Operant Conditioning Flashcards

(41 cards)

1
Q

did operant conditioning develop before or after classical conditioning?

A

after

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2
Q

what type of behaviour is operant conditioning concerned with?

A

voluntary

e.g. pressing a lever

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3
Q

why does learning occur during operant conditioning?

A

due to the consequences of an action

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4
Q

what is a reinforcer?

A

the event that leads to an increased likelyhood of the behaviour being repeated

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5
Q

primary reinforcer

A

the reward has biological significance

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6
Q

example of a primary reinforcer

A

food
shelter
sex

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7
Q

secondary reinforcer

A

rewards which become associated with a primary reinforcer

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8
Q

examples of a secondary reinforcer

A

good job - sexually attractive

money - buys food

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9
Q

positive reinforcer

A

takes place when something pleasant is introduced following a behaviour

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10
Q

examples of a positive reinforcer

A

smile

praise

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11
Q

negative reinforcer

A

takes place when something unpleasant is being removed

a behaviour to remove an unpleasant feeling

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12
Q

examples of a negative reinforcer

A

leaving a loud restaurant to go to a quieter one

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13
Q

punishment

A

when an event following a behaviour makes its repetition less likely

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14
Q

positive punishment

A

takes place when something unpleasant is introduced following a behaviour

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15
Q

examples of positive punishment

A

getting slapped during an arguement

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16
Q

negative punishment

A

when something nice is removed

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17
Q

examples of negative punishment

A

phone being taken away for not helping around the house

18
Q

uncontrollable reinforcers

A

happen regardless of behaviour

but we associate our actions with that reinforcer and continue to repeat the behaviour

19
Q

which study illustrated uncontrollable reinforcers?

A

Skinner illustrated this by placing 8 pigeons in Skinner boxes

20
Q

describe the Skinner box

A

one wall with a pad the pigeons could peck

contained food dispenser - controlled by experimenter

21
Q

when would the pigeons in the box receive food

A

every 15 seconds

regardless of what the pigeons did

22
Q

how did the pigeons respond to the food

A

six of the eight birds responded by adopting repetitive and unusual behaviours

23
Q

examples of the unusual behaviours of the birds

A

hopping up and down

head-bobbing

24
Q

what happened when Skinner adjusted the food dispenser to administer food more slowly

A

the head bobbing bird increased the speed of its head bopping

25
why did Skinner propose he had created 'superstitious pigeons?
food had followed the repeated movement the birds had come to learn that food would always follow that behaviour food motivated them to repeat the behaviour constantly
26
what did Skinner argue about punishment?
punishment is largely irrelevant we should be able to predict and control peoples behaviours by the appropriate distribution of reinforcements so that punishment should never be necessary
27
what doesn't punishment teach us?
what we ought to do
28
why is it thought that reinforcement is more effective than punishment?
it increases desirable behaviour which is arguably more effective than decreasing undesirable behaviours
29
in what cases can punishment act as a reinforcer?
it can be a means of attention or some people may enjoy punishment this means their behaviour may increase as a result
30
3 conditions that need to be met for punishment to work
predictable & consistent must be given by someone who seems neutral rather than emotionally involved reflect / support social norms
31
contingent
clear link between the persons behaviour and the consequence it produces - they know exactly what they are being rewarded or punished for
32
contiguent
the consequence follows soon after the behaviour - conditioning is weakened if there's too long a delay.
33
what 2 things must effective conditioning using punishment and reinforcers be?
contingent & contiguent
34
5 major schedules of reinforcement
continuous fixed ratio variable ratio fixed interval variable interval
35
continuous reinforcement
where the desired effect is reinforced every time it occurs
36
fixed ratio reinforcement
such as every fifth or tenth, or any such regular correct response is reinforced
37
variable ratio reinforcement
where the number of correct responses is constantly altered
38
fixed interval reinforcement
reinforcement made once every fixed number of minutes, so long as there has been at least one correct result during that time
39
variable interval reinforcement
where the time between reinforcements is varied
40
which type of reinforcement did Skinner find that animals were quickest to condition by?
continuous reinforcement
41
shaping
any behaviour which vaguely resembles what is being looked for is reinforced reinforcements then become increasingly selective