1. Operant Conditioning Learning Questions: What is operant conditioning? How is operant conditioning explained by the three-phase model? What is reinforcement and punishment? To start - complete your classical conditioning crossword

2. Operant Conditioning • If I told you that you would get $10 for every blog post that you made about psychology, how likely would you be to post? • What if I told you that if you all get over 90% in your first SAC, you won’t have any more homework for the rest of the term? • Or, if I told you that you will have 1 hour detention on Saturday morning for not doing your homework?

3. Operant Conditioning • Operant conditioning is type of learning whereby the consequences of an action determine the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future • Behaviour is repeated when it has a desirable consequence • Behaviour is not repeated when it has undesirable consequences • An operant is any behaviour that has an impact on the environment which in turn leads to an event that makes the behaviour more or less likely to recur • Unlike classical conditioning, a stimulus is not necessary for an operant (behaviour) to occur it’s a voluntary action

4. B.F. Skinner coined the term to emphasise that animals/people learn to operate in the environment to produce desired consequences. Operant Conditioning

5. Operant Conditioning • Skinner believed that all behaviour can be explained by relationships between the behaviour, the events that precede it, and its consequences. • He argued that any behaviour that is followed by a consequence will change in strength and frequency depending on the nature of the consequence.

6. Antecedent (what happened before) Behaviour (what happens) Consequence (What happens after) Three-phase model • A-B-C

7. Three-phase model

8. Three-phase model • What is the Antecedent, Behaviour and Consequence in these scenarios? • As you drive to work, you see the red traffic light, so you stop the car and avoid an accident. A: ..................................................................... B: ..................................................................... C: …………………………………………………………………. • You feel cold so you put on a jumper to feel warm. A: ..................................................................... B: ..................................................................... C: ………………………………………………………………….

9. Use the video and box 5.4 to complete your study sheet for Skinner and operant conditioning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOgowRy2WC0 Skinner

10. Reinforcement and Punishment • If I told you that you would get $10 for every blog post that you made about psychology, how likely would you be to post? • What if I told you that if you all get over 90% in your first SAC, you won’t have any more homework for the rest of the term? • Or, if I told you that you will have 1 hour detention on Saturday morning for not doing your homework? Are all of these things more likely to get you to do what I want? What’s different about them?

11. Reinforcement and Punishment

12. Reinforcement • Skinner does not use the word reward but prefers the more precise word of reinforcement. • Anything that could increase the likelihood of a behaviour occuring again

13. Positive reinforcement • Something that is reinforcing when it is introduced. • These are things that you think of as rewards. • Food, drink, lollies, praise, applause, extra marks etc.

14. Negative reinforcement • Something that is reinforcing when it is removed. • It's "reinforcement" so the behaviour increases, and because it's "negative," the reinforcer is removed after the response EXAMPLE • Loud buzz in some cars when ignition key is turned on; driver must put on safety belt in order to eliminate irritating buzz the buzz is a negative reinforcer for putting on the seat-belt. Turning down the volume of a very loud radio

15. Punishment • The introduction of something unpleasant or the termination of something pleasant. • Eg. Smack when naughty for a small child • Eg. Removing pocket money from older children when they do something wrong.

16. Ask Yourself… • Is the operant response (behaviour) likely to increase or decrease as a result of the consequence? (if it increases=reinforcement… if it decreases=punishment) • Is something being added or taken away? (if it’s being added=positive… if it’s being taken away=negative)

17. Reflection and Homework • Complete your punishment and reinforcement scenarios. • Like figure 5.27, create your own diagram with a different example to explain operant conditioning. • Learning Activity 5.8 all and 5.12 question 3