Operant Conditioning Flashcards
(41 cards)
did operant conditioning develop before or after classical conditioning?
after
what type of behaviour is operant conditioning concerned with?
voluntary
e.g. pressing a lever
why does learning occur during operant conditioning?
due to the consequences of an action
what is a reinforcer?
the event that leads to an increased likelyhood of the behaviour being repeated
primary reinforcer
the reward has biological significance
example of a primary reinforcer
food
shelter
sex
secondary reinforcer
rewards which become associated with a primary reinforcer
examples of a secondary reinforcer
good job - sexually attractive
money - buys food
positive reinforcer
takes place when something pleasant is introduced following a behaviour
examples of a positive reinforcer
smile
praise
negative reinforcer
takes place when something unpleasant is being removed
a behaviour to remove an unpleasant feeling
examples of a negative reinforcer
leaving a loud restaurant to go to a quieter one
punishment
when an event following a behaviour makes its repetition less likely
positive punishment
takes place when something unpleasant is introduced following a behaviour
examples of positive punishment
getting slapped during an arguement
negative punishment
when something nice is removed
examples of negative punishment
phone being taken away for not helping around the house
uncontrollable reinforcers
happen regardless of behaviour
but we associate our actions with that reinforcer and continue to repeat the behaviour
which study illustrated uncontrollable reinforcers?
Skinner illustrated this by placing 8 pigeons in Skinner boxes
describe the Skinner box
one wall with a pad the pigeons could peck
contained food dispenser - controlled by experimenter
when would the pigeons in the box receive food
every 15 seconds
regardless of what the pigeons did
how did the pigeons respond to the food
six of the eight birds responded by adopting repetitive and unusual behaviours
examples of the unusual behaviours of the birds
hopping up and down
head-bobbing
what happened when Skinner adjusted the food dispenser to administer food more slowly
the head bobbing bird increased the speed of its head bopping