Www.lrjj.cn Operant conditioning Zimbardo, P.G. & Johnson, R.L. & McCann, V. (2009)....

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Operant conditioning

Zimbardo, P.G. & Johnson, R.L. & McCann, V. (2009). Learning and human nurture. In S. Frail (Ed.) Psychology: Core Concepts (pp.

91-114). (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

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Operant conditioning

• Voluntary (not just reflexes = CC)

• Reward and punishments

• Consequences of behavior encourage or discourage behavior

• Consequences = reward or punishment

• More important than classical conditioning

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Behaviorism

• Skinner - consequences

• Thorndike – law of effect dog in a box

• Skinner uses law of effect but gets rid of ‘the mind’ = Radical behaviorism

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Reinforcement

• Try to reinforce the behavior; you want the behavior to happen again, to be repeated: Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement

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Positive Reinforcement

• Positive reinforcer follows and strengthens a response food, money, sex smile, praise

• Positive reinforcement behavior will happen again

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Negative Reinforcement

• Negative reinforcer is taken away and strengthens the response rain noise

• Negative reinforcement behavior will happen again

• The Skinner box

• Big Bang

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The Skinner Box or Operant Chamber

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Time and frequency of reinforcements

• Crucial

• Continuous reinforcement Shaping – The Pony Disadvantages:

- Not always a reward for good behavior- Subject could get full

• Experiment

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Intermittent reinforcement

• Not rewarding all correct responses• Already learned behavior• Social reinforcement – ‘Good dog’• Resistance to extinction (2 slotmachines)• Schedules of reinforcement

Ratio – reinforcement after a certain number of responses

Interval – reinforcement after a certain time interval

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Time and frequency of intermittent reinforcements

1. Fixed ratio

2. Variable ratio

3. Fixed interval

4. Variable interval

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Ratio schedules• Fixed ratio (FR)

work faster production disadvantages?

• Variable ratio (VR) less predictable, very effective telemarketing slot machines

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Interval schedules

• Fixed interval (FI) weekly quizzes rats in a lab paycheck (extension of a weekly contract)

• Variable interval (VI) random visits boss pop quizzes fishing

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B.F. Skinner

• Schedule of reinforcement

• Ping Pong

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Applied to a work situation

• Which of these schedules of reinforcement is useful for what type of job?

• Paycheck or supervision?

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Primary and secondary reinforcers

• Primary reinforcers

• Secondary or conditioned reinforcers

• How secondary reinforcers can become primary ones.

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Biological base in operant conditioning

• Biological base of operant conditioning certain reinforcers (junk food) instinctive drift

Nature vs. Nurture

• Humans and operant conditioningToken economies

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The Premack Principle

• Desirable activities as a reinforcer exercise run around

• Experiments thirsty rats exercise deprived rats

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Reinforcement across cultures

• What is a good reinforcer? eating chocolate cake taking away the noise of heavy metal music going to the gym

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Punishment• Discourage behavior• Opposite of reinforcement

positive punishment- Hotplate- Fingers between doors- Cut in your fingers- Using salt instead of sugar

negative punishment- Teenagers phone- No dessert

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Punishment

• Punishment has to change the behavior- Spanking- Speeding ticket- Behavior point deduction

• Continuous (unlike reinforcement)Employee comes in late (rewarding)

• Different from negative reinforcement - Rat presses lever to turn off the loud sound

- Rat presses lever and a loud sound starts

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Operant Conditioning

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Punishment

• Does punishment work?

• What are the reasons of punishment?

• Punishment or reinforcer?

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Why do people punish?

• It immediately changes behavior

• Punisher may feel good

But does it work in the long run?

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Effective punishment = difficult

1. Threat goes away- Supervision- Police

2. Reward is bigger than the punishment- Dieting- Drugs

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Effective punishment = difficult

3. Aggression and escape- Prison- Rats in a shock box- Aggression can be used to influence

4. Stops the learning process- Learned self-helplessness (depression)- Focus on what not to do

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Effective punishment = difficult

5. Applied unequally boys children minority groups

Does punishment ever work?Self-destructive behaviorLogical consequence

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Effective punishment

1. Immediate

2. Consistent – every time

3. Limited time and intensity4. Logical consequence of behavior – late for

dinner eat dinner cold

5. Limited to the situation6. No mixed messages ‘no hitting in this house’

7. Negative punishment

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Examples of Operant Conditioning

• Lab rat

• Big Bang

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How to change behavior?

• Positive reinforcement (Premack Principle)

• Punishment

• Negative reinforcement (nagging, allowed to come out of ‘time out’)

• Extinction – ignoring the behavior

• Combination!

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Classical conditioning Operant conditioning

First = stimulusSecond = behavior

First = behaviorSecond = stimulus Encourage/discourage behavior with consequences (reward or punishment)

No reward or punishment (pleasant or aversive stimuli)

Reward or punishment

New stimulus produces and ‘old’ (reflexive) behavior

A new stimulus (reinforcer) produces new behavior

Extinction = withholding UCS Extinction = withholding reinforcement

Involuntary responses (reflexive)

Voluntary responses