instrumental learning Flashcards
(9 cards)
What does the Law of Effect originally claim?
Only stimulus-response (S-R) connections are formed and strengthened through reinforcement or punishment.
What criticisms exist of the original Law of Effect?
It ignores possible associations between stimuli and outcomes (S-O), and responses and outcomes (R-O), which may also influence behavior.
What is a Response-Outcome (R-O) association?
The idea that a behavior (R) is performed to achieve a desired outcome (O).
What is Outcome Devaluation?
A method to test R-O associations by decreasing the value of the reinforcer and observing if the behavior decreases.
What does reinforcer devaluation demonstrate?
That organisms learn about R-O relationships and adjust behavior based on the outcome’s current value.
Do animals behave purely reflexively according to updated theories?
No, they can act intentionally to achieve specific outcomes based on learned R-O associations.
What is shaping in instrumental conditioning?
Gradually training a target behavior by reinforcing successive approximations to that behavior.
Give an example of shaping in animal training.
A rat is first rewarded for approaching a lever, then for rearing, then for pressing the lever – progressively closer to the target action.
How does shaping differ from simple reinforcement?
Shaping reinforces a sequence of increasingly accurate behaviors, not just one fixed behavior.
