Operant Conditioning

Operant (Instrumental) Conditioning

the type of learning in which behaviors are emitted to earn rewards or avoid punishments

Operant Behavior

behavior designed to operate on the environment in a way that will gain something desired or avoid something unpleasant

Reinforcement

a stimulus that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Punishment

a stimulus that follows a behavior and decreases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Law of Effect

Thorndike’s theory that behavior consistently rewarded will be “stamped in” as learned behavior, and behavior that brings discomfort will be “stamped out”

Discriminative Stimulus

a stimulus that increases the probability of a response because of a previous history of reinforcement in the presence of that stimulus

Positive Reinforcer

any event whose presence increases the likelihood that ongoing behavior will recur

Negative Reinforcer

any event whose removal increases the likelihood that ongoing behavior will recur

Positive Punishment

adding an undesirable consequence after an unwanted behavior to decrease the likelihood of the behavior happening again

Negative Punishment

removing a desirable stimulus or reward following an undesired behavior to decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring again

Avoidance Training

learning a desirable behavior to prevent the occurrence of something unpleasant

Learned Helplessness

failure to take steps to avoid or escape from an unpleasant or aversive stimulus as a result of previous exposure to unavoidable painful stimuli

Superstitious Behavior

accidental reinforcement of a behavior that occurs near a desired outcome, even if there is no causal relationship

Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)

apparatus often used in operant conditioning of animals, learning to associate actions with reinforcements or punishments

Shaping

reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior

Instinctive Drift

operant conditioning limited to behaviors that do not go against an animal’s natural instincts

Primary Reinforcer

natural properties are reinforcing (food, water, rest, etc.)

Secondary Reinforcer

things we have learned to value as reinforcers (praise, money, vacation days, etc.)

Reinforcement Discrimination

correct responses to one stimulus are reinforced while incorrect responses to another stimulus are not

Reinforcement Generalization

a behavior is repeated in similar contexts after being reinforced in a specific context

Continuous Reinforcement

reinforcement of every correct (desired) response

Partial Reinforcement (Intermittent Reinforcement)

any pattern of reinforcement in which only some responses are reinforced

Schedule of Reinforcement

a rule or plan for determining which responses will be reinforced and when they will be reinforced

Fixed-Interval Schedule

reinforcement requires that a certain amount of time elapse before a response will result in reinforcement

Variable-Interval Schedule

reinforcement is given after varying amounts of time have passed

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

reinforcement is provided after a set number of responses

Variable-Ratio Schedule

reinforcement is based on a varying, unpredictable number of responses

Premack principle (“Grandma’s Law” or “Bribery”)

using a high probability behavior to reinforce a low probability behavior.