operant conditioning

reinforcement

anything, when following a response, causes that response to be more likely to happen again

punishment

any event, that when following a response, makes the response less likely to happen again

negative reinforcement

removal of something unpleasant that increases likelihood of the action happening again

positive reinforcement

addition of a pleasurable consequence that increases the likelihood of the action happening again

negative punishment

removal of something pleasant that decreases the likelihood of the action happening again

positive punishment

addition of something unpleasant that decreases the likelihood of the action happening again

law of effect

if an action is followed by a pleasurable consequence it will tend to be repeated

if an action is followed by an unpleasant consequence it will tend to not be repeated

primary reinforcement

fulfill a basic need

ex. food

secondary reinforcement

are associated with a primary reinforcer

ex. money can buy food

shaping

small steps toward some ultimate goal are reinforced until the goal itself is reached

instinctive drift

superstitious behavior

mistakenly associating an action with an outcome

accidental reinforcement

learned helplessness

someone experiences repeated negative outcomes, so they stop trying

continuous reinforcement

provide a reward every time the behavior is accomplished

partial reinforcement

rewards are only given for the targeted behavior sometimes

fixed interval

reward comes after a set period of time, regardless of how often the behavior occurs

ex. a worker gets paid every two weeks

variable interval

reward comes after unpredictable time intervals

ex. checking for a text message

fixed ratio

reward is given after a set number of responses

ex. a coffee shop gives you a free drink for every ten drinks you purchase

variable ratio

the number of responses needed for a reward changes

ex. slot machines