Transcript Psychology

Operant
Conditioning
Module 16
Edward Thorndike
Law of Effect:
 behaviors with favorable
consequences will occur
more frequently
 behaviors with unfavorable
consequences will occur
less frequently
Operant Conditioning
 type of learning in which the
frequency of a behavior depends on
the consequence that follows that
behavior
B.F. Skinner
 developed principles &
techniques of operant
conditioning; found
ways to apply them in
the real world
Consequences of Behavior
 Reinforcement -
consequence that increases
the likelihood of the
behavior it follows
 Punishment - consequence
that decreases the
likelihood of the behavior
it follows
Think about this . . .
The subject determines if a consequence is
reinforcing or punishing so…
What things are reinforcers for you that might
not be for other people?
What things are punishments for you that
might not be for other people?
Punishment &
Reinforcement
Operant Conditioning
Positive
Negative
+
Reinforcement
something
something
desirable was undesirable was
(more likely to
happen in the
added
taken away
future)
Punishment
(less likely to
happen in the
future)
something
undesirable
was added
something
desirable was
taken away
Punishment
positive punishment
negative punishment
Reinforcement
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
Operant Conditioning Examples
 The puppy pees on the rug and is punished with a
swat of the newspaper.
positive punishment
 The toddler gets picked up and comforted for
screaming.
positive reinforcement
 You hit the snooze button on your annoying alarm
clock.
negative reinforcement
 The window looking into the other monkey's
enclosure is shut when the first monkey bites the
trainer.
negative punishment
Operant Conditioning Examples
 "I'm not talking to you after what you did!"
negative punishment
 Walking straight through low doorways
causes you to bonk your head.
positive punishment
 You fake a stomach ache to avoid school.
negative reinforcement
 A child wakes up in the middle of the night
crying. The parents let the child sleep in bed
with them.
positive reinforcement
Video Clip Questions
1. What is operant conditioning?
2. Operant conditioning is based on the works
3.
4.
5.
6.
of which two people?
What does the law of effect say?
Does the video clip show reinforcement or
punishment?
What was the consequence for behavior in
the video clip?
How did that consequence affect behavior?
Positive Reinforcement
Your father gives you a credit
card at the end of your first
year in college because you
did so well. As a result, your
grades continue to get better
in your second year.
Positive Reinforcement
A lion in a circus learns to
stand up on a chair and jump
through a hoop to receive a
food treat.
Negative Reinforcement
A professor has a policy of
exempting students from the
final exam if they maintain
perfect attendance during the
quarter. His students’
attendance increases
dramatically.
Negative Punishment
The child has his crayons taken
away for fighting with his
sister.
Positive Reinforcement
You check the coin return slot
on a pay telephone and find a
quarter. You find yourself
checking other telephones
over the next few days.
Negative Reinforcement
Your hands are cold so you put
your gloves on. In the future,
you are more likely to put
gloves on when it’s cold.
Positive Punishment
Billy likes to campout in the backyard.
He camped-out every Friday during
the month of June. The last time he
camped out, some older kids snuck
up to his tent while he was sleeping
and threw a bucket of cold water on
him. Billy has not camped-out for
three weeks.
Negative Punishment
"This car isn't getting any closer
to Disneyland while you kids
are fighting!"
Positive Reinforcement
Every time Madge raises her
hand in class she is called on.
She raised her hand 3 times
during the first class, 3 times
in the second and 4 times
during the last class.
Negative Reinforcement
John does not go to the dentist
every 6-months for a checkup.
Instead, he waits until a tooth
really hurts, then goes to the
dentist. After two emergency
trips to the dentist, John now
goes every 6-months.
Positive Reinforcement
Shelly is in the grocery store with her
dad. As they near the checkout lane,
Shelly starts whining for a candy bar
but her dad says no. Shelly begins to
cry and cries louder when her dad
continues to refuse. Her dad
responds by grabbing a candy bar
and giving it to her. She quickly quiets
down and eats her candy bar.
Positive Reinforcement
Your cat has learned that he can
encourage your presence in the
kitchen on Saturday mornings by
standing on your chest and meowing
(when you are obviously trying to
sleep). You decide to get up and feed
the cat to shut it up, but the problem
only gets worse on subsequent
weekends.
Negative & Positive Punishment
Robert gets a ticket for driving
under the influence that
results in a $500 fine and
suspension of his driving
license.
End Class Notes – Fall 2011
Problems With Punishment
Read pages 309 – 310. As you read, list
negative and positive effects of punishment.
Answer the following questions:
Why is punishment used so often?
What do most psychologists recommend as an
effective alternative to punishment ?
Negative Effects of Punishment
 doesn’t prevent undesirable behavior when
away from the punisher
 can lead to fear, anxiety, and lower self-esteem
 children who are punished physically may learn
to use aggression to solve problems
Positive Effects of Punishment
 can effectively control certain behaviors:
especially useful if teaching a child not
to do a dangerous behavior
(most psychologists still suggest
reinforcing an incompatible behavior
rather than using punishment)
Discrimination
How do we learn to behave
differently in response to
similar stimuli?
Discrimination
 ability to distinguish between two similar
stimuli
respond to one stimuli but not a similar
stimuli
example: end of class bell v. fire alarm blares
Extinction
How do we ever manage to get
rid of behaviors we have learned?
Extinction
 loss of a conditioned behavior occurs
when consequences no longer follow it
 examples: repeating the same
unsuccessful move on a video game,
stop flirting with someone who doesn’t
respond
The Role of
Cognition
Latent Learning
 learning that takes place in absence of
an apparent reward
 shows that our thinking – not just
whether we are reinforced – affects our
learning
Overjustification Effect
 promising a reward for doing what
someone already likes to do
 reward may lessen & replace the original,
natural motivation, so the behavior stops
if the reward is eliminated
 examples: reading, grades