PSYC 3410 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6, 9: Operant Conditioning Chamber, Operant Conditioning, Reinforcement
19 Dec 2017
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Operant Conditioning- Chapter 6
-in classical conditioning, elicited behaviour is controlled by the stimuli that precede it
-operant conditioning/instrumental conditioning
•behaviours that are influenced by their consequences
Historical Bakcground
Thorndike’s Law of Effect
-behaviours leading to a satisfying state of affairs are strengthened while behaviours leading to
unsatisfying states are weakened
-cats were enclosed in a puzzle box and learned that pressing the lever gave them food. As a
result they pressed the lever more and clawed at the gate less
Skinner’s Selection by Consequences
-free operant procedure where the animal freely responds with a particular behaviour for the
reward (food), and may do so at any rate
-Skinner box- the rat presses the lever to get food
-chamber for pigeons- [igeon pecks an illuminated plastic disk (response key) to earn a few
seconds of food
-the difference between respondent behaviour (from conditioning) and operant behaviour is
that respondent behviour is more relfexive whereas operant behaviour is voluntary in nature
Operant Conditioning
-Skinner did not like Klondike’s description of the consequences being either satisfying or
annoying because this refers to internal states that the researcher can’t be sure of
-Skinner restated Klondike’s law of effect by desceibing operating conditioning as the effect of
the consequence on the future probability of the behaviour
-Operant Conditioning
•a response that produces a certain consequence
•the consequence thats serves to either increase or decrease the probability of the
response that preceded it
•a discriminative stimulus that precedes the response and signals that a certain
consequence is now available
Operant Behaviour
-emmited responses that result in certain consequences, which in turn affect the future
probability or strength of those responses
Operant Consequences: Reinforcers and Punishers
-the consequence strengthens or weakens the frequency of a behaviour
-Reinforcer- the future probability of that behaviour increases
-Punisher- the future probability of that behaviour decreases
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-reinforcers and punishers are defined entirely by their effect on behaviour (a reinforcer in one
situation can be a punisher in another situation)
Operant Antecedents: Discriminative Stimuli
-when a behaviour is consistently reinfored or punished in the presence of a certain stimuli,
those stimuli will begin to influence the occurance of the behaviour
-Discriminative Stimuli- a stimulus in the presence of which responses are reinforced and in
the absence of which they are not reinforced
•a signal that indicates that a response will be followed by a reinforcer
•the behaviour is more likely to occur in the presence of thise stimuli
-when a descriminative stimuli is part of operant conditioning, it is known as the three-term
contingency
Four Types of Contingencies
-Positive Reinforcement
•presentation of a stimulus following a response that leads to an increase in the strength of
that response
•presentation of something the subject likes
-Negative Reinforcement
•removal of a stimulus following a response that leads to an increase in the strength of that
response
•removal of something the subject does not like
•Escape Behaviour- the termination of an aversive stimulus
•Avoidance Behaviour- occurs before an aversive stimulus is presented, and therefore
prevents its delivery
-Positive Punishment
•the presentation of a stimulus following a response that leads to a decrease in the strength
of that response
•presentation of something the subject does not like
-Negative Punishment
•the removal of a stimulus following a response that leads to a decrease in the strength of
that response
•removal of something the subject likes
Positive Reinforcement
Immediate vs. Delayed Reinforcement
-the more immediate the reinforcer, the stronger its effect on the behaviour
-behaviours that appear to be strengthened by delayed reinforcement (good grades by
studying), are often under control of rules and instructions that we have received from others
Primary and Secondary Reinforcers
-Primary Reinforcer- an event that is innately reinforcing (we are born to like ex. food)
•often associated with basic physiological needs
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
In classical conditioning, elicited behaviour is controlled by the stimuli that precede it. Operant conditioning/instrumental conditioning: behaviours that are in uenced by their consequences. Behaviours leading to a satisfying state of affairs are strengthened while behaviours leading to unsatisfying states are weakened. Cats were enclosed in a puzzle box and learned that pressing the lever gave them food. As a result they pressed the lever more and clawed at the gate less. Free operant procedure where the animal freely responds with a particular behaviour for the reward (food), and may do so at any rate. Skinner box- the rat presses the lever to get food. Chamber for pigeons- [igeon pecks an illuminated plastic disk (response key) to earn a few seconds of food. The difference between respondent behaviour (from conditioning) and operant behaviour is that respondent behviour is more relfexive whereas operant behaviour is voluntary in nature.
