Ch. 12 B.F. Skinner

What was Skinner’s theory?

Reinforcement Theory

Choice of Subjects

rats & pigeons, humans are basically animals. only observed, didn’t believe in internal processes

Respondent vs Operant Behavior

Respondent - response (think/feel automatically) by environment stimuli
Operant - spontaneous or voluntary behavior changed by environment

Classical Conditioning

Reacting a certain way because of experience

Feeling through learned experiences

Unconditioned Stimulus (US) -> Unconditioned Response (UR)

Unconditioned Stimulus (US) <-> Neutral Stimulus (NS)

Conditioned Stimulus (CS) -> Conditioned Response (CR

Fearful Personalities

Learned fear, Avoid, pattern

Operant Conditioning

reward or punished behavior

Personality is a collection of operant patterns

Schedules of Reinforcement - Fixed interval

Reinforcer following a fixed amount of time after response

Schedules of Reinforcement - Fixed Ratio

Reinforcer following a fixed number of responses

Schedules of Reinforcement - Variable Interval

unafter unpredictable amount of time

Schedules of Reinforcement - Variable Ratio

after unpredictable number of responses

Shaping

Rewarding desired behavior

Superstitious Behavior

Accidental reinforcement

Self-Control of Behavior

Regulate own behavior

Stimulus avoidance

• Removing oneself from an external variable

Self-administered satiation

know when to quit

Aversive stimulation

• Making negative consequences for oneself

Self-reinforcement

• Rewarding oneself

Behavior modification

Therapy that applies principles of reinforcement for changing behavior. Ex) classrooms, clinics, businesses, and industries

Token Economy

reward with something the person values

Assessment - Functional Analysis

frequency of a behavior, the situation it occurs in, and its associated reinforcers

Asssessment - Approaches

Direct observation

• Self-report

• Physiological measurements

Reflections - Criticisms

rFocuses on overt behavior ignoring uniquely human qualities

• Use of animals subjects

• Instinctive drift: Substitution of instinctive behaviors for behaviors that had been reinforced

• Challenged by cognitive movement

Reflections - Contribution

• Behaviorism

• Shaped the field arguably more than any other individual

• Widely applied in laboratory, clinical, and org settings