4. Operant Conditioning: Basic Principles

Front 1

What makes pavloivan conditioning distinct from operant conditioning?

Back 1

(CS:CR and US:UR) relies on the formation of reflexive associations between stimuli, resulting in involuntary responses

Involuntary reflexive response; stimulus precedes (yields) the response; response after stimulus; and learning is passive (learner doesn’t need to be aware)

Front 2

What makes operant conditioning distinct from Pavlovian conditioning?

Back 2

(stimulus response) relies on the consequences of past actions influencing future behaviour, resulting in voluntary associations

Voluntary (usually but can be both) response; stimulus after the desired response (response is needed for stimulus); response before the stimulus; and learning is active (most actively operate on the environment to obtain reward/punishment)

Front 3

What is operant conditioning?

Back 3

Actions that result in a reward tend to be repeated or become more frequent and actions the result in a punishment tend to be avoided or become less frequent

Front 4

What are some experiment devices used in classic operant conditioning experiments?

Back 4

Thorndike’s cat puzzle boxes and the Skinner box are some experimental devices used to shape behaviours

Front 5

What is shaping?

Back 5

Reinforcing any behaviour that could lead to desired behaviour; selective reinforcement of behaviour resembling the target

Front 6

What is superstitious behaviour and what questions does it stimulate?

Back 6

Organism start to believe that things they do cause the random rewards (also seen with athletes and power bracelets)

If purely random reward can shape behaviour, what can systematic, targeted shaping do?

Front 7

What is Chaining and Backward Chaining?

Back 7

Chaining – acquiring behaviour in bits (many behaviours are made up of smaller behaviours)

Backwards chaining – rewarding last behaviour in chain (e.g. let child take sweater off head); and then achieve more and more of the smaller behaviours til the whole behaviour is learnt

Front 8

What is the Three term contingency?

Back 8

Stimuli; Response; and the Stimuli that follows response (reinforcer/punisher)

Front 9

Describe the Operant conditioning Contingency Square terms:

Reinforcement
Punishment
Positive
Negative

Back 9

Reinforcement increases behaviour (and isn’t always rewarding)

Punishment decreases behaviour (and isn’t always irritating)

Positive adds something

Negative takes away something

Front 10

What is Positive Reinforcement?

Back 10

Positive Reinforcement – adds something to increase a behaviour (giving a reward for good behaviour)

Front 11

What is Negative Reinforcement?

Back 11

Negative Reinforcement – removes something to increase behaviour (drying wet hands)

Front 12

What is Positive Punishment?

Back 12

Positive Punishment – adds something to decrease behaviour (add pain to reduce behaviour)

Front 13

What is Negative Punishment?

Back 13

Negative Punishment – removes something to decrease behaviour (removing a privilege)

Front 14

You can have all type of contingency acting at once. Use coffee as an Example.

Back 14

Coffee:

Positive Reinforcement – increases wakefulness

Negative Reinforcement – peer pressure (nagging)

Positive Punishment – decreases fatigue

Negative Punishment – feel dehydrated

Front 15

Is reinforcement or punishment more effective?

Back 15

Reinforcement is more effective than punishment (provides/encourages alternate behaviour)

Front 16

What are some issues with punihsment

Back 16

Punishment isn’t as permanent as reinforcement

There is reduced trust; increased aggression and decreased motivation to show behaviour when being punished

Front 17

What is required for effective punishment?

Back 17

Punishing effectively requires:

No escape;

high intensity (as possible within limits); continuous schedule;

no delay (ASAP)

no subsequent reinforcement;

also reinforce incompatible, appropriate behaviour concurrently

Front 18

List some side effects of punishment.

Back 18

Side effect of Punishment: Changes in behaviour; aggression; fear; modelling violence and learned helplessness

Front 19

What is Continuous and intermittent reinforcement schedules?

Back 19

Continuous – reward every time behaviour is presented (each response), but can be troublesome with ceiling effects (saturation)

Intermittent – reward only some shown behaviours according to schedule

Front 20

What is Fixed Interval (FI) reinforcement schedule and give an example.

Back 20

Fixed Interval (FI) – (first after n seconds) reinforce every X times for the amount of time (time)

E.g. Washing machine, need to wait a set amount of time

Front 21

What is Fixed Ratio (FR) reinforcement schedule and give an example.

Back 21

Fixed Ratio (FR) – (Every nth) reinforce every X times for the amount of times preformed (number of actions)

E.g. 100 coins = 1 life (Mario); loyalty cards

Front 22

What is Variable Interval (VI) reinforcement schedule and give an example.

Back 22

Variable Interval (VI) – (on average, first after n seconds) reinforce on average every X times for the amount of time (time)

E.g. receiving messages; boss checking in on you; it’s a variable rate

Front 23

What is Variable Ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule and give an example.

Back 23

Variable Ratio (VR) – (on average every nth) reinforce on average every X times for the amount of times preformed (number of actions)

E.g. slot machines

Front 24

When comparing reinforcement schedules, which one is most effective and what are some noticeable features.

Back 24

There is post reinforcement pauses in Fixed Interval due to anticipation

Ratio schedules are more effective than interval schedules

Variable schedules are more effective than Interval

Front 25

What are some reward variables?

Back 25

Drive

Size

Delay

Front 26

What is the reward variable Drive ?

Back 26

Drive (motivation) – reinforcement depends on how much the organism wants the reinforcer (hunger state; opening a window for monkeys “hope”)

Front 27

What is the reward variable Size ?

Back 27

Size (reward magnitude) – size matters; (change in reinforcement and behaviour curve is not linear, does have an upper limit)

Front 28

What is the reward variable Delay ?

Back 28

Delay (of reinforcement) – delay between response and reinforcer reduces learning

Front 29

What is diminishing returns in a conditioning context?

Back 29

In terms of reward variables: size

Diminishing returns – after a certain point adding larger reinforcements, returns less responding per unit of reinforcer than smaller amounts

Front 30

How does the reward variable size influence learning during acquisition and extinction?

Back 30

Acquisition: faster with large/desired rewards

Extinction: faster with large/desired rewards; Frustration theory – after training with a larger stimulus, the response (frustration) is larger when the stimulus is withdrawn

Front 31

What is Stimulus Control

Back 31

Stimulus Control – occurs when your behaviour comes to be under the control of the stimulus (E.g traffic lights; buying certain brands)

Behaviour happens when the stimulus is present, but does not happen when the stimulus is absent

Front 32

What is Stimulus Discrimination?

Back 32

Stimulus Discrimination – (precise degree of stimulus control) the degree to which antecedent stimuli set that occasion for particular responses

Front 33

What is Stimulus Generalisation?

Back 33

Stimulus Generalization – (loose degree of stimulus control) When a response is reinforced in the presence of one stimulus there is a general tendency to respond in the presence of new stimuli that have similar physical properties or have been associated with the stimulus

Front 34

What is Stimulus Selection?

Back 34

Stimulus Selection – stimuli become signals for responses if they are predictive or reward