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Operant Conditioning
A type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to recur if followed by a reinforcer or likely to recur if followed by a punisher.
Operant Behavior
Behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing behavior.
Law of Effect
Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable (or reinforcing) consequences become more likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable (or punishing) consequences become less likely.
Skinner used Thorndike's Law of Effect to form what?
Technology that revealed principles of Behavioral control
Operant Chamber
In operant conditioning research, a chamber (also known as a skinner box) containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking.
Reinforcement
In operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior it follows.
Shaping
An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
Rewarding Successive Approximations
You reinforce responses that are ever closer to the final desired behavior.
Discriminative Stimulus
In operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement (in contrast to related stimuli not associated with reinforcement).
Positive Reinforcement
Increasing behaviors by presenting a pleasurable stimulus. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when present after a response, strengthens the response.
Negative Reinforcement
Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing an aversive stimulus. A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response (Negative reinforcement is not a punishment).
Primary Reinforcers
An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.
Conditioned (Secondary) Reinforcers
A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer.
Reinforcement Schedule
A rule stating which instances of a behavior will be reinforced.
Reinforcement schedule
A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.
Continuous reinforcement
Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.
Partial (intermittent) reinforcement
Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.
Fixed-ratio
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.
Variable-ratio
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.
Fixed-interval
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specific time has elapsed.
Variable-interval
In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.
Punishment
An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.
Positive punishment
Administer an aversive stimulus.
Negative punishment
Withdraw a rewarding stimulus.
Drawbacks of physical punishment
1. Punished behavior is suppressed, not forgotten. This temporary state may negatively reinforce parent's punishing behavior. 2. Physical punishment does not replace the unwanted behavior. 3. Punishment teaches discrimination among situations. 4. Punishment can teach fear. 5. Physical punishment may increase aggression by modeling violence as a way to cope with problems.
Main criticism of Skinner's beliefs
He dehumanized people by neglecting their personal freedom and by seeking to control their actions.
Basic rule of shaping
Notice people doing something right and affirm them for it.
Steps to changing behavior
1. State a realistic goal in measurable terms and announce it. 2. Decide how, when, and where you will work toward your goal. 3. Monitor how often you engage in your desired behavior. 4. Reinforce the desired behavior. 5. Reduce the rewards gradually.
Basic concept of operant conditioning
Biological constraints predispose organisms to learn associations that are naturally adaptive.
Instinctive drift
The tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns.
Operant conditioning; Basic Idea
Learned associations between our behavior and its consequences
classical conditioning; Basic Idea
Learned associations between events we do not control
Response in classical conditioning
Involuntary; automatic.
Response in operant conditioning
Voluntary, operates on the environment.
Acquisition in classical conditioning
Associating events; NS is paired with UCS and becomes CS.
Acquisition in operant conditioning
Associating a response with a consequence (reinforcer or punisher).
Extinction in classical conditioning
CR decreases when CS is repeatedly presented alone.
Extinction in operant conditioning
Responding decreases when reinforcement stops.
Classical Conditioning; Spontaneous Recovery
The reappearance, after a rest period of a weakened CR
Operant Conditioning; Spontaneous Recovery
The reappearance, after a rest period, of a weakened response
Generalization in classical conditioning
The tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the CS.
Generalization in operant conditioning
Responses learned in one situation occurring in other, similar situations.
Discrimination in classical conditioning
Learning to distinguish between a CS and other stimuli that do not signal a UCS.
Discrimination in operant conditioning
Learning that some response, but not others, will be reinforced.
Note 
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