Skinner's Operant Analysis Chapter 15

Operant behavior

Behavior that operates on the environment.

Law of Effect:

E.L. Thorndike,

The law of effect is the principle that determines what about behavior?

The consequences of behavior.

In operant conditioning what is the principle?

The principle that a behavior becomes more probable when it is followed by a positive reinforcer and less probable when a punisher follows it.

What is Skinner famous for?

Using a Skinner Box, which was designed to have rats press a lever for food.

According to Skinner, what does a behavioralist analyze?

The events in the environment, past or current that help reduce behavior.

What does Skinner believe one needs to understand behavior?

One must perform a functional analysis.

Functional analysis of behavior

Identifying the environmental conditions that determine if behavior occurs or does not occur.

Functional analysis of behavior states that behavior is caused by?

The operation of environmental factors.

Skinner believed that humans are conditioned by what events?

External events

Skinner believed that everything we do is caused by what?

The environment

What is the criticism of Skinner

-Research was performed on lower animals.

-The human environment cannot be so easily manipulated as that of animals.

-he sought to manipulate people without them being aware of it.

-He set himself up as an arbiter of good and evil.

The study of personality involves what?

The discovery of the unique set of relationships between the behavior of an organism and its reinforcing or punishing consequences.

Ivan Pavlov developed what concept?

The concept of classical conditioning.

B.F. Skinner developed what concept?

The concept of operant conditioning.

Classical conditioning involves what type of learning?

Learning by association

Operant conditioning involves what type of learning?

Learning by reinforcement (rewards) and punishment.

Operant conditioning

The establishment of an association between behavior and its consequences.

What makes the occurrence of behavior more or less probable?

Reinforcements or punishments that make it more or less likely that the behavior will happen again.

The three-term contingency

Refers to the three important components of an operant-conditioning contingency

contingency

A rule stating that some event will occur if and only if another event occurs.

What does the three-term contingency involve?

-The environmental/situational event in which a behavioral response occurs. The event that precedes the behavior.

-The behavior itself

-The environmental stimuli

Discrimination

Responding differently in the presence of certain stimuli-in some situations- and not in others.

Example of discrimination

When some behavior is rewarded or punished in one situation yet not in another.

Stimulus control

The process in which a person's response is determined by particular stimuli

With stimulus control when will a person respond?

Will respond only when reinforcements take place.

Examples of stimulus control

The child gets candy when requested in front of mom friend.

Prompts

Antecedent events that help initiate responses (Instructions, directions, examples and models)

Discriminative stimulus

Stimulus, whose presence signals an individual to respond because they have learned previously that its presence leads to reinforcing consequences.

Stimulus generalization

The process by which behavior that is reinforced in one situation is repeated in other similar situations even if not reinforced.

Stimulus generalization is the opposite of-

Discrimination

Reinforcement

The principle that behavior will increase in frequency when followed by a positive or negative reinforcer.

Positive reinforcement

Refers to increasing the frequency of a behavior by the presentation of a pleasant stimuli or positive reinforcers following that behavior.

Positive reinforcers

Stimuli that, when they follow behavior, increase the frequency of the behavior.

What are the two types of positive reinforcers

-Primary/Unconditioned

-Secondary/Conditioned

Primary/Uncordinated

Automatically or naturally reinforcing.

Examples of primary/uncoordinated positive reinforcements=

-Food

-Water

-Sex

Secondary/conditioned

These positive reinforcements enforce through their association with primary reinforcers or other conditioned reinforcers.

Examples of secondary/conditioned positive reinforcements.

-Praise

-Attention

-Money

-Good grades

Negative reinforcement

Refers to increasing the frequency or behavior/response by the removal of an aversive/unpleasant stimulis following that behavior.

Negative reinforcer

The removal of an aversive stimulus

Aversive

Unpleasant stimulus

Punishment

The principle refers to a decrease in the frequency of a response when that response is followed immediately by certain punishers/consequences.

Punishers

Stimuli that are inherently aversive or unpleasant.

Positive punishment

The presentation of an aversive stimulus/punisher following a behavior

What are two types of punishers?

-Primary/Unconditioned

-Secondary/Conditioned

Primary/Unconditioned punishment

Stimuli that are inherently aversive or unpleasant.

Examples of primary/unconditioned punishments.

-Spanking

-Falling down

Secondary/conditioned punishment

Acquire their aversive properties by being paired with primary punishers or other conditioned punishers.

Examples of secondary/conditioned punishment

-Poor grades

-Criticism

-Ignored

Negative punishment

The removal of a desirable or pleasant stimulus following a behavior

What are the types of negative punishment?

Response cost and time-out punishment

Response cost

Involves a penalty of some kind.

Examples of response cost

-Child curses

-Loses a toy

-Speed/ticket

-Late fees

Time-out punishment

Removal of all pleasant stimuli for a period of time

Examples of time-out punishment

-No TV

-No computer

What are the two downsides of punishment according to Skinner.

-May give rise to emotional responses that are incompatible with appropriate behavior.

-Can create strong conflict in people when responses have inconsistent results.

Shaping

Teaching a new behavior by reinforcing responses that approximate it and are then reinforced until eventually the goal is achieved.

Successive approximations

Behaviors are increasingly similar to the final goal.

Continuous reinforcement

The response is followed by a reinforcer consistently.

Intermittent reinforcement

Response is followed by a reinforcer occasionally or intermittently.

Self-control process

How the individual acts to alter the conditions that influence their behavior.

Self-control process (1-7)

1. Physical restraints

2. Physical aids

3. Changing the stimulus conditions

4. Manipulating emotional conditions

5. Performing alternative responses

6. Positive self-reinforcement

7. Self-punishment

Skinner believed personality changes over time due to what?

Unique environmental schedules of reinforcement rather than the emergence of maturation stages.

Skinner believed there is no qualitative difference between what?

Between so-called normal and abnormal individuals.

Skinner believed that the same set of principles can account for?

All behavior.

Skinner believed the focus should be more on the-

Environmental determinants of behavior rather than inner ones.

Skinner focused on specific behaviors and environmental events that are considered to be?

Controlling influences.

Ultimately Skinner sought to discover what?

A cause-and-effect relationship between events

Behavior modification

Attempt to change behavior by applying learning principles derived primarily from reinforcement principles and less often by punishment principles.

John B. Watson

A major proponent of the behavioral school.

According to Watson, behaviorists study-

Observable animal and human behaviors, instead of states of consciousness.

One of Watson's best-known experiments was with?

Rayner and an eleven month old child named Alber B-Little Albert

-Scared the child with rats and other furry animals.

Despite Watson's contributions, behaviorism is associated primarily with the name of?

B. F. Skinner, who made his reputation by testing Watson's theories in the laboratory.

Skinner'sstudies led him to reject

Watson's almost exclusive emphasis on reflexes and conditioning.

Similar to Watson, Skinner denied what?

That the mind or feelings play a part in determining human behavior. Instead, our experience of reinforcements determines our behavior.

Skinner maintained that operant conditioning could explain what?

Even the most complex of human behaviors.

His theory became known as radical behaviorism

because he focused on the functional analysis of

behavior

Radical Behaviorism (Skinner)

The relationship between environmental events and a particular response.

Radical behaviorism makes no allowance for?

Cognitive processes

Both Skinner and E.L. Thorndike are associated with?

Operant conditioning

Both began their studies around?

The time that Pavlov completed his.

Although Thorndike's studies on learning were quite important, it is Skinner's name that?

Is most often associated with operant conditioning.

Contributions of Behaviorism

-It is one of the most evidence-based therapies in

existence.

-It has led to the development of a strong self-

management focus in therapy.

-It has been used to treat a wide range of psychological

conditions such as phobias, eating disorders, addictions

of all types, OCD, PTSD, and behavioral disorders.

Criticisms of Behaviorism

-Behavior therapy has been criticized because it involves

control and manipulation by the therapist, treats

symptoms rather than causes.

-Ignores relational factors in

therapy, and does not produce client insight.