Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Complex Learning • Why do we learn new behaviors? • Classical conditioning only deals with reflex responses that we already possess. • Most of our behaviors are voluntary. Volitional. Stimulated by something in our environment.

Operant Conditioning • Defined as - the form of learning concerned with changes in emitted responses as a function of their consequences.

Origins of Operant Conditioning • Edward Thorndike • Instrumental Conditioning • “Law of Effect” • Satisfying outcome • Unsatisfactory outcome

Outcomes of Thorndike’s Work • How Long - the length of time it took the cat to escape from the puzzle box. As it declined learning was taking place. • This change in performance represented a change in behavior from experience. Learning

Question • In Thorndike’s terms, what sort of things give you satisfaction? What things produce dissatisfaction? Why?

Edward Thorndike • His research provided a foundation for the study of “non-reflexive” learning. • He drew a connection between action and its outcomes.

B. F. Skinner • Skinner coined the term “operant”. • Disagreed with the “soft” concepts of Thorndike’s “satisfying” and “unsatisfactory” outcome(s)

B. F. Skinner • Operant Conditioning replaced Thorndike’s term “instrumental learning” • Emitted behavior is now called “operant responses” • Classical conditioning is now called ‘respondent conditioning. The Skinner Box or “auto-environmental chamber”

Skinner Box in Action Zack Florin '99 using a Skinner box to shape a rat's behavior

Reinforcment • Primary reinforcers - food, water, shelter. Those innate biological needs. • Secondary reinforcers (Conditioned reinforcers) - something that will provide a primary reinforcer. (money, poker chips etc.)

Primary vs. Secondary • Which of the following are secondary reinforcers: • quarters spilling from a slot machine, • a winner’s blue ribbon, • a piece of candy, • an A on an exam, • frequent-flyer miles.

Reinforcement • Negative Reinforcer - an aversive stimulus which serves to decrease the probability of the response in the future. • Positive Reinforcer - a stimulus which when applied increases the probability of the response in the future.

Contingencies of Reinforcement • According to Skinner the relationship between a response and a reinforcer is a contingency. • One type of contingency is “reinforcement”

Desired change in behavior

Shaping • Some learning does not occur in a single event. • A series of successive steps leads to a learned behavior. • Playing the piano, swimming etc.

Applying the Principles • When asked choose the best alternative and explain why. • You want your 2-year-old to ask for water with a word instead of a grunt. Should you give him water when he says “wa-wa” or wait until his pronunciation improves.

Applying the Principles • When asked choose the best alternative and explain why. • Your roommate keeps interrupting your studying even though you have asked her/him to stop. Should you ignore her/him completely or occasionally respond for the sake of good manners?.

Applying the Principles • When asked choose the best alternative and explain why. • Your father, who rarely writes to you, has finally sent a letter. Should you reply quickly or wait a while so he will know how it feels to be ignored?.

Extinction • What happens when the reinforcement stops. • Extinction - in operant conditioning, a drop I responding when reinforcement is discontinued.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Schedules of Reinforcement • Continuous reinforcement - every response is followed by a reinforcer. (FR1 schedule) • Partial reinforcement - a contingency of reinforcement in which every response does not get a reinforcer.

Fixed Interval Schedule • Referred to as FI x - reinforcement contingency defined by the amount of time that must pass since the previous reinforcer. • Based on time. • Example: pay checks

Fixed Ratio Schedule • Referred to as FR x - reinforcement contingency defined by the number of responses the organism must make in order to get a reinforcer. • Example: piece work.

Variable Interval Schedule • Referred to as VI x - a reinforcement contingency defined by the average time interval which must elapse since the last reinforcer. • Example: Quality Control

Variable Ratio Schedule • Referred to as VR x - a reinforcement contingency defined in terms of the average number of responses required to receive a reinforcer. • Example: Slot Machine

Non-Contingent Reinforcement • Random “reinforcement” • Development of what Skinner called ‘superstition’ in the pigeon.

Applying Conditioning • We must always keep in mind that all this is done to match the goals of psychology. • Behavior Modification. • Mary Cover Jones - the mother of behavior therapy • Controls Aversive Positive

Punishment • Most used and most misunderstood • Occurs after the ‘offense’ has taken place. • Requires “contiguity” • Encourages avoidance behaviors.

Negative Reinforcement

Autonomic Conditioning • Neal Miller and Leo DiCara • ‘proprioceptive feedback

Some unanswered questions: Equipotentiality premise Ethology Species-specific behavior Critical period Preparedness The premise that principles of conditioning will apply to any response and any species. Biological Constraints Behaviors which are characteristic of all members of a particular species. (instincts) The study of the behavior of animals in their natural environment. A period during development where there are optimal periods for learning. A concept developed by Martin Seligman to describe how physiological structure influences the occurrence of behavior

Biological Constraints Unlearnable Associations Species-specific behavior Bait Shyness Classical and operant conditioning

Operant Conditioning