CED Unit 3 (Operant Conditioning) Flashcards
Operant conditioning
Shapes behavior through consequences
Reinforcement
Increases desired actions (always +)
Punishment
Decreases unwanted actions (always -)
Law of Effect
People tend to repeat actions that lead to good outcomes and avoid actions that lead to bad outcomes
Positive reinforcement
Adding something positive
Negative reinforcement
Taking away something negative
Primary reinforcers
Using things we need as reinforcers (food, water)
Secondary reinforcers
Using wants as reinforcers (treats, phone)
Shaping
A way to teach a behavior by reinforcing small steps toward the final goal
Instinctive drift
When an animal goes back to its natural behaviors, even after being trained
Superstitious behavior
When someone mistakenly connects an action with an outcome (they aren’t connected)
Learned helplessness
When someone experiences repeated negative outcomes that they can’t control
Reinforcement schedules
When and how often a behavior is reinforced
Continuous reinforcement
Provides a reward every time a behavior occurs
Partial reinforcement
Rewards are given only sometimes
Fixed interval
The reward comes after a set period of time, regardless of how often the behavior occurs
Variable interval
The reward comes after unpredictable time intervals
Fixed ratio
A reward is given after a set number of responses
Variable ratio
The number of responses needed for reinforcement changes randomly
