Psych-operant conditioning and therapies

Operant conditioning

a type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punishment

ex. actions followed by reinforcers increase while those followed by punishment decrease 

Operant behavior 

behavior that operates on the environment to produce rewarding or punishing stimuli

Who was B.F. Skinner?

a psychologist that developed operant conditioning

Law of effect

rewarded behavior tends to recur

Reinforcement

any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Positive reinforcement

adding a reward or desirable stimulus

ex. pet a dog that comes when you call it

Negative reinforcement 

removing something undesirable 

ex. saying child does not have to do chores if they get an A

Positive punishment

adding something undesirable

ex. spanking or scolding

Negative punishment

removing something desirable

ex. taking away car keys after child misbehaves

Shaping 

gradually guiding behavior toward close approximations of the desired behavior 

ex. responses that are closer to the desired behavior are rewarded 

Primary reinforcer

unlearned, and innately reinforces stimuli such as those that satisfy biological needs

ex. rewarding with food

Conditioned (secondary) reinforcer

a stimulus that gains power through association with a primary reinforcer

Immediate reinforcers

occur immediately after behavior

ex. works best with children

Delayed reinforcers 

involves a time delay between response and reward 

ex. works best with adults 

Continuous reinforcement schedule

reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

ex. not sustainable

Partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedule

reinforcing the desired response only part of the time

ex. sustainable

What are the different types of the partial reinforcement schedule?

• fixed ratio

• variable ratio

• fixed interval

• variable interval

Fixed interval 

predictably often

reinforcement for behavior after a fixed time, such as Tuesday discount prices

ex. produces a scalloped rate of response

Variable interval 

unpredictably often

reinforcement for behavior after a random amount of time

ex. produces the most consistent and reliable responses 

Punishment 

administers an undesirable consequence or withdraws something
desirable

Biological constraints

evolved biological tendence’s that predispose animal’s behavior and learning

Intrinsic motivation 

a desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake 

Extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

Observational learning

learning without direct experience by watching and imitating others

Modeling

the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

ex. bobo doll experiment

Vicarious reinforcement 

occurs when an individual observes someone else being rewarded for a behavior which increases the likelihood they will do the behavior themselves 

Pro-social modeling

modeling nonviolent, helpful behaviors prompts similar behavior in others

ex. most effective with consistent actions and words

Antisocial effects

modeling aggressive and violent behaviors prompts similar behavior in others

ex. violence viewing effect

Behavior therapists

doubt the healing power of self-awareness and believe that problem behaviors are the problem

Counterconditioning 

uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted responses 

Exposure therapies

treat anxiety by exposing people to the things they fear and avoid

Systemic desensitization

associates a pleasant, relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety triggering stimuli

ex. within a controlled environment

Aversive conditioning

creates a negative response to a harmful stimulus or unwanted behavior