HLTHAGE 1CC3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Radical Behaviorism, B. F. Skinner, Reinforcement
23 Mar 2017
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Homunculus: little men in the brain at work which was thought to be the cause of human behaviour. Experimental analysis of human behaviour: a phrase typically associated with skinner"s system. Reflects radical behaviorism"s emphasis on the objective analysis of the variables involved in behavior. Specifically, what the organism does, the circumstances under which the action occurs, and the consequences of the action (whether behavior occurs again under similar circumstances). (see radical behaviorism. ) Most powerful reinforcing events: money, praise, satisfaction, food, sex. Money + food are often on fixed interval schedules (bi-weekly paycheck or food @ meal times) Shaping: a technique for training animals and people to perform behaviors not previously in their repertoires. It involves reinforcing responses that are progressively closer approximations to the desired behavior. Also called the method of successive approximations or the method of differential reinforcement of successive approximations. A task that is(cid:374)"t typi(cid:272)al of a(cid:374) a(cid:374)i(cid:373)al.
