B.F SKINNER - BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

Flashcards based on B.F. Skinner's behavioral analysis and reinforcement theory.

When and where was B.F. Skinner born?

March 20, 1904, in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania.

Who were B.F. Skinner's parents?

William Skinner and Grace Mange Burrhus Skinner.

What influenced Skinner to become a behaviorist?

Reading the works of Watson and Pavlov.

In what year did Skinner complete his PhD at Harvard?

1931

What was the purpose of Harvard's Society of Fellows, in which Skinner participated?

To promote creative thinking among young, intellectually gifted men.

In what year did Skinner become chair of the psychology department at Indiana University?

1945

What utopian novel did Skinner write while on vacation in 1945?

Walden Two.

In what year was Skinner's novel Walden Two published?

1948

When did Skinner retire as a professor of psychology?

1974

What unprecedented award did Skinner receive from the APA?

Citation for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology.

Which psychologist first systematically studied the consequences of behavior?

Edward Thorndike.

What is the name of the learning principle that says learning takes place because of the effects that follow a response?

Law of Effect.

According to Thorndike, how do rewards and punishments affect behavior?

Rewards strengthen connections, punishments inhibit behavior.

Which psychologist argued against the role of consciousness and introspection in the study of behavior?

John B. Watson.

According to Watson, what is the goal of psychology?

Prediction and control of behavior.

What did Skinner not refer to in his theory to account for behavior?

Internal, subjective states.

What animals did Skinner primarily use in his behavioral research?

Rats and pigeons.

What was Skinner's primary interest in his research?

Behavioral responses to stimuli.

What disorders are Skinner's therapeutic techniques used to treat?

Psychoses, mental retardation, and autism.

According to Skinner, what controls behavior?

Consequences.

What are the two kinds of behavior Skinner identified?

Respondent and operant behavior.

What elicits or causes respondent behavior?

Specific environmental stimuli.

How is respondent behavior characterized?

Unlearned, automatic, and involuntary.

What does conditioning involve in respondent behavior?

Substituting one stimulus for another.

Who originated the concept of classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov.

What is reinforcement?

Strengthening a response by adding a reward.

What is extinction in the context of behavior?

Withholding reinforcement.

What is operant behavior?

Behavior emitted spontaneously or voluntarily.

What determines or modifies operant behavior?

The reinforcement that follows the behavior.

What is operant conditioning?

A change in the consequences of a response affects the rate at which the response occurs.

How does an organism influence the environment in operant conditioning?

The organism operates on the environment to produce a specific effect.

How does behavior change based on its consequences?

Behaviors that work are displayed frequently; behaviors that don't work are not repeated.

What is positive reinforcement?

Any stimulus that increases the probability of a behavior occurring when added to a situation.

What is negative reinforcement?

Strengthening of a response by the removal of an aversive stimulus.

What is punishment?

Application of an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a response.

What are the bad affects that can come from punishments?

Urge to escape, counterattack, or stubborn apathy.

What are schedules of reinforcement?

Patterns or rates of providing or withholding reinforcers.

What are the two types of reinforcement schedules?

Continuous and intermittent schedules.

What happens in a continuous schedule of reinforcement?

The organism is reinforced for every response.

What are intermittent schedules based on?

Based on the behavior of the organism or on elapsed time.

What happens in fixed-ratio schedules?

After a specific number of responses, the response is reinforced.

What happens in variable-ratio schedules?

Reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable number of responses.

What happens in fixed-interval schedules?

A response is rewarded after an allotted period of time.

What happens in variable-interval schedules?

Reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable amount of time.

What is shaping of behavior or successive approximation?

Reinforcing responses similar to the desired behavior.

What is superstitious behavior?

Accidental reinforcement of an action.

What is self-control of behavior?

Ability to exert control over the variables that determine our behavior.

What is stimulus avoidance?

Removing yourself from an external variable that affects your behavior.

What is self-administered satiation?

Overdoing a behavior to cure ourselves of bad habits.

What is aversive stimulation?

Unpleasant or repugnant consequences for undesirable behaviors.

What is self-reinforcement?

Rewarding ourselves for displaying good or desirable behaviors.