Transcript Intro to Psych Operant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning Review
A young child who reaches out to pet a
barking dog is bitten by the dog & cries.
Every time she hears a dog bark, she
whimpers.
UCSUCRCSCR-
Operant Conditioning
Learning where a behavior
is followed by a
consequence (reward or
punishment)
Thorndike’s Cats in a Puzzle Box
Law of effect- behaviors followed by a
positive consequence strengthens
behavior & negative consequence
weakens behavior
Skinner’s Experiments
Operant Chamber/Skinner Box
Shaping (Acquisition Stage) – reinforce
any behavior leading up to the desired
behavior
Pigeon Ping Pong
Consequences
Reinforcement (R)- increases chance
behavior will occur again
 Primary - necessary for survival, such as
food

Secondary- anything else, such as money,
praise, a sticker
Punishment (P)- decreases chance
behavior will occur again
Big Bang Theory Example
Positive
+
R
P
•Add pleasant stimulus
to increase behavior
•Add unpleasant
stimulus to
decrease behavior
Negative •Remove unpleasant
stimulus to increase
behavior
•Remove pleasant
stimulus to
decrease behavior
Using Punishment to Discipline:
Can have unwanted effects (anger,
hostility, anxiety)
Physical punishment leads to aggression
Better to reinforce desirable behavior
Guidelines to Effective Punishment
Don’t delay
Explain the punishment
Use least severe punishment (minimize
physical punishment)
Follow through
Examples:
1. A rat presses a bar and receives a food
pellet.
2. A teenager can’t use the car for a week
because she stayed out past curfew.
3. You party all night and get an F.
4. You are caught speeding and are given a
ticket by a police officer.
5. Every time the 2 year old uses the toilet
his parents praise him.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement- behavior is
always reinforced
Intermittent/Partial Reinforcementbehavior is sometimes reinforced
Skinner clip of schedules of reinforcement
Fixed- set amount
Ratio-
Variable- random
amount
FR
Based on •FR-15 (reinforcer
certain # of every 15th
responses response)
•Paid
by the job
Interval
FI
Based on • FI-15 (reinforcer
time
after every 15
seconds if 1 correct
response is made)
•Paid by the hour
VR
• VR-15 (reinforcer over an
average of 15 responses,
not every 15
•Gambling
•Hardest to extinguish
VI
•
VI- 15 (reinforcer over
an average interval of
15 seconds)
•Pop quiz