Reinforcement schedules/ key researchers

Robert Rescorla

Contingency theory: for learning to take place, a stimulus must provide the organism with a reliable signal (signal relations) that certain events will take place. example: bell in Pavlov's experiment —just a picture of the bell would not work

Edward Thorndike

Perform experiments on cats. He placed them in a puzzle box, used fish as a reward for escaping, and timed how long the escape process took. Through trial and error, the cats figured out that pressing the lever in the box (behavior) led to the reward of escape/fish (stimulus)

Law of Effect (Thorndike)

Responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become more likely to occur again in that situation, and responses that produce a discomforting effect become less likely to occur again in that situation

John Garcia

Found it was easier to learn associations that makes sense for survival like taste aversion

Edward Toleman

Used rats to study latent learning (graph to the far right) this showed that the group 3 rats had learned about the organization of the maze but without the reinforcement of food.

Albert Bandura

Influenced both behavioral psychology and social cognitive theory with his social learning theory

Ivan Pavlov

Experimental support for behaviorism with dogs. Created classical conditioning

John Watson

Studied classical conditioning and fear through the LITTLE ALBERT STUDY- little Albert was taught to fear a white rat when it was paired with a loud sound that scared him. (US-loud noise, UR-scared of loud noise, CS-rat paired with loud noise, CR- scared of the rat and later furry objects)

B.F. Skinner

Considered the founder of the modern behavioral perspective. Viewed the study of the mind as unworthy- should study observable behaviors. Created operant conditioning

Reinforcement schedule

A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

Continuous reinforcement

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

partial (intermittent) reinforcement

Reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement

fixed-ratio schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

variable-ratio schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

fixed-interval schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.

variable-interval schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

Primary reinforcer

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need (example:water, food, air etc.)

Secondary reinforcer

Stimuli that acquire their reinforcing power by their learned association with a primary reinforcers (example:money, grades, success, etc.)