Operant Conditioning

This set of flashcards covers key concepts and terms related to Operant Conditioning as discussed in the lecture notes.

Operant Conditioning

Learning that occurs when voluntary actions become associated with their consequences.

Law of Effect

Edward Thorndike's principle stating that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely, and behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.

Positive Reinforcement

Increasing the frequency of a behavior by providing a positive outcome or reward following the behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

The removal of an unpleasant event to strengthen a behavior.

Positive Punishment

Adding an unpleasant outcome to decrease the frequency of an undesired behavior.

Negative Punishment

Removing a desirable stimulus to decrease the frequency of an undesired behavior.

Escape (Negative Reinforcement)

Removing or stopping an unpleasant experience to strengthen a preceding behavior.

Avoidance (Negative Reinforcement)

Preventing an unpleasant experience from occurring, thereby strengthening the behavior that avoids it.

Continuous Reinforcement

A reinforcement schedule where every occurrence of a behavior is reinforced immediately.

Partial Reinforcement

Reinforcement of a desired behavior that occurs on some occasions but not others, affecting the strength of the behavior.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that provides a reward after a set number of responses.

Variable Ratio Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that provides a reward after an unpredictable number of responses.

Fixed Interval Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that rewards the first response after a set amount of time has passed.

Variable Interval Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that rewards the first response after an unpredictable amount of time has passed.

Observational Learning

Learning that occurs through observing the behaviors of others.

Modeling

Imitating the behavior of others, often influenced by the perceived value of the behavior.

Vicarious Reinforcement

Reinforcement experienced by someone else that influences an observer's behavior.

Vicarious Punishment

Punishment experienced by someone else that warns an observer about what not to do.