
– Ex: suspension; forced to stay after school
Schedules of Reinforcement
• Continuous Reinforcement
– Reinforcing desired response every time it occurs
• + acquire quickly
• - extinct quickly
• Partial (intermittent) Reinforcement
– Reinforcing part of the time
• - acquire slower
• + extinct slower
Schedules of Reinforcement
(Partial Reinforcement)
• Fixed-Ratio schedule
– Reinforced after certain number of responses
– Ex: piecework, bonus paid for selling certain # items
• Variable-Ratio schedule
– Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses
• Very hard to extinguish
– Ex: gambling, fishing, hitchhiking
Schedules of Reinforcement
(Partial Reinforcement)
• Fixed-Interval schedule
– Reinforce a response after a set period of time has elapsed
• Ex: payday, mail delivery, school schedule
• Variable-Interval schedule
– Reinforce a response at unpredictable time intervals
• Ex: pop quiz, random drug tests, waiting for taxi
Punishment
• An event that decreases the strength of a
behavior it follows
• Aversive Conditioning – using punishment to teach
• Positive Punishment
– Adding an unpleasant (aversive) stimulus to decrease behavior
• Ex: spanking, electric shock
• Negative Punishment
– Removing a pleasant/desirable stimulus to decrease behavior
• Ex: time out, grounding
Punishment
• Problems with punishment:
– Tells us what not to do, not what to do
– May teach avoidance, fear, or aggression
– If punishment is unpredictable, unavoidable – get
sense it is beyond our control
• May lead to depression, helplessness
– Better to emphasize reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
• Avoidance Conditioning
– Undesirable behavior not yet
present
• subject taught to avoid stimulus
• Counter-conditioning
– Undesirable behaviors already
learned
• Seek a new response – unlearn old
behavior