Learning🍏 • Operant Conditioning

Question 1

If classical conditioning is learning through pairing
Then operant conditioning is learning thriugh __________

Answer 1

If classical conditioning is learning through pairing
Then operant conditioning is learning thriugh consequence

Question 2

Who was the ‘founding father’ of operant conditioning?

Answer 2

Skinner (Originally carried out the research but his conclusions were applied to humans by behavioural psychologists

Question 3

What are the 3 core principles of Operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Antecedent —-> Behaviour —-> Consequence

Question 4

If you want to change the ____________, you must change the ____________ (What already happens) or the ____________. It is much easier to change the ____________

Answer 4

If you want to change the behaviour, you must change the atecedent (What already happens) or the consequences. It is much easier to change the consequences

Question 5

What is reinforcement?

Answer 5

Reinforcement is when the desired behaviour is rewarded. Thus making it more likely to be repeated

Question 6

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 6

Positive reinforcement rewards desired behaviour by adding something pleasant such as food, affection or money

Question 7

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 7

Negative reinforcement rewards the desired behaviour by removing somethinng unpleasant e.g. taking away pain or distress, stopping criticism

Question 8

What is punishment?

Answer 8

Punishment is when undesirable behaviour produces unpleasant consequences

Question 9

What is positive punishment?

Answer 9

Positive punishment is when undesirable behaviour is punished by adding something unpleasant e.g. an electric shock or criticism

Question 10

What is negative punishment?

Answer 10

Negative punishment is when undesriable behaviour is punished by removing something pleasant e.g. deducting money, taking away X Box

Question 11

Skinner found ____________ to be less effective at changing behaviour than ____________

Answer 11

Skinner found punishment to be less effective at changing behaviour than reinforcement

Question 12

Effective conditioning must be C and C

Answer 12

Effective conditioning must be Contingent and Contiguent

Question 13

What does contingent mean?

Answer 13

Contigent means that there is a clear link between behaviour and the consequence it produces e.g. individuals know exactly what they are being rewarded and punished for

Question 14

What does continguent mean?

Answer 14

Continguent means that the consequence follows soon after the behaviour e.g. if there is too long of a delay, the conditioning/ asociation is weakened

Question 15

Skinner’s research deduced that _____________ shapes behaviour better than _____________, and that _____________ reinforcement shapes it better than _____________ reinforcement

Answer 15

Skinner’s research deduced that reinforcement shapes behaviour better than punishment, and that positive reinforcement shapes it better than negative reinforcement

Question 16

What is the best method of operant conditioning?

Answer 16

Positive reinforcement

Question 17

What is primary reifnorcement/ a primary reinforcer?

Answer 17

Neccessary or required items such as food or water

Question 18

What is secondary reifnorcement/ a primary reinforcer?

Answer 18

Desired items such as money or a favourite toy

Question 19

What is behaviour shaping?

Answer 19

Controlling or moulding behaviour

Question 20

What is a technique commonly used within behaviour shaping?

Answer 20

Successive Approximation

Question 21

What is successive approximation?

Answer 21

Rewarding behaviours that are similar to the end result/ final form of desired behaviour. Rewarding behaviour that is in a similar direction to the desired one, slowly causing the behaviour to become closer and closer to the desired, thus sucessively getting closer and closer to goal

Question 22

What is an example of successive approximation?

Answer 22

Skinner’s Pidgeon Experiment
* Pidgeons were rewarded intially for just slightly turning their heads in the correct direction
* Successively and slowly, the pidgeon started turning more and more, becoming closer to the desired 360 spin each time
* The pidgeon eventualyl was conditioned to respond to stimulus by rotating the full 360 - aquired this through behaviour shaping and successive approximation, learning bit by bit

Question 23

What is reinforcement/ punishment at a continous schedule?

Answer 23

When a given behaviour is reinforced/ punished every time it occurs

Question 24

What is reinforcement/ punishment at a fixed ratio schedule?

Answer 24

When a given behaviour produces reinforcement/ punishment only after a certain number of responses have been performed

BUT, with…

‘Fixed’ meaning that the amount of responses required is the same each time

Question 25

What is reinforcement/ punishment at a **fixed interval** schedule?

Answer 25

When a given behaviour produces reinforcement/ punishment only after a **certain amount of time** has passed. BUT, with... '**Fixed**' meaning that the **required amount of time** is the **same** each time

Question 26

What is reinforcement/ punishment at a **variable ratio** schedule?

Answer 26

When a given behaviour produces reinforcement/ punishment only after a **certain number of responses** have been performed BUT, with... '**Variable**' meaning that the amount of **responses required** is **random** each time

Question 27

What is reinforcement/ punishment at a **variable interval** schedule?

Answer 27

When a given behaviour produces reinforcement/ punishment only after a **certain amount of time** has passed. BUT, with... '**Variable**' meaning that the **required amount of time** is **random** each time

Question 28

For **Fixed Ratio**, learning is ________ and extinction is ________

Answer 28

For Fixed Ratio, learning is **fast** and extinction is **moderate**

Question 29

For **Variable Ratio**, learning is ________ and extinction is ________

Answer 29

For Variable Ratio, learning is **fast** and extinction is **slow**

Question 30

For **Fixed Interval**, learning is ________ and extinction is ________

Answer 30

For Fixed Interval, learning is **medium** and extinction is **medium**

Question 31

For **Variable Interval**, learning is ________ and extinction is ________

Answer 31

For Variable Interval, learning is **fast** and extinction is **slow**

Question 32

The schedules of reinforcement/ punishment that have ________ learning, but with ____________ ________ are the best

Answer 32

The schedules of reinforcement/ punishment that have **fast** learning, but with **inconsistent** **rewards** are the best

Question 33

What is the application of schedules of reinforcement/ punishment?

Answer 33

**Video Games** * They utilise the most effective techniques (**Variable Ratio and Variable Interval**) to maintain or increase attention to games and desire to continue e.g. Maze Runner uses **Variable Interval** through **parachute prizes dropping down at random times** to get people engaged and motivated to play out of speculation that they 'might get one soon'

Question 34

What was the Skinner Box experiment?

Answer 34

**One of Skinners Experiments used to showcase Operant Conditioning** * A rat would be in a 'skinner box' and if it were to press the lever, the light would come on and a food pellet would roll down the chute (**Positive reinforcement**) - Initially, the rat's learning would have started by hitting the lever **accidentally** * Slowly the rat learnt how to get the food and (A primary reinforcer) and would therefore press the lever and get the light to flash

Question 35

Outline one of the variations of the Skinner Box experiment

Answer 35

* In an additional variation of the skinner box included an **electric grid** at the bottom that was contiuously on * In this variation, the **lever would turn off the electric current for 30 seconds** * This is **Negative Reinforcement** as it is taking away something unpleasant Skinner found that in this varaition, the rats would learn to press the lever to turn the grid off, but **not as quickly** as the rats that were **positively reinforced** by food **(EVIDENCE FOR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT BEING THE BEST METHOD)**