Operant Conditioning & Consequences

operant conditioning

where behavior is modified through the use of consequences, specifically reinforcement (rewards) and punishment, ex-A rat presses a lever to get food.

law of effect

behavior that is followed by consequences satisfying to the organism will be repeated and behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences will be discouraged, ex-You study and get good grades → more likely to study again.

reinforcement

the process of encouraging or establishing a belief or pattern of behavior, especially by encouragement or reward. ex-Reward that makes you repeat a behavior.

punishment

implementation of a consequence in order to decrease a behavior, ex-spanked for hitting sibling

positive reinforcement

adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior, ex-Giving candy for cleaning your room.

negative reinforcement

taking away an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior, ex-Taking away chores for doing homework.

positive punishment

adding an undesirable stimulus to stop or decrease a behavior, ex-A student who misbehaves in class is given extra homework.

negative punishment

taking away a pleasant stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior, ex-Taking away video games for not doing homework.

primary reinforcer

has innate reinforcing qualities (e.g., food, water, shelter, sex), ex-Food for a hungry person.

secondary reinforcer

has no inherent value unto itself and only has reinforcing qualities when linked with something else (e.g., money, gold stars, poker chips), ex-Money for doing chores.

partial reinforcement

rewarding behavior only some of the time, ex-Giving treats only sometimes when the dog sits.

continuous reinforcement

rewarding a behavior every time it occurs, ex-Giving a treat every time a dog sits.

fixed interval reinforcement schedule

behavior is rewarded after a set amount of time, ex-Paycheck every 2 weeks.

variable interval reinforcement schedule

behavior is rewarded after unpredictable amounts of time have passed, ex-Pop quizzes happen randomly.

fixed ratio reinforcement schedule

set number of responses must occur before a behavior is rewarded, ex-Factory worker gets paid for every 10 products made.

variable ratio reinforcement schedule

number of responses differ before a behavior is rewarded, ex-Slot machines reward after unpredictable pulls.

shaping

rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior, ex-Rewarding a rat for moving closer to the lever step by step

radical behaviorism

staunch form of behaviorism developed by B. F. Skinner that suggested that all behavior is stimulus–outcome learning, ex-Belief that even language is learned by rewards and consequences.