Transcript Unit 5
Operant Conditioning • Action results in consequence – Decision • B.F. Skinner • Three term contingency – Stimulus - response - outcome • Outcomes – Positive/negative; reinforcement/punishment Differences from Classical • Usually assumed to be under “conscious” control • Operant conditioned after the behaviour – Outcome feeds back to alter response Probabilities • Hierarchy of behaviours (actions) – Probability • Operant conditioning changes events and/or consequences • Results in adjustment of probability hierarchy Shaping • Directed learning • Behavioural outcome more certain – Select a specific response to occur in a specific way • Gradual process • Chaining – Forward and backward Reinforcement Schedules • • • • Fixed ratio Fixed interval Variable ratio Variable interval Reinforcement Consistency • Continuous schedules • Intermittent schedules • Response-reinforcer? – Technically, only FR-1 is continuous • Systematic reinforcer – Any fixed schedule (FR or FI) Extinction • Response - outcome pattern disrupted • Easiest for: – Continuous reinforcement/punishment – Low schedules • Variable ratio schedules hardest to extinguish Reinforcers • • • • • Primary Secondary Speed of learning Extinction Money Delay • Immediate reinforcement • Delayed reinforcement • Generally, delayed harder to condition – Difference with well conditioned system Changing Schedules • Cost of response • Contingency – Rate of reinforcement • Modification – Decrease – Increase • Delay Applications • Discriminative stimulus – “Blue-light special,” coloured sale tags, logos (if previous positive experience with product) – Christmas music in October • Positive reinforcement – Give-aways, purchase points, Canadian Tire money, parking lot barbeques • Negative reinforcement – Purchase to avoid pushy sales pitch • VR schedule – Lotteries, door prizes, etc. • Shaping – Free trial periods, leading signs/displays (get person into store area) • Punishment – Unusual in advertising/marketing – Commercials showing customer who suffers from not using product (observational learning) Ecological Design • Structuring the environment • Facilitation of particular behaviour(s) – Increase/decrease probability of response • Store layout, purchase locations, noises, odors, lighting • A type of shaping of a response Behaviour Modification • Application of operant theory to change behaviour • Primary application of operant principles • Skinner’s behaviour analyst techniques Behav. Mod. in Marketing • Role of marketing as influencing, modifying, and controlling consumer behaviour to achieve purchasing objectives • An applied field – Not aimed at developing theory, but applying theory • Observable behaviour – No inferred behavioural constructs Economic Psychology • Integration of psychology and economic analysis • Marketing – Not a discipline – An application area for the social sciences and other disciplines • EcPsyc offers detailed analysis of consumer-firm interactions Behavioural Perspective Model • Gordon R. Foxall • Operant behaviourist paradigm • Modern marketing firms – Embedded in networks of marketing relationships – Extra-firm environment (e.g., consumers) drive marketing behaviour – Reinforcement/punishment shift firm’s behaviour • Applies also to behaviour of individuals comprising the firm (e.g., employees, owners, shareholders, etc.) A Firm’s Purpose • To make marketing relationships more economic – Production and selling are independent of firms • Don’t need firms to do these – Creation and maintenance of marketing is what firms do Uhm… So? • Operant conditioning theory and firms • Economic behaviour is instrumentally conditioned • Behaviour that operates on the environment to produce consequences changes the future rates of behaviour • Reinforcement/punishment shifts economic (market) factors Consumer Behaviour • Economic purchasing and consumption activities • Basic three-term contingency applies – Stimulus - response - outcome • Plus, consumer behavioural setting and learning history Behav. Persp. Model and Consumer’s Choice • Consumer choice reduces aversive consequences of facing multiple equivalent options Model Utilitarian reinforcement Consumer behaviour setting Consumer behaviour Consumer’s learning history Aversive consequences Informational reinforcement Marketing Management in BPM • Influence two factors • Consumer behaviour settings – Social, physical, temporal, and regulatory discriminative stimuli • Utilitarian and information reinforcers – Actual outcome and knowledge gained Managing Reinforcers • Three ways • Enhancing effectiveness of reinforcers • Controlling the schedules of reinforcer delivery • Increasing the quantity or quality of reinforcers Complexities • Multiple systems operating simultaneously • Is operant conditioning separable from classical? • Do stimuli fulfill role of CS, SD, or both? Role of Operant Reinforcer in Classical Conditioning • In classical conditioning – US presented regardless of CR – Defining feature – But, operant reinforcement can slip in • Operant reinforcement via – 1. Reinforcing CR directly • e.g., food (US) coming after CR – 2. CR increases “value” of US • e.g., salivation (CR) makes swallowing food (US) easier Omission Control Procedure • US presentation depends on occurrence of CR – CS presented; if no CR, US follows – CS presented; if CR, no US follows • Therefore, US can’t operantly reinforce CR Omission Control Trial with a CR % of CRs CS US CR Trial without a CR CS US CR Blocks of sessions Omission control Standard classical conditioning Conclusion • Can have classical conditioning without operant reinforcement • But what about classical conditioning in operant conditioning? Associative Structure in Operant Conditioning • Basic form of association – S-R – S-O • Pavlovian processes Outcome Stimulus Instrumental response • Can keep instrumental reinforcement out of classical conditioning, but not vise versa S-R, S-O, rg-sg • Thorndike’s Law of Effect – Focus on S-R association • Hull and Spence – Law of Effect plus a classical conditioning process • rg-sg – Fractional anticipatory goal response; sensory feedback Fractional Anticipatory Goal Response • SD influences rg-sg (expectancy of reward from classical conditioning) through sensory substitution-like process • Motivation Timeline Stimulus rg sg Response Outcome Prediction • According to rg-sg – – – – CR occurs before operant response But, not always true e.g., lever pressing and salivation CR should occur before operant, but it doesn’t Central Emotional State • Classical conditioning in operant conditioning • Not for learning response • For CES (Central Emotional State) • CES --> motivation, “mood” Modern Two-Process Theory • Classical in operant conditioning • Neutral stimulus --> elicit motivation (CES) • CES elicited by CS corresponds to US – CES a characteristic of CNS = “mood” • CES doesn’t produce only one response – e.g., anger --> multiple responses • CES conditioned during ordinary operant training – CES conditioned to situational cues or discriminative stimulus – CES motivates operant behaviour Prediction • Rate of instrumental response will be modified by presentation of CS • Consider – In operant conditioning, CES develops to motivate operant response – CS from classical conditioning also elicits CES – Therefore, giving CS during operant conditioning will alter CES that motivates/maintains operant response Conditioned Emotional Response • Suppression ratio • CES elicited by CS --> decrease response “Explicit” Predictions • Emotional states US CS CS+ CS- Appetitive (e.g., food) Hope Disappointment Aversive (e.g., shock) Fear Relief • Behavioural predictions Instrumental schedule Aversive US CS+(fear) CS-(relief) Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement decrease increase increase decrease