Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning Module 16

Edward Thorndike • Law of Effect: • behaviors with favorable consequences will occur more frequently • behaviors with unfavorable consequences will occur less frequently

Operant Conditioning • type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior

B.F. Skinner • developed principles & techniques of operant conditioning; found ways to apply them in the real world

Consequences of Behavior • Reinforcement - consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior it follows • Punishment - consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

Think about this . . . • The subject determines if a consequence is reinforcing or punishing so… • What things are reinforcers for you that might not be for other people? • What things are punishments for you that might not be for other people?

Punishment & Reinforcement

Operant Conditioning

Punishment positive punishment negative punishment

Reinforcement positive reinforcement negative reinforcement

Operant Conditioning Examples • The puppy pees on the rug and is punished with a swat of the newspaper. • The toddler gets picked up and comforted for screaming. • You hit the snooze button on your annoying alarm clock. • The window looking into the other monkey's enclosure is shut when the first monkey bites the trainer. positive punishment positive reinforcement negative reinforcement negative punishment

Operant Conditioning Examples • "I'm not talking to you after what you did!" • Walking straight through low doorways causes you to bonk your head. • You fake a stomach ache to avoid school. • A child wakes up in the middle of the night crying. The parents let the child sleep in bed with them. negative punishment positive punishment negative reinforcement positive reinforcement

Video Clip Questions • What is operant conditioning? • Operant conditioning is based on the works of which two people? • What does the law of effect say? • Does the video clip show reinforcement or punishment? • What was the consequence for behavior in the video clip? • How did that consequence affect behavior?

Positive Reinforcement Your father gives you a credit card at the end of your first year in college because you did so well. As a result, your grades continue to get better in your second year.

Positive Reinforcement A lion in a circus learns to stand up on a chair and jump through a hoop to receive a food treat.

Negative Reinforcement A professor has a policy of exempting students from the final exam if they maintain perfect attendance during the quarter. His students’ attendance increases dramatically.

Negative Punishment The child has his crayons taken away for fighting with his sister.

Positive Reinforcement You check the coin return slot on a pay telephone and find a quarter. You find yourself checking other telephones over the next few days.

Negative Reinforcement Your hands are cold so you put your gloves on. In the future, you are more likely to put gloves on when it’s cold.

Positive Punishment Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He camped-out every Friday during the month of June. The last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three weeks.

Negative Punishment "This car isn't getting any closer to Disneyland while you kids are fighting!"

Positive Reinforcement Every time Madge raises her hand in class she is called on. She raised her hand 3 times during the first class, 3 times in the second and 4 times during the last class.

Negative Reinforcement John does not go to the dentist every 6-months for a checkup. Instead, he waits until a tooth really hurts, then goes to the dentist. After two emergency trips to the dentist, John now goes every 6-months.

Positive Reinforcement Shelly is in the grocery store with her dad. As they near the checkout lane, Shelly starts whining for a candy bar but her dad says no. Shelly begins to cry and cries louder when her dad continues to refuse. Her dad responds by grabbing a candy bar and giving it to her. She quickly quiets down and eats her candy bar.

Positive Reinforcement Your cat has learned that he can encourage your presence in the kitchen on Saturday mornings by standing on your chest and meowing (when you are obviously trying to sleep). You decide to get up and feed the cat to shut it up, but the problem only gets worse on subsequent weekends.

Negative & Positive Punishment Robert gets a ticket for driving under the influence that results in a $500 fine and suspension of his driving license.

End Class Notes – Fall 2011

Problems With PunishmentRead pages 309 – 310. As you read, list negative and positive effects of punishment. Answer the following questions:Why is punishment used so often?What do most psychologists recommend as an effective alternative to punishment ?

Negative Effects of Punishment • doesn’t prevent undesirable behavior when away from the punisher • can lead to fear, anxiety, and lower self-esteem • children who are punished physically may learn to use aggression to solve problems

Positive Effects of Punishment • can effectively control certain behaviors: especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior (most psychologists still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment)

DiscriminationHow do we learn to behave differently in response to similar stimuli?

Discrimination • ability to distinguish between two similar stimuli • respond to one stimuli but not a similar stimuli • example: end of class bell v. fire alarm blares

ExtinctionHow do we ever manage to get rid of behaviors we have learned?

Extinction • loss of a conditioned behavior occurs when consequences no longer follow it • examples: repeating the same unsuccessful move on a video game, stop flirting with someone who doesn’t respond

The Role of Cognition

Latent Learning • learning that takes place in absence of an apparent reward • shows that our thinking – not just whether we are reinforced – affects our learning

Overjustification Effect • promising a reward for doing what someone already likes to do • reward may lessen & replace the original, natural motivation, so the behavior stops if the reward is eliminated • examples: reading, grades

Operant Conditioning