Instrumental and Operant conditioning

Question 1

Instrumental

Answer 1

Thorndike

Question 2

Thorndike/ Instrumental

Answer 2

• Law of effect:
• response followed by satisfying consequence is strengthened and more likely to be repeated
• response followed by an annoying consequence is weakened and less likely to be repeated

Question 3

Operant

Answer 3

• B.F. Skinner

Question 4

B.F. Skinner/ Operant

Answer 4

• extended many of Thorndike’s ideas
• used two main instruments:
  a) skinner box
  b) maze
• distinguishes between two types of behavior:
  1) Respondent
  2) Operant

Question 5

Respondent

Answer 5

• Stimulus elicits a response
• Focuses on the antecedents of the behavior
• Behavior studied in classical conditioning:
  - pepper makes you sneeze

Question 6

Operant

Answer 6

• Stimulus emits a response
• Focuses on the consequences of behavior
• Behavior studied in operant conditioning:
  - telephone ringing

Question 7

Reinforcement

Answer 7

increase in behavior

Question 8

Reinforcers

Answer 8

• stimulus or event that increases the frequency of a response
• stimulus was given or removed

Question 9

Punishment

Answer 9

decrease in behavior

Question 10

Positive reinforcement

Answer 10

• increase in behavior by giving something pleasant
• ex: clapping and cheering

Question 11

Negative reinforcement

Answer 11

• increase in behavior by removing something unpleasant
• ex: taking an aspirin for a headache

Question 12

Primary reinforcer

Answer 12

• stimuli that an organism naturally finds reinforcing
• satisfy a biological need

Question 13

Secondary reinforcer conditioned

Answer 13

• learned reinforcer
• learned through classical conditioning
• stimulus that acquires reinforcing properties through their association with a primary reinforcer (or another conditioned reinforcer)

Question 14

Positive reinforcer

Answer 14

pleasant stimulus that is given

Question 15

Negative reinforcer

Answer 15

the aversive stimulus that is removed or avoided

Question 16

Punishment

Answer 16

the response is weakened by the outcome that follows

Question 17

Positive punishment

Answer 17

decrease in behavior by giving something unpleasant

Question 18

Negative punishment

Answer 18

• decrease in behavior by removing something pleasant
• response cost

Question 19

Drawbacks of physical punishment

Answer 19

1) can become aggression if given in anger
2) does not erase an undesirable habit
3) can produce unwanted side effects

Question 20

Effective punishment

Answer 20

1) consistency- should occur after every transgression
2) immediately- should be swift
3) sufficient- should be enough to deter behavior
4) instructions- should tell why (verbalizations help but are not necessary)

Question 21

Acquisition

Answer 21

• the time it takes to make the association between response and consequence
• wait for behavior to occur to reinforce it

Question 22

Shaping

Answer 22

• involves reinforcing successive approximations toward a final response
• once behavior has been shaped, it must be maintained

Question 23

Schedule of reinforcement

Answer 23

• timetable for determining when behavior should get reinforcement
• continuous and partial/ intermittent

Question 24

Continuous

Answer 24

reinforce every correct response

Question 25

Partial/ Intermittent

Answer 25

reinforce only a fraction of correct

Question 26

Four partial schedules of reinforcement

Answer 26

- fixed ratio - fixed interval - variable ratio - variable interval

Question 27

Fixed ratio

Answer 27

- reinforced set # of correct responses

Question 28

Fixed interval

Answer 28

reinforced set time intervals

Question 29

Variable ratio

Answer 29

reinforce unpredictable changing # of correct responses - average responses