PSY 101 Chapter 22: Module 22

• School: Drexel University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 101
• Professor: Chute Doug

Document Summary

Shaping- gradually guiding an action towards the desired behavior. Positive reinforcement- strengthens response by presenting a pleasurable stimulus: negative reinforcement- strengthens a response by reducing or removing something negative. Reinforcement schedules: continuous reinforcement- learning occurs rapidly, but so does extinction. Partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedules- responses are only sometimes reinforced. Learning is slower, but extinction has a greater resistance. Fixed-ratio schedules- behavior is reinforced after a set number of responses: variable-ratio schedules- reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable number of responses. Fixed-interval schedules- when the first response is reinforced after a fixed time period: variable-interval schedules- when the first response is reinforced after varying time intervals. Response rates are typically higher when reinforcement is linked to a number of responses, a ratio schedule, rather than time, an interval schedule. Response is more consistent when reinforcement is unpredictable, variable schedule, rather than when it"s predictable, a fixed schedule. Punishment- an event that tends to decrease the behavior that follows.