Psychology 101:04 Exam 3 Study Guide - Operant Conditioning

what is positive reinforcement?

presentation of a pleasant stimulus after a behavior -> increases probability of behavior

what is negative reinforcement?

removal of an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior -> increases probability of behavior

what is positive punishment?

unpleasant stimulus follows behavior -> decreases probability of behavior

what is negative punishment?

removal of pleasant stimulus after a behavior -> decreases probability of behavior

what is generalization?

after a behavior is reinforced in one situation, it is performed in a different situation

What is discrimination?

a behavior that is reinforced in one situation is not performed in a different situation

what is extinction?

after the reinforcer is withdrawn, the behavior decreases

what is spontaneous recovery?

after extinction, the behavior reappears

What is continuous reinforcement?

consequences are the same each time the behavior occurs

What are the schedules of reinforcements?

Fixed-ratio

Variable-ratio

Fixed-interval

Variable-interval

what is fixed ratio?

reinforcement for a fixed proportion of responses emitted

what is intermittent reinforcement?

consequences are given only some of the times the behavior occurs

what is Variable-ratio

reward for some percentage of responses, but unpredictable number of responses required before reinforcement

what is Fixed-interval

reinforcement for responses after a fixed amount of time

what is Variable-interval

reinforcement for responses after an amount of time that is not constant

what are some problems with punishment?

May be difficult to identify which behavior is being punished

Individual may come to fear person giving harsh punishment

Punishment may not eliminate existing rewards for the behavior

Harsh punishment can model aggression

what is intrinsic motivation?

pursuit of activity for its own sake

what is extrinsic motivation?

pursuit of goal for external rewards

what is the over justification effect?

too much reward -> undermines intrinsic motivation

What is observational learning?

learning by observing the behavior of others

what is modeling?

imitating others' behavior

whats was badura's Bobo doll study?

Bandura’s study showed that behavior can be learned just by observing others, not just through rewards and punishments (which was the dominant belief at the time in behaviorism).

It helped kick off social learning theory, which later developed into social cognitive theory — emphasizing the role of modeling, attention, retention, and motivation in learning behaviors.

what are the implications of observational learning for aggressive and prosocial behavior?

Observational learning means people learn by watching others. Bandura's Bobo doll study showed that kids imitate aggressive behavior after seeing adults act violently. This means exposure to violent role models (in real life or media) can increase aggression. On the flip side, seeing kind, helpful behavior can encourage prosocial actions like sharing and empathy. So, what we see others do — especially as kids — can shape how we act.

What was Asch's study of conformity? What type of social influence did it demonstrate?

Asch’s line study showed that people often conform to group pressure, even when the group is clearly wrong. It demonstrated normative social influence, where people go along with others to fit in.