Interview with Skinner - Operant Analysis

What do you believe a behaviorist analyzes?

the events in the environment, past or current, that help produce the behavior. To understand behavior, one must perform a functional analysis.

What is functional analysis of behavior?

identifying the environmental conditions that determines if behavior occurs or does not occur. States that behavior is caused by the operation of environmental factors.

What is operant behavior?

behavior that operates on the environment

What is the Law of Effect?

Thorndike’s principle that behavior is determined by its consequences. In operant conditioning, the principle that a behavior becomes more probable when it is followed by a positive reinforcer and less probable when it is followed by a punisher.

What do you believe we are conditioned by?

external events. everything we do is caused by the environment.

What are you most famous for?

inventing the skinner box

What is the skinner box?

a box designed to have rats press a lever for food

What do you say the theory of personality involves?

the discovery of the unique set of relationships between the behavior of an organism and its reinforcing or punishing consequences.

What concept did Ivan Pavlov develop?

classical conditioning

What concept did you develop?

operant conditioning

What does classical conditioning involve?

learning by association

What does operant conditioning involve?

learning by reinforcement (rewards) and punishment

What is operant conditioning?

the establishment of an association between behavior and its consequences

What is the relationship between behavior occurrence and reinforcement or punishment?

the occurrence of behavior is made more or less probable by reinforcements or punishments which make it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again

What does the three-term contingency refer to?

the three important components in an operant conditioning contingency

What is a contingency?

a rule stating that some event will occur if and only if another event occurs

What does the three-term contingency involve?

1. The environmental (situational) event in which a response (behavior) occurs. The event that precedes the behavior.

2. The behavior itself

3. The environmental stimuli (consequences) that follow the behavior

What is discrimination?

responding differently in the presence of certain stimuli (in some situations) and not in others. When some behavior is rewarded or punished in one situation yet not in another.

What is stimulus control?

the process in which a person’s response is determined by particular stimuli. Will respond only when reinforcement will take place. We react to various cues in our environment.

What are prompts?

antecedent events that help initiate responses (instructions, directions, examples, & models)

What is a discriminative stimulus?

stimulus whose presence signals an individual to respond because they have learned previously that its presence leads to reinforcing consequences

What is stimulus generalization?

the process by which behavior that is reinforced in one’s situation is repeated in other similar situations even if not reinforced. The opposite of discrimination.

What is reinforcement?

the principle that behavior will increase in frequency when followed by a positive or negative reinforcer

What is positive reinforcement?

The process of increasing the frequency of behavior by the presentation of a pleasant stimuli or positive reinforcers following that behavior

What are positive reinforcers?

Stimuli that, when they follow a behavior, increase the frequency of the behavior.

What are the 2 types of positive reinforcers?

Primary (unconditioned) and secondary (conditioned)

What are primary (unconditioned) positive reinforcers?

Automatically or naturally reinforcing, like food, water, or sex.

What are secondary (conditioned) positive reinforcers?

Reinforcing through their association with primary reinforcers or other conditioned reinforcers, such as praise, attention, money, or good grades.

What is negative reinforcement?

Increasing the frequency of a behavior by the removal of an aversive stimulus following that behavior.

What is a negative reinforcer?

The removal of an aversive stimulus.

What is an aversive?

An unpleasant stimulus

What is punishment?

Refers to a decrease in the frequency of a response when that response is followed immediately by a certain consequence (punisher)

What are punishers?

Stimuli that are inherently aversive or unpleasant.

What is positive punishment?

The presentation of an aversive stimulus (punisher) following a behavior.

What is negative punishment?

The removal of a desirable or pleasant stimulus following a behavior.

What are the 2 types of negative punishments?

Response cost and time-out punishments

What is a response-cost negative punishment?

Involves a penalty of some kind (child curses, loses a toy, speed/ticket, late fees)

What is a time-out punishment?

Removal of all pleasant stimuli for a period of time. (No TV or computer).

What are the 2 types of punishers?

Primary (unconditioned) and secondary (conditioned) punishers

What is a primary (unconditioned) punisher?

Simuli that are inherently aversive or unpleasant (spanking, falling down)

What are secondary (conditioned) punishments?

Acquiretheir aversive properties by being paired with primary punishers or other conditioned punishers (poor grades, criticism, ignored)

According to you what is the first downside of punishment?

it may give rise to emotional responses that are incompatible with appropriate behavior. Children can build anger and act out more.

According to you, what is the second downside of punishment?

It can create strong conflict in people when responses have inconsistent results. You should always reward over punish.

What is shaping?

Teaching a new behavior by reinforcing responses that approximate it and are then reinforced until eventually the goal is achieved.

What are success approximations?

Behaviors are increasingly similar to their final goal.

What are the 2 schedules of reinforcement>

Continuous reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement.

What is continuous reinforcement?

Response is followed by a reinforcer consistently.

What is an intermittent reinforcer?

Response is followed by a reinforcer occasionally or intermittently.

What is the self-control process?

How the individual acts to alter the conditions that influence their behavior.

What are self-control process examples?

1. Physical restraints

2. Physical aids

3. Changing the stimulus conditions

4. Manipulating emotional conditions

5. Performing alternative responses

6. Positive self-reinforcement

7. Self-punishment

What do you believe about personality development?

Personality changes over time due to unique environmental schedules of reinforcement rather than the emergence of maturation stages.

What do you believe about the qualitative differences between “normal” and “abnormal” individuals?

There is none. I believe the same set of principles can account for all behavior.

Where do you believe the focus of personality should be?

More on the environmental determinants of behavior rather than inner ones.

What did your assessment techniques focus on?

Specific behaviors and those environmental events considered to be controlling influences. Ultimately sought to discover a cause-and-effect relationship between events.

What are the implications of your therapy?

Behavior modification

What is behavior modification?

Attempt to change behavior by the applicaiton of learning principles derived (primarily) from reinforcement principles and (less often) by punishment principles.

Similar to Watson, what did you deny?

That the mind or feelings play any part in determining human behavior. Instead, our experience of reinforcements determines our behavior.

What are the contributions of behaviorism?

It is one of the most evidence-based theories in existence, and has led to the development of strong self-management focus in therapy. It has been used to treat a wide range of psychological conditions.

Why is behavior therapy criticized?

It involves control and manipulation by the therapist, treats symptoms rather than the causes, ignores relational factors in therapy, and does not produce client insight.

What are criticisms of your tbehavioral theory?

The research was performed on lower animals, the human environment cannot be so easily manipulated as that of animals, I sought to manipulate people without their awareness,a nd I set myself up as an arbiter of good and evil