Psychology of Learning Exam 3 Study Guide

Study Guidelines Overview

  • Chapters to focus: 6, 7, 8

  • Tasks to complete:

    • Finish guides and notes for Chapters 6 & 7

    • Retake quizzes for practice

    • Work on summary questions

    • Complete group practice for review

    • Identify problem areas for final review

Operant Conditioning
A-B-C Model

  • A: Antecedent

    • Signals the availability of a consequence (can be contextual or environmental cues).

  • B: Behavior

    • The organism's voluntary action performed in response to the antecedent.

  • C: Consequence

    • Follows behavior and impacts future likelihood of that behavior's occurrence, reinforcing or changing the behavior in future situations.

Fundamental Law of Operant Conditioning

  • Positive consequences increase behavior; negative consequences decrease it.

  • Importance of consequences in shaping behavior and learning; behaviors leading to positive outcomes are likely to be repeated.

Types of Consequences

  • Reinforcer: Increases future behavior

  • Punisher: Decreases future behavior

Reinforcement Types

  1. Positive Reinforcement: Add a pleasant stimulus (e.g., praise, rewards), increasing the likelihood of the behavior.

  2. Negative Reinforcement: Remove an aversive stimulus (e.g., taking painkillers for headache relief), which reinforces the behavior.

  3. Positive Punishment: Add an aversive stimulus (e.g., reprimanding a child for misbehavior).

  4. Negative Punishment: Remove a positive stimulus (e.g., losing privileges like screen time for inappropriate behavior).

Extinction in Operant Conditioning

  • Definition: When a previously reinforced behavior is no longer followed by reinforcement, leading to a decrease in that behavior.

  • Side Effects of Extinction:

    • Extinction Burst: Initial increase in the behavior before it starts to decrease.

    • Variability: Increased variability in actions as the organism attempts to regain reinforcement.

    • Emotional Behavior: Emotional responses such as frustration may increase during extinction.

    • Aggression: Potential for aggression as the organism reacts to frustration.

    • Resurgence: Return of previously reinforced behaviors when current behaviors are frustrated.

    • Depression: May occur as the organism learns that reinforcement is no longer available.

Schedules of Reinforcement
Definitions

  • Continuous Reinforcement: Every response gets reinforced (leads to fast acquisition of behavior but may not be sustainable).

  • Intermittent Schedules: Only some responses get reinforced (more resistant to extinction).

  • Types:

    • Fixed Ratio (FR)

    • Variable Ratio (VR)

    • Fixed Interval (FI)

    • Variable Interval (VI)

  • FR and FI lead to post-reinforcement pauses due to expectations of reinforcement.

Distinctions and Effects

  • FR: High response rate with a break-and-run pattern (rat receives a food pellet for every 5 lever presses).

  • VR: Very high and steady response rate (gambling, where wins are unpredictable).

  • FI: Moderate response with a scalloped pattern (checking the mail, waiting for a fixed time).

  • VI: Moderate and steady response rate (fishing, where the catch is unpredictable).

Important Concepts
Differential Reinforcement

  • DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior): Reinforce behaviors that are incompatible with the unwanted behavior.

  • DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative behavior): Reinforce more appropriate alternative behaviors to the unwanted behavior.

  • DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior): Reinforce any behavior other than the unwanted behavior.

Stimulus Control

  • Behavior occurs in the presence of specific SD (discriminative stimulus), which indicates that a particular behavior will lead to reinforcement.

  • Types: Loose vs. Tight control based on the predictability and consistency of reinforcement in response to the SD.

Applications

  • Targeting: Teaching animals specific responses using operant conditioning principles for effective learning.

  • HERO Rats: Trained rodents that can detect explosives by utilizing their sense of smell for important safety applications.

Key Terms from Chapters 6-8

  • Reinforcement: Any consequence that strengthens the behavior it follows.

  • Punishment: Any consequence that weakens the behavior it follows.

  • Extinction: Reduction of a behavior due to the removal of reinforcement.

  • Schedules of Reinforcement: Regimes for providing reinforcement in operant conditioning.

  • Stimulus Control: The influence of antecedents on the performance of behavior

Chapters to focus: 6, 7, 8
Tasks to complete:

  • Finish guides and notes for Chapters 6 & 7

  • Retake quizzes for practice

  • Work on summary questions

  • Complete group practice for review

  • Identify problem areas for final review

Operant Conditioning

A-B-C Model

  • A: Antecedent

    • Signals the availability of a consequence through various cues, which can be contextual or environmental.

    • Examples include verbal instructions, visual cues, or environmental settings which trigger specific behaviors.

  • B: Behavior

    • The observable and measurable voluntary action of an organism performed in response to the antecedent.

    • Behavior must be specific to be effectively analyzed and modified.

  • C: Consequence

    • Follows the behavior and impacts the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future.

    • Reinforcing or punishing consequences condition future behaviors, leading to either an increase or decrease in response.

Fundamental Law of Operant Conditioning

  • Positive consequences increase behavior; negative consequences decrease it.

  • Importance of consequences in shaping behavior and learning; behaviors leading to positive outcomes are likely to be repeated due to reinforcement principles.

  • The concept of reinforcement being more effective than punishment for long-term behavior change should be emphasized.

Types of Consequences

  • Reinforcer:

    • Any stimulus that increases the future occurrence of a behavior following its introduction.

  • Punisher:

    • Any stimulus that decreases the future occurrence of a behavior when introduced or removed.

Reinforcement Types

  1. Positive Reinforcement:

    • Involves the addition of a pleasant stimulus (e.g., praise, rewards), thus increasing the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.

    • Effective in educational settings and behavior modification.

  2. Negative Reinforcement:

    • Involves the removal of an aversive stimulus (e.g., taking painkillers for headache relief), which reinforces the behavior by creating a favorable outcome.

  3. Positive Punishment:

    • This adds an aversive stimulus (e.g., reprimanding a child for misbehavior) aiming to decrease the likelihood of the behavior recurring.

  4. Negative Punishment:

    • Involves the removal of a positive stimulus (e.g., losing privileges like screen time for inappropriate behavior), aiming to reduce the behavior.

Extinction in Operant Conditioning

  • Definition:

    • A process where a previously reinforced behavior is no longer followed by reinforcement; this leads to a decrease in that behavior over time.

  • Side Effects of Extinction:

    • Extinction Burst: An initial increase in the frequency or intensity of the behavior before it starts to decrease.

    • Variability: Increased variability in responses occurs as the organism attempts to regain reinforcement through different actions.

    • Emotional Behavior: Frustration and emotional responses may elevate during the extinction process as reinforcement ceases.

    • Aggression: Increased likelihood of aggressive behaviors as reactions to frustration manifest.

    • Resurgence: Return of previously reinforced behaviors when current behaviors are met with frustration.

    • Depression: Possible mental state as the organism learns that reinforcement is no longer available or consistent.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Definitions

  • Continuous Reinforcement:

    • Every instance of the target behavior is reinforced, leading to the quick acquisition of the behavior; however, it may result in rapid extinction when reinforcement stops.

  • Intermittent Schedules:

    • Only some responses get reinforced, leading to resistance to extinction due to uncertainty in reinforcement delivery.

Types:

  • Fixed Ratio (FR): Reinforcement occurs after a set number of responses (e.g., a rat receives a food pellet for every 5 lever presses).

  • Variable Ratio (VR): Reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable number of responses (e.g., gambling).

  • Fixed Interval (FI): Reinforcement is delivered after a specified duration (e.g., checking the mail after a set time).

  • Variable Interval (VI): Reinforcement is provided after a varying amount of time (e.g., fishing, where catches are unpredictable).

Distinctions and Effects

  • FR: High response rate with a break-and-run pattern, as the individual knows reward is contingent upon a specific quantity of responses.

  • VR: Very high and consistent response rate, as the reinforcement is unpredictable, maintaining engagement.

  • FI: Moderate response, typically showing a scalloped response pattern; individuals tend to respond more as the reinforcement time approaches.

  • VI: Steady response rate, as reinforcement is sporadic and unpredictable, ensuring ongoing participation.

Important Concepts

Differential Reinforcement

  • DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior):

    • Reinforce behaviors that inhibit the unwanted behavior.

  • DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior):

    • Focuses on reinforcing appropriate alternatives rather than simply eliminating the unwanted behavior.

  • DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior):

    • Involves reinforcing any behavior that is not the unwanted behavior, emphasizing alternative engagements.

Stimulus Control

  • Behavior occurs in the presence of specific SD (discriminative stimulus) that signals reinforcement.

    • Distinctions are made between loose and tight control, alongside the predictability and consistency of the reinforcement's application.

Applications

  • Targeting:

    • Using operant conditioning principles for teaching and animal training, ensuring effective learning occurs.

  • HERO Rats:

    • Trained rodents specialized to detect explosives using their olfactory abilities, illustrating real-world applications of operant conditioning techniques for safety and security purposes.

Key Terms from Chapters 6-8

  • Reinforcement:

    • Any consequence that strengthens the behavior it follows.

  • Punishment:

    • Any consequence that weakens the behavior it follows, with considerations for ethical implications in practice.

  • Extinction:

    • The process leading to a decline in behavior due to the removal of previously established reinforcement.

  • Schedules of Reinforcement:

    • Systematic methods for delivering reinforcement in operant conditioning, impacting learning rates and behavior permanence.

  • Stimulus Control:

    • The influence exerted by antecedent stimuli on the likelihood of behavior performance,