TOPIC 4 - Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement

Question 1

Learning controlled by the CONSEQUENCES of organism’s behaviour

Answer 1

Operant Conditioning
Instrumental Conditioning

Question 2

Process in which a behaviour is increased or STRENGTHENED by the IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE that RELIABLY follows its occurrence

(Strengthened = more likely to occur in the future)

Answer 2

Reinforcement

Question 3

Thorndike Law of Effect

Answer 3

If response in the presence of a stimulus is followed by a satisfying state of affairs the bond between stimulus and response will be strengthened.

However, if the response in the presence of a stimulus is followed by an annoying state of the affairs, the stimulus-response bond will be weakened

Satisfying state of affairs -> consequence
Reinforcement

Annoying state of affairs -> consequence
Punishment

Question 4

Three-Term Contingency

In operant conditioning, the _______ will determine whether the behaviour is more or less likely to occur in the future.

Answer 4

Antecedent : Behaviour -> Consequence

Operant -> consequence

Question 5

A behaviour that is strengthened through the process of REINFORCEMENT (only negative and positive reinforcement will create this type of behaviour)

Answer 5

operant behaviour

operant response/instrumental behaviour

Question 6

the stimulus or event following a behaviour

Answer 6

Consequence

Question 7

If the consequence strengthens the operant behaviour, then it is a _________.

Answer 7

reiinforcer

Question 8

A change in a behaviour as a result/function of the consequences that allowed it.

Answer 8

operant learning

Question 9

Producing an appetitive stimulus as an immediate consequence which will strengthen the behaviour

Answer 9

Positive reinforcement

Question 10

Eliminate prevent aversive stimulus to make behaviour more likely to occur again

Answer 10

negative reinforcement

Question 11

Providing (adding) consequences for a behaviour that INCREASE or encourage probability of behaviour in future

Answer 11

positive reinforcement

Question 12

event or stimulus when removed as consequence increases or maintains future probability of behaviour

Answer 12

negative reinforcement

Question 13

avoidance and escape behaviours are both types of __________ reinforcement

Answer 13

negative

Question 14

Operant behaviour increases by removing an ONGOING event or stimulus (type of negative reinforcement)

Answer 14

Escape behaviour

Question 15

Operant behaviour increases by PREVENTING onset of event of stimulus (type of negative reinforcement)

Answer 15

avoidance behaviour

Question 16

Instrumental/operant response produced once per trial

Answer 16

discrete trial procedure

Question 17

subjects can make as many instrumental response as they want pretty much, no experiment interference

Answer 17

free-operant procedure

Question 18

reinforcer that acquired its properties as a function of species evolutionary history

Answer 18

unconditional/primary reinforcer

Question 19

otherwise neutral stimuli that have acquired the ability to become reinforcing (basically through classical conditioning)

Answer 19

conditional/secondary reinforcer

Question 20

Immediacy
reinforcer used
task characteristics
Contingency
Contiguity

Answer 20

variables affecting reinforcement

Question 21

Nearness of events in time or space

Answer 21

contiguity

Question 22

if there are longer delays between the operant response and reinforcer, the effectiveness of the reinforcer is diminished

• longer wait, reinforcer less valuable

Answer 22

hyperbolic decay function

Question 23

Degree of correlation between behaviour and consequence

Answer 23

Contingency

Question 24

motivating operations are a subtype of _______ that modify the situation in which a behaviour occurs BY MAKING AFFECTING THE POTENCY OF THE REINFORCER - how much do you really desire the reinforcer or not (type of reinforcer characteristic)

two types:

Answer 24

Antecedent

Establishing operations
abolishing operations

Question 25

Motivating operations will either _____ or _____ as antecedents that affect the situation in which a behaviour occurs, by making a reinforcer more or less desirable

Answer 25

establish - set the scene abolish - discourage

Question 26

just like the learning curve, as the reinforcer magnitude increases, the amount of motivation _________

Answer 26

flattens out

Question 27

Particular pattern and rate of behaviour over time.

Answer 27

Schedule effect

Question 28

Behaviour reinforced each time it occurs (type of reinforcement schedule)

Answer 28

continuous reinforcement schedule

Question 29

4 types of intermittent reinforcement schedules:

Answer 29

fixed ratio variable ratio fixed interval Variable interval

Question 30

Behaviour reinforced after FIXED number of TIMES

Answer 30

fixed ratio schedule

Question 31

Post-Reinforcement pause is generated by

Answer 31

fixed ratio schedule

Question 32

Number of responses needed varies each time before reinforcement given BUT it does vary around an average

Answer 32

Variable ratio schedule

Question 33

Variable ratio schedule controlled by random number generator

Answer 33

random ratio

Question 34

type of variable ratio schedule in which ratio requirements move from small to large - creates “break point” measure of how hard organism will work for reinforcer

Answer 34

progressive ratio

Question 35

Behaviour reinforced when occurs after given period of time eg: $10/hour

Answer 35

fixed interval schedule - most jobs these days are based on a fixed-interval schedule - eg: I make $25 an hour

Question 36

Timing of response needed varies each time - will be reinforced shorter and way longer and anywhere in between

Answer 36

variable interval schedule

Question 37

organisms will do a low probability behaviour to get the chance to do a high probability behaviour (behaviour they like), not the other way around therefore, the high probability behaviour will REINFORCE the low probability behaviours

Answer 37

premack principle

Question 38

Stimulus that changes the PROBAILITY of an operant behaviour

Answer 38

Controlling stimulus

Question 39

Stimulus or event preceding an operant and sets the occasion for its reinforcement

Answer 39

Discriminative stimulus

Question 40

Stimulus or event that precedes an operant and sets the occasion for its NON-REINFORCEMENT

Answer 40

extinction stimulus

Question 41

Effect a occasion setting has on behaviour

Answer 41

Discrimination

Question 42

Change in operant behaviour that occurs when either Sd or Sdelta is presented

Answer 42

stimulus control - behaviour has fallen under control of controlling stimuli wow

Question 43

measure of stimulus control exerted by Sd or Sdelta - way of representing how much responses occur in the presence of the discriminating stimulus

Answer 43

discrimination index

Question 44

Sd response // (Sd + Sdelta) responses

Answer 44

Discrimination index

Question 45

Precision of stimulus control exerted high precision low precision

Answer 45

discrimination - only this stimuli will trigger responses generalization - stimuli close to it will trigger a response

Question 46

Stimulus generalization classical vs. Operant

Answer 46

similar stimuli may also produce a CR similar stimuli may also produce operant (may also be reinforcing)

Question 47

Generalization WITHIN classes of stimuli and discrimination BETWEEN classes of stimuli

Answer 47

concept formation

Question 48

DIFFERENTIATING: CONTROLLING STIMULI - Sd and Sdelta from MOTIVATING OPERATIONS - establish and abolish

Answer 48

controlling stimuli - consequence occurrence - discriminative - your response should have the consequence of being reinforced of this stimuli - extinction stimulus - your response will not have the consequence of being reinforced in the presence pf this stimuli controlling sitmuli: WILL the REINFORCING CONSEQUENCE HAPPEN OR NOT? - deciding whether or not to do the behaviour based on a single stimuli present motivating operations - how likely you are to do the behaviour in the first place - how much you DESIRE to do the behaviour based on the situation

Question 49

SPEND SOME MORE TIME DIFFERENTIATING controlling stimuli: consequences - will i be reinforced or not based on presence of this stimuli motivation operations: antecedents - is the reinforcer effective

Answer 49

Reinforced: discriminative stimulus Not reinforced: extinction stimulus Want to: establishing operation Not want to: abolishing operation

Question 50

Establishing operations and discriminative stimuli both make a behaviour _______ likely to occur in the moment, while abolishing operations and extinction stimuli will make a behaviour _______ likely to occur in the moment.

Answer 50

establishing operations and discriminative stimuli both -> more likely abolishing operations and extinction stimuli both -> less likely