Download Module 22 - operant conditioning

PSYCHOLOGY
(8th Edition, in Modules)
David Myers
PowerPoint Slides
Aneeq Ahmad
Henderson State University
Worth Publishers, © 2007
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Operant Conditioning
Module 22
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Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
 Skinner’s Experiments
 Extending Skinner’s
Understanding
 Skinner’s Legacy
 Contrasting Classical & Operant
Conditioning
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Classical & Operant Conditioning
1. Classical
conditioning forms
associations between
stimuli (CS and US).
2. Operant
conditioning on the
other hand forms
association between
behaviors and
resulting events.
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Response-Consequence Learning
Learning to associate a response
with a consequence.
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Skinner’s Experiments
(1904-1990)
Skinner’s experiments
extend Thorndike’s law of
effect which states that
rewarded behavior is
likely to recur.
Yale University Library
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Operant Chamber or Skinner box
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Reinforcement
Any event that strengthens the likelihood that a
behavior will occur.
A heat lamp positively
reinforces a meerkat’s behavior
in the cold.
Reuters/ Corbis
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Primary & Secondary Reinforcers
1. Primary Reinforcer: Innately reinforcing
stimulus like food or drink, shelter.
2. Conditioned Reinforcer: Is a learned
reinforcer. It gets its reinforcing power
through its association with primary
reinforcer, such as praise, tokens, or gold
stars.
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Immediate & Delayed Reinforcers
1. Immediate Reinforcer: A reinforcer that
occurs closely to a behavior in time. Rat gets
a food pellet for a bar press.
2. Delayed Reinforcer: A reinforcer that is
delayed in time for a certain behavior. A
paycheck that comes at the end of a week.
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Punishment
An aversive event that decreases the behavior
that it follows.
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Punishment
Although there may be some justification for
occasional punishment (Larzelaere & Baumrind,
2002), it usually leads to negative effects.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Punishment can result in unwanted fears.
Conveys no information to the organism.
Justifies pain to others.
Unwanted behaviors reappear in its absence.
Aggression towards the agent.
One unwanted behavior appears in place of
another.
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Reinforcement Schedules
1. Continuous Reinforcement: Reinforcing the
desired response each time it occurs.
2. Partial Reinforcement: Reinforcing a
response only part of the time.
a) results in slower acquisition of the behavior
b) greater resistance to extinction later on.
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Reinforcement Schedules
Types of Reinforcement Schedules
Continuous
Intermittent
Fixed
Interval
Variable
Ratio
Ratio
Interval
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Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon
Ratio Schedules
1. Fixed-ratio schedule: Reinforces a response
only after a specified number of responses
e.g., like piecework pay.
2. Variable-ratio schedule: Reinforces a response
after an unpredictable number of responses.
E.g., behaviors like gambling, fishing.
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Interval Schedules
1. Fixed-interval schedule: Reinforces a
response only after a specified time has
elapsed e.g., preparing for an exam only
when the exam draws close.
2. Variable-interval schedule: Reinforces a
response at unpredictable time intervals.
produces slow steady responding, e.g., like
pop quiz.
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Schedules of Reinforcement
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Shaping
Operant conditioning procedure in which
reinforcers guide behavior closer towards target
behavior through successive approximations.
Fred Bavendam/ Peter Arnold, Inc.
Khamis Ramadhan/ Panapress/ Getty Images
A rat shaped to sniff mines. A manatee shaped to discriminate
objects with different shapes, colors and sizes.
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LO 5.23
Real world example use of conditioning
Real World Example
• Training a cat to
use the toilet will
involve:
– Shaping.
– Preparing “the training
arena.”
– Positive reinforcement
on a variable schedule.
Menu
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Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation:
The desire to perform a
behavior for its own
sake.
Extrinsic Motivation:
The desire to perform a
behavior due to
promised rewards or
threats of punishments.
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Applications of Operant
Conditioning
Skinner introduced the concept of teaching
machines that would shape learning in small
steps and provide reinforcements for correct
rewards.
LWA-JDL/ Corbis
In School
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Applications of Operant
Conditioning
Reinforcement principles can enhance athletic
performance.
In Sports
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Applications of Operant
Conditioning
Reinforcers affect productivity. Many companies
now enable employees to share profits and
participate in company ownership.
At work
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Applications of Operant Conditioning
In children reinforcing (good) behaviors increase
their occurrence. Ignoring unwanted behaviors
decrease their occurrence.
One way to deal
with a child’s
temper tantrum is
to ignore it
resulting in
extinction
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Operant vs. Classical Conditioning
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