Operant Conditioning

Law of Effect

Coined by Edward Thorndike -- According to this principle, actions that follow positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated than those that are followed by negative outcomes

B.F. Skinner

Founder of the modern behavioral perspective, research on the operant conditioning and schedules of reinforcement

* He was more interested in how the consequences of one’s action influence behavior

Skinner Box

This chamber is a box that held a small animal such as a rat or pigeon. The box also contained a bar or key that the animal could press in order to receive a reward.

Operant Conditioning

Method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior

Operant

Any active behavior that operates upon the environment to generate consequences

Shaping

Procedure in which reinforcers gradually guide an animal’s actions towards a desired complex behavior

* You reward responses closer to the goal and ignore all other responses

Chaining

Breaks a task down into small steps and then teaches each step within the sequence by itself

Reinforcement Stimulus

Any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows

* Occurs each time the desired behavior occurs
* Involves the most amount of effort and resources

Positive Reinforcement

(+) – Favorable events or outcomes that are presented after the behavior, response, or behavior is strengthened by the addition of something

* Praise or a direct reward.

Negative Reinforcement

(-) – The removal of unfavorable events or outcomes after the display of behavior, response is strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant

* Eliminating something painful or even annoying but reinforcing it to happen again

Primary Reinforcement

Occurs naturally and doesn’t require learning in order to work. They often have an evolutionary basis in that they aid in the survival of the species (food, air, sleep, water, and sex)

Secondary Reinforcement

Involves stimuli that have become rewarding by being paired with another reinforcing stimulus (learned through association)

Token Reinforcement

Reinforcers that are symbols or tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforcers

* Can be exchanged for material reinforcers, services, or privileges – otherwise, they are worthless

Punishing Stimulus

The presentation of an adverse event or outcome that causes a decrease in the behavior that follows

* The timing of a consequence must be close to the behavior to make it effective

Positive Punishment

(+) – Presents an unfavorable event or outcome in order to weaken the response it follows

* Sometimes referred to as punishment by application

Negative Punishment

(-) – Occurs when a favorable event or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs

* Sometimes referred to as punishment as removal

Over-justification Effect

Phenomenon in which being rewarded for doing something actually diminishes intrinsic motivation to perform that action

* Can have a serious impact on your motivations and behaviors