Gen Psy Exam 3 - Operant Conditioning - (2 of 7)

What is operant conditioning?

It means learning through consequences

- Behavior --> Consequence

- Consequences change the likelihood of the behavior happening again

* If a behavior is followed by something good, you do it more

* If it's followed by something bad, you do it less

What is Thorndike's law of effect? What was Thorndike's puzzle box?

The law of effect says: Behaviors that lead to good outcomes are more likely to be repeated, and behaviors that lead to bad outcomes are less likely to be repeated

* In other words: If it works, you do it more.

* If it does not work, you stop

Thorndike's Puzzle Box

- Thorndike put a hungry cat in a box

- The box had a lever that opened the door

- At first, the cat escaped by accident

- Each time it escaped, it got food

- Over trials, the cat learned to press the level faster

Why? The action that worked (pressing he lever) was rewarded, so the cat repeated it

What is a Skinner box?

(operant chamber) It is a small box used to study how animals learn from consequences

- Hungry animal (rat or pigeon) is placed inside

- There's a bar or lever it can press

- When it presses the bar --> it gets a food pellet (a reinforcer)

- Because food is rewarding, the animal presses the bar more and more

Purpose: To show how reinforcement increases behavior

What are reinforcements and punishments?

Reinforcement - is anything that increases a behavior

- Behavior happens --> something good happens

- Result: you do the behavior more

Example: You study --> you get a good grade --> you study more

Punishment - is anything that decreases behavior

- Behavior happens --> something unpleasant happens

- Result: you do the behavior less

Example: You touch hot stove --> you get burned --> you stop touching stoves

What is shaping? What are successive approximations?

Shaping means teaching a behavior by rewarding small steps toward it

- You don't wait for the full behavior to happen

- You reinforce each little step that gets closer to the final goal

Successive Approximation are small steps that look more and more like the desired behavior

Each step is:

- closer to the final behavior

- reinforced

- used to guide the organism toward the full response

What are

- positive reinforcement

- negative reinforcement

- positive punishment

- negative punishment

Positive reinforcement - add something pleasant after a behavior, --> behavior increases

Example: Give a child candy for cleaning their room --> they clean more

Negative reinforcement - remove something unpleasant after a behavior --> behavior increases

Example: Buckle your seatbelt --> annoying beeping sound stops --> you buckle faster next time

* Negative reinforcement is not punishment; it still increases behavior

Positive punishment - add something unpleasant after a behavior, --> behavior decreases

Example: Touch a hot stove --> feel pain --> you stop touching stoves

Negative punishment - take away something pleasant after a behavior, --> behavior decreases

Example: Teen breaks rules --> phone is taken away --> rule breaking decreases

What is generalization?

After a behavior is reinforced in one situation, the organism starts doing the same behavior in other, similar situations

Example: A dog sits for treats at home --> later sits for treats at the park

What is discrimination?

A behavior is reinforced in one specific situation, so the organism does not perform it in other situations

Example: A child gets candy for saying "please" to parents

--> but not to siblings --> used the behavior only with parents

What is extinction?

If the reinforcer is removed, the behavior decreases and eventually stops

Example: If pressing a lever no longer gives food, the rat stops pressing

What is spontaneous recovery?

After a behavior has gone through extinction, it can suddenly reappear later, even without reinforcement

Example: A rat stops pressing the lever after extinction --> the next day --> it presses it again or twice

What are continuous and intermittent (partial) reinforcement? Which is better for learning?

Continuous reinforcement - behavior is reinforced every single time it happens best for learning a new behavior because the connection is very clear

Example: Every time a rat presses a lever, it gets food

(Best for learning)

Intermittent (partial) reinforcement - behavior is reinforced only sometimes, not every response gets a consequence

Example: A rat gets food only occasionally when it presses the lever

What are the schedules of reinforcement?

- Fixed-ratio

- Variable-ratio

- Fixed-interval

- Variable-interval

Fixed-ratio = reinforcement comes after a set number of responses. Predictable. Think: "Do the behavior x times --> get reward"* Example: Food every 10 lever presses

Variable-ratio = reinforcement comes after a changing, unpredictable number of responses. You don't know when the reward will come. Think: "Keep doing the behavior - reward could come anytime." Example: Slot machines (reward after an unpredictable number of plays

Fixed-interval = reinforcement comes after a set amount of time has passed. Predictable time. Think: "Wait the same amount of time every time." Example: First lever press after 30 seconds gets food

Variable-interval = reinforcement comes after a changing, unpredictable amount of time. You don't know how long the wait will be. Think: "Wait different amounts of time -- unpredictable." Example: Checking email - a message could arrive anytime

What are some problems with punishment?

- hard to know what behavior is being punished

- can create fear of the person giving the punishment

- doesn't remove existing rewards

- harsh punishment can model aggression

What are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? What is the over-justification effect?

Intrinsic motivation - you do something because you enjoy it or find it interesting

Example: drawing for fun, reading because you love it

Motivation comes from inside you

Extrinsic motivation - you do something for an external reward

Example: money, grades, praises, prizes

Motivation comes from outside you

Over-justification effect - giving too much external reward for something you already enjoy can reduce your intrinsic motivation

*If you love doing something, and then you start getting lots of rewards for it, you may enjoy it less

Example: Child loves drawing --> gets paid to draw --> starts drawing only for money --> less natural enjoyment