Operant Conditioning

• What is Operant Conditioning? • Who are the leading scholars?

• What is a reinforcement v. punishment?

• What are the schedules of reinforcement?

How did you learn to learn?

Have you ever been grounded before? How long? Did it work?

How do you think schools get you to learn?

Why do people break laws?

Have you ever cheated before? Why?

Knowing that there is no way to win at a casino why do you think people still gamble?

Operant Conditioning

Learning that occurs when the participant must make a response to produce a change in the environment.

Edward Thorndike (1874-1949)Introduced the “Law of Effect”Behaviors with favorable consequences will

occur more frequently.Behaviors with unfavorable consequences

will occur less frequently.Developed into Operant Conditioning

• Created puzzle boxes for research on cats

Thorndike’s Puzzle Box:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDujDOLre-8

Operant Conditioning

A type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior

The frequency will if the consequence is reinforcing to the subject.

The frequency will if the consequence is not reinforcing to the subject.

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)Developed the fundamental principles and

techniques of operant conditioning.Devised ways to apply these principles in

the real world.Designed the Skinner

Box.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA&feature=related

Reinforcement v PunishmentReinforcement - Any consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior to be repeated.

• Punishment - Any consequence

that decreases the likelihood

of the behavior to be repeated.

I. ReinforcementA. Types of Reinforcement

1. Positive ReinforcementAnything that increases the likelihood of a

behavior by following it with a desirable event or state

• The subject receives something they want

• Will strengthen the behavior

Positive Reinforcement

Operant Conditioning Activity:Positive Reinforcement

Get in groups of three. Choose who will be the recorder, the experimenter, and the subject.

Subjects please leave the room for a moment.

Directions……

2. Negative Reinforcement Anything that increases the likelihood of a

behavior by following it with the removal of an undesirable event or state

• Something the subject doesn’t like is removed

• Will strengthen the behavior (Definition of Reinforcement)

ORX X

Negative Reinforcement

Positive/Negative Reinforcement

A. What is a the difference?

B. Give an example of each.

C. Which do you think is more effective?

Ways of Reinforcement:

Primary Secondary

Primary ReinforcementSomething that is naturally reinforcingExamples: food, warmth, water, etc.The item is reinforcing in and of itself

Secondary Reinforcement

Something that a person has learned to value or finds rewarding because it is paired with a primary reinforce

Money is a good exampleCooking utensil

What is Shaping? • Step by step reinforcement of behaviors that are more and more similar to the one you want to occur.

(Progress Reports, etc)

•Technique used to

establish a new

behavior

Question:

How many of you live within 5-7 miles of the school?

Why did you raise your hand? I didn’t ask you to…

Connect raising your hand to operant conditioning…

Ways of Reinforcement

Immediate v Delayed

Immediate/Delayed Reinforcement

Immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed reinforcement

• Ability to delay gratification predicts higher achievement

Ways of Reinforcement

Continuous Reinforcement

Continuous reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response

Most useful way to establish a behaviorThe behavior will extinguish quickly once

the reinforcement stops.

Schedules of …. Reinforcement: Partial Reinforcement

Partial Reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows only some correct responses

Includes the following types:Fixed-interval and variable intervalFixed-ratio and variable-ratio

Fixed- Interval Schedule

A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period of time

i.e. weekly quiz in a class

Variable-Interval ScheduleA partial reinforcement

that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of time

i.e. “pop” quiz in a class

Fixed-Ratio ScheduleA partial reinforcement schedule that

rewards a response only after some defined number of correct responses (attempts)

The faster the subject responds, the more reinforcements they will receive.

Variable-Ratio ScheduleA partial reinforcement schedule that

rewards an unpredictable number of correct responses (attempts)

This schedule is very resistant

to extinction.Sometimes called the “gambler’s

schedule”; similar to a slot machine

Schedules of Reinforcement

Punishment:The Process of Punishment

DecreaseDecrease a behavior from happening again by following it with a negative consequence

Types of Punishment(1) An undesirable

event following a behavior

(2) A desirable state or event ends following a behavior

Problems with Punishment….

Negative Effects of Punishment

Doesn’t prevent the 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 as a means to solve problems.

Positive Effects of Punishment

Punishment can effectively control certain behaviors.

Especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior

Most still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment

The Role of Cognition: New Understandings of Operant Conditioning

Latent Learning

Learning that takes place in absence of an apparent reward

Cognitive Map

A mental representation of a placeExperiments showed rats could learn a

maze without any reinforcements

PsychSim: Operant Conditioning

Over justification Effect

The effect of promising a reward for doing what someone already likes to do

The reward may lessen and replace the person’s original, natural motivation, so that the behavior stops if the reward is eliminated

Operant Conditioning Computer Lab & Activities

PsychSim Operant Conditioning Maze Lab

Apply Operant Condition

How can an individual’s use of alcohol or other drugs be explained as positive or negative reinforcements? Include terms such as primary or Secondary and schedule of reinforcements.

How could a high school student use the principles of operant conditioning their parents to set a later curfew? Consider the effectiveness of positive reinforcement, shaping, and the use of schedule reinforcements in your answer.

Review of Operant Conditioning

1. If you were doing a crossword puzzle on the subject of behavior modification and were asked for a synonym for negative reinforcement, what word would you select?

2. When you supply negative reinforcement, it usually results in: A. Weakening a behavior that you wanted

weakened. B. Strengthening a behavior you wanted

strengthen

3. Do people usually look forward to receiving negative reinforcement? (Yes or No)

4. Do you anticipate regularly supplying positive reinforcement to those you might manage in the future? How so?

5. Do you anticipate regularly supplying negative reinforcement to those you might manage in the future? How so?

Consequence Matrix

Type of Stimulus Supply a Stimulus

Remove a Stimulus

Desirable

(Appetitive)

Undesirable

(Aversive)

Consequence Matrix

Type of Stimulus Supply a Stimulus

Remove a Stimulus

Desirable

(Appetitive)

Positive reinforcement

Time out(this results in a weakened behavior)

Undesirable

(Aversive)

Punishment Negative Reinforcement

Review of Schedules….

What is the gambler’s schedule? If you were to get paid on the 15th of every

month, what type of reinforcement schedule are you on?

If I paid you 5$ for every 4 hours that you worked, what type of reinforcement schedule are you on?

If you work you will get paid sometime that week.

The End