PSY211 Operant Conditioning Reinforcement

7/27/2019 PSY211 Operant Conditioning Reinforcement

1/17

Psychology of Learning

PSY211Operant/Instrumental Conditioning:

Reinforcement

B. Charles Tatum


2/17

Definition: A form of learning (conditioning) in which the organism

is free to respond to (operate on) the environment and changes inbehavior occur as the result of the stimulus consequences

(reinforcement/punishment) of the spontaneous actions.

Trial and Error (Trial and Success) Learning

Thorndikes Puzzle Box/Skinners Operant Chamber/Tolmans Maze

Law of Effect

Operant/Instrumental Conditioning


3/17

Reinforcement: Any stimulus event that increases the likelihood of a

preceding response

Positive Reinforcement: The presence of a stimulus increases the

likelihood of the preceding response (e.g., food, money, praise, drugs,

electrical stimulation of pleasure centers in the brain). Sometimes

called Reward.

Negative Reinforcement: The removal of a stimulus increases thelikelihood of the preceding response (e.g., remove hand from a warm

stove, improve grades to lift restriction, work hard not to get fired).

Punishment: Any stimulus event that decreases (suppresses) the likelihood

of a preceding response

Positive Punishment: The presence of a stimulus (usually aversive suchas slap, a scolding, or a dirty look) decreases (suppresses) the likelihood

of a preceding response.

Negative Punishment: The removal of a stimulus (usually

something pleasant such as TV privileges or a desirable object)

decreases (suppresses) the likelihood of a preceding response. When thestimulus that is removed is a reinforcer, we call this extinction.

Reinforcement and Punishment


4/17

Response

Stimulus

Consequence

(Onset/Offset)

Reinforcer

(Positive/Negative)

Punisher

(Positive/Negative/Extinction)

Future Responses

Increase Decrease

Produce

(Onset)

Remove

(Offset)StimulusConsequence Positive

ReinforcementReward

(e.g., praise)

Negative

Reinforcement

(e.g., nagging)

Positive

Punishment(e.g., spanking)

Negative Punishment

Extinction

(e.g., time out)


5/17


as Reciprocal Processes

Attending Meetings

+

Doughnuts

=

Increase Attendance(Positive Reinforcement)

Playing Computer Games

+

No Doughnuts

=

Reduce Game Playing(Negative Punishment/Extinction)

Hey Dude to Officer+

Criticism

=

Reduce Verbal Salutations

(Positive Punishment)

Saluting an Officer+

No Criticism

=

Increase Saluting as Form of Address

(Negative Reinforcement)

The Confused Soldier

The Problem Employee


6/17


as Dynamic Processes

Child

Response = Dirty Words

Parent

Stimulus = Spanking

Future Result

Reduce Foul Language

(Positive Punishment)

Parent

Response = Spanking

Child

Stimulus = Nice Words

Future Result

Increase Use of Spankings(Positive Reinforcement)

Husband

Response = Bring Gifts

Wife

Stimulus = Stop Sulking

Future Result

Increased Gift Giving

(Negative Reinforcement)

Wife

Response = Sulking

Husband

Stimulus = Gifts

Future Result

Increased Sulking

(Positive Reinforcement)Marital Dynamics

Parental Dynamics


7/17

Primary versus Secondary Reinforcement

Primary: Naturally or innately reinforcing stimuli (e.g., food, water, sex)

Secondary (Conditioned): Reinforcers that are dependent on theirassociation with other reinforcers (e.g., praise, recognition, money).

UCS

(Food)

UCR

(Satisfaction)

CS

(Money)

CR

(Satisfaction)

Generalized Reinforcer: Secondary reinforcers that have been paired with

a wide variety of primary reinforcers (e.g., money, praise)


8/17

Comparison Between Classical (Pavlovian)

and Operant (Instrumental) Conditioning

Responses

Stimuli

Peripheral

Nervous System

Examples

Classical/Pavlovian Operant/Instrumental

Elicited (Reflex) Emitted (Spontaneous)

Unconditioned (UCS)

Conditioned (CS)

Unobserved (Internal)

Reinforcing/Punishing

Discriminative (External)

Autonomic

(Involuntary)

Somatic

(Voluntary)

Light - Air Puff

Tone - Knee Tap

Bell - Food Powder

Snap Fingers - Roll over - Treat

Deadline - Work late - Bonus

Exam - Study - Good grades

Association S-S S-R-S


9/17

Acquisition, Extinction, and Spontaneous Recovery

of and Operantly/Instrumentally Conditioned Response

REINFORCEDTIME OR

TRIALS

ACQUISITION EXTINCTION SPONTANEOUS

RECOVERY

SPONTANEOUS

RECOVERY

NON-REINFORCED

TIME OR

TRIALS

Break(Interruption)

Break(Interruption)

Extinction Burst


10/17

Phases and Principles of Operant/Instrumental Conditioning

Acquisition: Gradual increase in responding when reinforcing stimulus

follows the behavior (e.g., toilet training, athletic skills, stupid pet tricks) Successive Approximation (Shaping)

Chaining: Performing behaviors in a sequence (e.g., ordering take-out)

Forward Chaining: Train first-to-last

Backward Chaining: Train last-to-first

Superstitious Behavior Conditions of Reinforcement

Reward Delay (delayed gratification)

Reward Contingency (predictability is good)

Reward Preference (chocolate better than raisins)

Reward Amount Diminishing returns

Contrast effects

Frequency effects


11/17

WorkProficiency

0 10 20 30 40 50 6 0 70 80 90 100

0

10

20

30

40

50

70

80

90

100

60

Salary Increase

Changes in Effectiveness of Reward Amount


12/17

Acquisition (continued) Response Characteristics

Skeletal muscles (voluntary [somatic] nervous system) easier to

condition than smooth muscles and glands (involuntary [autonomic]

nervous system)

Simple responses easier to condition than complex responsesMotivational Level: Learning is faster and stronger when learner is

deprived of rewards (better for primary than secondary rewards)

Competing Rewards: Conditioning is slow and weak if other

(competing) behaviors are also being rewarded

Awareness Not necessary for conditioning

Leads to faster conditioning


(Continued)


13/17


(Continued)

Extinction: Reduced responding when the reinforcing stimulus is removed

(e.g., ignore bed-time tantrums)

Extinction Burst

Reinforcement Variability (Schedules of Reinforcement)

Continuous

Intermittent (partial)

Stimulus Variability (e.g., extinguishing smoking habit)

Response Variability (e.g., extinguishing athletic skills)

Spontaneous Recovery: Return of the extinguished behavior following an

interruption (e.g., child stays with grandma)

Resurgence: Return of a behavior following the extinction of anotherbehavior (e.g., extinction of day-care tantrums produces return to bed-time

tantrums). Similar to regression, but not always a return to a more

primitive behavior.


14/17

Theories of Reinforcement Hedonic Theory

Reinforcement strengthens behavior because it produces pleasurable

sensations

Problems with theoryMasochism: Pain (unpleasant sensations) are reinforcers

Negative reinforcement: Removal of aversive stimuli reduces

discomfort but is not pleasurable

Tautology: If it makes you feel good, its a reinforcer. If its a

reinforcer, it makes you feel good (circular reasoning). Drive Reduction (Hull)

Drive: A motivational force. Tension from unfulfilled needs or desires

Primary Drives (e.g. hunger, thirst)

Secondary Drives (e.g., success, popularity)

Reinforcer: Any stimulus that reduces drive by fulfilling the needs anddesires (e.g., food, water, money)

Difficulties with the theory

Some reinforcers do not reduce drives (e.g., electrical stimulation of

the brain, copulation without ejaculation)

Some motivations do not create states of tension that need to be

reduced (e.g., exploratory behavior)


15/17

Relative Value (Premack)

Reinforcers viewed as behaviors (e.g., food smell vs. chewing behavior)

Relative value: Some behaviors are more probable (more preferred)

than others (e.g., partying vs. studying)

Premack Principle: High probability (preferred) behavior reinforces

low probability (non-preferred) behavior Problems with theory

How to explain strong secondary reinforcers (e.g., why is verbal

praise such a powerful reward?)

Sometimes low probability behavior reinforces high probability

behavior if the less likely behavior has been prevented(e.g., deprivation of study time)

Response Deprivation (Timberlake & Allison): Relative value of responses

depends on relative deprivation. Behaviors that are not allowed to occur

will reinforce other, less deprived, behaviors (e.g., Prohibition in the 1920s

made drinking booze a much stronger reward).

Theories of Reinforcement

(continued)


16/17

Escape Conditioning

UCS

(hot water)

UCR

(pain reaction)

Operant

Response

(turn nozzle)

Negative Reinforcer

(remove hot water)

UCS

(shock)

UCR

(pain reaction)

Operant

Response

(jump hurdle)

Negative Reinforcer

(remove shock)

Example # 1

Example # 2

Avoidance Conditioning

OperantResponse

(turn nozzle)

Negative Reinforcer(avoid hot water)

Operant

Response(jump hurdle)

Negative Reinforcer

(avoid shock)

Example # 1

Example # 2

Warning Signal

(flushing toilet)

Warning Signal(ringing bell)


17/17

Theories of Avoidance Two Processes

Classical Conditioning

UCS: A noxious stimulus that produces an unpleasant reaction

(e.g., flinch, startle reaction) or an escape response (e.g., jump aside, run away) CS: Some signal that precedes the noxious stimulus (light, bell, flush)

Operant Conditioning

Operant Response: Response that removes the noxious stimulus

Negative Reinforcer: Termination of a noxious stimulus

Explanation: The CS becomes noxious and the animal learns to escape the noxious CS

ProblemsAvoidance continues even after CS loses its aversive qualities

Avoidance response does not extinguish even though CS is no

longer paired with UCS

UCS

(hot water)

UCR

(jump aside)

Operant

Response(turn nozzle)

Negative Reinforcer

(remove hot water)

CS

(flush)

One Process: Only operant conditioning is involved in avoidance. The warning signal (CS)

becomes a discriminative stimulus

Documents

PSY211 Operant Conditioning Reinforcement