Download Operant Conditioning

EQ: What is Operant
Conditioning?
Rewards and punishment
Classical vs. Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Behavior is determined
by what PRECEDES it.
Operant Conditioning
Behavior is determined
by anticipation of what
FOLLOWS it.
Involuntary
Voluntary
Dog salivates after a
tone.
Dog sits in anticipation
of getting a treat.
BR: Identify if example is
operant or classical. If
classical identify UCS, UCR,
CS, and CR
Classical or Operant?
Imagine you have a friend who
keeps the temperature in her
home so high that each
occasion on which you visit
her you find yourself
perspiring. The last time you
visited her, you noticed that
you began to perspire and
became uncomfortable as
soon as you saw her house
(even before you got inside).
Classical or Operant?
Alice leaves her clothes and toys all over her room. It
seems that the only time she cleans up her room
is when her mother yells at her. When she yells
at her, Alice picks up her clothes and put away
her toys.
Classical or Operant?
A patient in a mental hospital is very
disruptive at mealtimes. She grabs
food from the plates of those sitting
near her and tries to cram the food
in her mouth. Because this
behavior of stealing food is very
undesirable, a plan is developed
whereby every time the patient
steals food from other plates, she is
immediately taken to a room without
food.
Reinforcement
(encourages or
strengthens a
behavior)
Positive (to add A piece of candy
or give
for buckling
something)
seatbelt
Negative (to
subtract or take
something
away)
Punishment
(discourages or
weakens a
behavior)
A spanking for
not buckling your
seatbelt
The buzzing
Time Out for not
sound stops
buckling your
when you buckle seatbelt
your seatbelt
Complete hand out with your
group
EQ: What are the schedules
of operant conditioning?
BR: Fill in the chart using
notes below

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Interval: schedule based on time
Ratio: Schedule based on # of
behaviors
Fixed: Constant or predictable
Variable: Changing (unpredictable)
Reinforcement Schedules

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fixed ratio – set number (every three times
you raise your hand I call on you)
variable ratio – unpredictable number of
responses (slot machine)
fixed interval – set amount of time (pay you
every hour)
variable interval – unpredictable amount of
time (fishing)
With partner

Schedules of reinforcement ws
BF Skinner

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BF Skinner – “radical behavioralist”
Wanted to demonstrate that uniquely human
behaviors were the product of conditioning.
Starved 8 pigeons. Then rewarded them with
food every 15 s, no matter what they did.
Skinner Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA

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What did Skinner believe?
What happened in the pigeon
experiment?
What is Skinner’s explanation for
gambling?

Results:

6 of 8 bird developed superstitions

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Turning counter-clockwise in a circle
Thrusting head toward a specific corner of cage
“tossing” an imaginary ball with its head
Head bobbing with accompanying steps (2 birds)
“fake” pecking
Superstition (cont)

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Follow up studies:
 Gradually increased time
between rewards to 1 min –
bird behaviors became more
pronounced (head
bobbing/stepping looked like
a dance)
 Removed reward altogether
to create extinction –
pigeons showed resistance
to extinction (one pigeon
repeated behavior over
10,000 times before
quitting).
What are your superstitions?
How are they rewarded?
Video clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEKAwCoCKw

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What type of
reinforcement/punishment is being
used?
What is the reinforcement schedule?
Overjustification Effect

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Overjustification
effect: when we are
rewarded for
behaviors that we
naturally enjoy, we
sometimes lose our
intrinsic motivation.
Learning and
grades?
Professional
athletes?
Problems with Punishment

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it models aggression as
a way to solve
problems
breeds anger in the
recipient
doesn’t provide an
alternative behavior.
Therefore, the behavior
only goes away when
the punisher is around.
Criticisms of Behavioralism


Deemphasizes the
role of internal
thoughts and
feelings in
behavior;
Presents humans
as lacking free will
Ignores biological
predispositions
Support for Criticisms
Experiments with humans
and animals both indicate
that biological
predispositions influence
conditioning.
a. Animal training
b. Human societies built
on behavioralist
principles.
Support for Criticisms
2. Expectations alter the
effectiveness of
conditioning (i.e.,
alcoholics and nauseaproducing drug;
overjustification effect).
3. Learning occurs in the
absence of rewards or
punishments (this is called
latent learning)
- mice and cognitive maps
EQ: What is social learning
theory?

BR: Do you think people learn from

their environment?
Why or why not? Give examples
Read Social Learning theory
and answer questions
Observational Learning

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Also known as
modeling.
Albert Bandura –
Bobo doll
experiment video
Write the
procedure and
results of the study
in your notes
Modeling

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Prosocial Behavior – constructive behavior
Antisocial Behavior – unproductive or
destruction behavior
In groups

Think of two
examples of pro
social and 2
examples of anti
social behavior
Self Discovery: Your locus of
control


Give yourself
one point for
1(a), 2(b), 3(a),
4(b), 5(b), 6(a)
The higher the
score the more
external locus of
control

What do you
think locus of
control means?
Locus of control

Degree to which
you expect that
what happens in
your life depends
on your own
actions and
personal qualities
vs. factors
beyond your
control

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Internal locus of
control: things
happen because
of your own
efforts
External: What
happens to you
is outside of your
control
How does your culture influence
behavior/personality?
EQ: Do violent video games
contribute to youth violence?

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Do you believe that violence is a
problem in today’s society?
Do you experience violence in
your own life?
What do you think is the cause of
violence in our world?
Explain all answers
Videos on violence


Make a pro/con T-chart in your notes
(headings is “Do violent video games
contribute to youth violence”)
Write evidence from videos for each
side of T-chart
Taking to the text with partner

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Background:
“Do violent
video games
contribute to
youth
violence?”

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
Underline “Pro” statements
and write P in margin
Underline “Con” statements
and write C in margin
Box and define unknown
words
Write
comments/connections/opin
ions/summaries in margins
With partner

Add 2 pro and
con statements
to T-chart started
with the video
Group work:

1. Compare pros
and cons and
add one more to
each side of the
T-chart
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2. On notecard:
Pick one side (pro
or con) and write a
thesis statement
(main idea) with 3
pieces of evidence
from the reading
Put all group
members names on
the notecard