Learning Curve: 7B

The development of operant conditioning

is it true that the study of classical conditioning is the study of behaviors that are reative?

yes it is true.

what is operant conditioning?

a type of learning in which the consequences of an organisms behvaior determine whether it will repeat that behavior in the future.

what type of conditioning began the same time as classical conditioning?

operant conditioning did!

what are instrumental behaviors?

behaviors that required an organism to do somethingg (solve problem or manipulate elements)

what was edward l. thorndikes experiment?

• but cat in a box with door that would apen if lever moved in the right way

• only one behavior led to opning the door: the lever moving

• if it suceeded it was rewarded, then try again

• overtime ineffective behaviors occured less and less

• instrumental behaviors became more frequent

who first examed instumental behaviors?

edward L. thorndike

what is the law of effect?

the principle that behaviors that are following by a “satisfying state of affairs" tend to be repeated, and those produce an “unpleasant state of affairs” are less likely to be rpeated.

was operant conditioning different from classical conditioning?

yes it is very different, in this case the behavior of that animal determined what was next

did operant conditioning resonate with behaviorists, why?

yes bevause it was observable, quantifiable, and free from explanations involving the mind

what is operant behavior?

it is behavior that an organism performs that has some impact on the environment.

whoooo discovered operant behavior?

B.F. Skinner did! I suppose

What did B.F. Skinner believe about reinforcement and punishment and uhh such

that most organisms are actively engaging in the environment in which they find themselves to reap rewards.

what is an an operant conditioning chamber (skinners box) ?

it allows reserachers to study the behaviors of small organisms in a controlled environment

what was B.F. Skinners focus?

reinforcement and punishment

what is a reinforcer?

an stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.

what is a punisher?

any stimulus or event that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that led to it.

what is positive?

situations in which stimulus was presented.

what is negative?

situations in which stimulus was removed.

what is positive reinforcement?

a stimulus is presented, and its presentation increases the likelihood of a behavior.

what is negative reinforcement?

a stimulus is removed, and its removal increasesthe likelihood of a behavior

what is postitive punishment?

a stimulus is aministered, and its administration reduces the likelihood of a behavior.

what is negative punishment?

a stimulus is removed, and its removal decreases the likelihood of a behavior.

is reinforcement more effective or less effective than punishment in promoting learning, why?

it is more effective because punishement signals unacceptable behavior, but doesn’t specify what should be done instread

what are primary reinforcers?

they help satisfy biological needs or desires like food, comfrot, shelter, and warmth

what are secondary reinforcers?

they derie effectiveness from their associations with primary reinforcers through classical conditioning

what is an example of a secondary reinforcer?

money! it is neutral, BUT you need it for primary unconditioned stimuli like acquiring food!

What are the key determinants of the effectiveness of a reinforcer?

• the amount of time between the occurrenceance of a behavior and the reinforcer

• more time elapses = less effective the reinforcer

• delay can reduce the effectiveness of a punishment

does operant conditioning show both dscrimination and generalization effects?

yes they do!

how could they tell that operant conditioning shows both discrimination and generalization effects?

they used pigeons and showed them artists and they could generalize across painters from the same artistic tradition and discriminate against painters with totally different artistic styles.

what happens to operant behavior when the reinforcement stops?

it undergoes extinction!

how is extinction more complicated in operant conditioning that in classical conditioning?

extinction is more complicated because it depends on how often reinforcement is received.

is it true that pattern with which reinforcement appeared was crucial in operant conditioning.

yes it was true.

what are the two most important schedules of reinforcement?

interval schedules and ratio schedules.

what is an interval schedule?

it is based on the time intervals between reinforcements

what is a ratio schedule?

it is based on the ratio of response to reinforcements

what is a fixed-interval schedule?

when reinforcers are presented at fixed time periods , provided that the appropriate resposne is made.

what is an example of a fixed-interval schedule?

in a 2 minute fixed interval schedule, respone is reinforced ONLY after 2 minutes.

what is a variable-interval schedule?

a behavior is reinforced on the basis of an average time that has expired since the last reinforcement

what is true about fixed and bariable interval schedules?

they produce slow methodical responses since reinforcement follows a timescale that is independent of how many responses occur.

What is an example of variable-interval schedule?

a 2 minute variable interval schedule is when resposnes are reinforced every 2 minutes on average

what is a fixed-ratio schedule?

when reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses have been made.

what is continuous reinforcement?

when you present reinforcement after each response.

what is a variable-ratio schedule?

when the delivery of reinforcement is based on a particular average number of response, although the ratio of response to reinfrocements is variable.

is it true that variable-ratio schedules get higher responses?

yes it is!

what is intermittent reinforcement?

where by only some of the responses made are followed by reinforcemnt.

the more irregular and intermittent a schedule is =

The more difficult it becomes for an organism to detect when it has actually been placed on extinction.

What is the intermittent reinforcement effect?

The fact that operant behaviors that are maintained under intermittent reinforcement schedules resist extinction better than those maintained under continuous reinforcement.

what is shaping?

learning that results from the reinforcement of successive steps to a final desired behavior.

what is successive approximation?

a behavior that gets incrementally closer to the overal desired behavior.

What did edward chace tolman argue believe?

that there was more to learning than knowing circumstances of the environment and being able to observe a certain outcome

what did edward chace tolman propose?

That the conditioning experience produced knowledge/belief that an award will appear if a specific response is made.

What is produced when a stimulus establishes an internal cognitive state?

a behavior is produced.

what is latent learning?

a process in which something is learned, but it is not manifested as a behavioral change until sometime in the future.

what is a cognitive map?

a mental representation of the physical features of the environment.

what did dames olds do?

he inserted electrodes into rates brains and rats could control electric stimulation of their own brain by pressing a bar.

what are pleasure centers?

there are pathways in the brain that deliever rewards through stimulation

the rates had to press a bar to stimulate certain structures, ignoring life-sustaingin nessecites.

what is an example of a pleasure center?

There are neurons in the medial forebrain bundle that are most susceptible to stimulation that produces pleasure.

does operant conditioning also have an adaptive value that has been fine-tuned by evolution?

well yes it does.

what was brelands work? what did it show?

All species are biologically predisposed to learn some things more readily than others and respond to stimuli in ways that are consistent with their evolutionary history.