Unit 15—Skinner: Behavioral Analysis

Front 1

Discuss the contributions of E. L. Thorndike to Skinner's learning theory

Back 1

First psychologist to systematically study the consequences of behaviour. who originally worked with animals. He observed that learning takes place mostly because of the effects that follow a response. He called this observation the law of effect. Had two parts: 1) that responses to stimuli that are followed immediately by a satisfier tend to be stamped in.

2) responses to stimuli that are followed immediately by an annoyer tend to be stamped out. Later minimized the importance of the annoyer.

Front 2

Discuss the contributions of J. B. Watson to Skinner's learning theory

Back 2

___ took radical behaviourism, determinism, and environmental forces beyond Skinner’s conception by ignoring genetic factors completely and promising to shape personality by controlling the environment.

Studied both animals and humans and become convinced that the concepts of consciousness and introspection must play no role in the scientific study of human behaviour. Human behaviour can be studied objectively. He attacked the notions of consciousness and introspection but also instinct, sensation, perception, motivation, mental states, mind and imagery. Goal of psychology is the prediction and control of behaviour. Reached by limiting psychology to an objective study of habits formed through stimulus-response connections.

Front 3

Explain Skinner's philosophy of science

Back 3

Scientific behaviourism allows for an interpretation of behaviour but not an explanation of its causes.
Interpretation permits a scientist to generalize from a simple learning condition to a more complex one. Skinner used principles derived from lab studies to interpret the behaviour of humans beings but insisted that interpretation should not be confused with an explanation of why people behave the way they do.

Front 4

Discuss the effects on behavior of:

A) positive reinforcement

Back 4

A) is any stimulus that when added to a situation increases the probability that a given behavior will occur.

Ex. food, water, sex, money, social approval and physical comfort. Most behaviour is acquired through ___ reinforcement.

Front 5

Discuss the effects on behavior of:

B) negative reinforcement

Back 5

B) is the strengthening of behavior through the removal of an aversive stimulus. Both positive and negative reinforcement strengthen behavior.

Front 6

Discuss the effects on behavior of:

C) punishment

Back 6

Any event that decreases a behavior either by presenting an aversive stimulus or by removing a positive one is called_____.

Presentation of of an aversive stimuli.

Ex. electric shock.

Does not strengthen nor weaken a response.

Front 7

Effects of punishment are less predictable

Back 7

1)No accuracy to predict behaviour if punishment. Imposed to prevent people from acting a certain way. Does not tell them what they should day simply suppresses the behaviour.

2) Conditioning of a negative feeling. Associating a strong aversive stimulus with the behaviour being punished. It will instigate a response that is incompatible with the behaviour.

3) Spread of its effects. Any stimuli associated with the punishment may be suppressed or avoided.

Front 8

A) Punishment and B) Reinforcement compared.

Back 8

1) 2 kinds of A) similar 2 kinds of B)

2) presentation of aversive stimuli.

3) removal of positive reinforcer.

4) both can derive either from natural consequences or from human imposition.

5) both are means of controlling behaviour. whether by design or by accident.

Front 9

Explain the differences between:

A) classical conditioning

B) operant conditioning

Back 9

A. A process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to respond in a desired manner to a previously neutral stimulus that has been repeatedly presented along with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits the desired response.

B key is the immediate reinforcement of response.
Organism first does something and then is reinforced by the environment. Reinforcement increases the probability that a behaviour will recur.

Front 10

What are the three factors are essential in operant conditioning?

Back 10

(1) the antecedent, or environment in which behavior takes place

(2) the behavior, or response

(3) the consequence that follows the behavior

Front 11

Describe the process of shaping

Back 11

Describe the process of shaping and give examples of how complex behaviors can be shaped.

procedure in which the experimenter or the environment first rewards gross approximations of the bheaviour, then closer approximations, and finally the desired behaviour itself. (Process called: successive approximations.)

Three conditions present:
1) antecedent. = environment/setting.
2) behaviour - what the person does.
3) consequence. = Reward. or Punishment

Front 12

Give examples of how complex behaviors can be shaped.

a) Creativity

b) Unconscious behaviour

c) Dreams

d) Social behaviour

Back 12

Higher mental processes.

Example:
a) compared to natural selection. Mutation necc for evolution. Random or accidental conditions are produced. Result of random or accidental behaviour (overt r covert) that happen to be rewarded.

b) Accepted idea of unconscious behaviour. Nearly all behaviour is unconsciously motivated. Behaviour suppressed through punishment. Aversive consequences has tendency to be forgotten.

c) Covert and symbolic forms of behaviour subject to same contengencies and reinforcement of other behaviour. Agreed in wish-fullfillment (like Freud) Behaviours that are suppressed can be freely expressed.

d) Groups don’t behave. Individuals do. Form clans to protect themselves. And groups to reinforce behaviour.

Most difficult of all behaviour to analyze.
Covert behaviour
Have same contingencies and reinforcements as overt behavior.

Front 13

Skinner believed that human behavior is shaped by three forces:

1) natural selection

2) the evolution of cultures

3) Individual History of Reinforcement

Back 13

1) Behaviour determined by genetic composition and personal histories of reinforcement. Shaped by contingencies of survival.

2) Selection is responsible for those cultural practices that have survived. Cultural practices that are reinforced for suing a tool or uttering a sound. (toolmaking, verbal language.) Ex. division of labour that evolved from the industrial revolution

Front 14

Inner States:

a) Self-Awareness

b) Drives

c) Emotions

d) Purpose and intention

Back 14

a) have conscious and are aware of it. Part of environment is in our own skin. Each person is subjectively aware of own thoughts, feelings, reconciliations and intentions.

b) explanatory fictions. Effects of deprivation or satiation. Untestable hypothesis.

c) Subjective existence. Behaviour not attributed to them. Account from them by the contingencies of survival and reinforcement. Pleasant emotions get positive reinforcement.

d) Not attributed to cause of behaviour. Exist within the skin. Not subject to outside scrutiny.

Front 15

Identify four different schedules of reinforcement.

Back 15

Reinforcement can follow behavior on either a continuous schedule or on an intermittent schedule. There are four _____:

1) fixed-ratio

2) variable-ratio

3) fixed-interval

4) variable interval

Front 16

Define and give an example of the following schedule of reinforcement:

1) fixed-ratio

Back 16

1) on which the organism is reinforced intermittently according to the number of responses it makes.

Ex. pigeon rewarded every 3 time.

Front 17

Define and give an example of the following schedule of reinforcement:

2) variable-ratio

Back 17

2) on which the organism is reinforced after an average of a predetermined number of responses

Ex. playing slot machines.

Front 18

Define and give an example of the following schedule of reinforcement:

3) fixed-interval

Back 18

3) on which the organism is reinforced for the first response following a designated period of time

Ex. Employees working on salary. paid every 2 weeks.

Front 19

Define and give an example of the following schedule of reinforcement:

4) variable interval

Back 19

4) on which the organism is reinforced after the lapse of various periods of time

Ex. Checking Your Email: Typically, you check your email at random times throughout the day instead of checking every time a single message is delivered.

Front 20

Distinguish between:

A) Conditioned reinforcer

B) Generalized reinforcer

Back 20

Distinguish between conditioned and generalized reinforcers.

A) secondary reinforcer. Environmental stimuli that are not by nature satisfying but become so because they are associated with such unlearned or primary reinforcers as food, water, sex or physical comfort. Ex. Money. cuz it can be exchanged for primary reinforcer.

B) Associated with more than one reinforcer. Ex. Money.
Five important: 1) attention 2) approval 3) affection 4) submission of others 5) tokens (money).

Front 21

Discuss ways in which natural selection influences personality.

Back 21

Behaviour determined by genetic composition and personal histories of reinforcement. Shaped by contingencies of survival.

Front 22

List the methods of social control according to Skinner:

1) operant conditioning

2) describing contingencies

3) deprivation and satiation

4) physical restraint

Back 22

1) including positive and negative reinforcement and punishment. Society exercises control over its members.

2) or using language to inform people of the consequence of their behaviors. Involves language. Inform people of consequences of their not-yet-emitted behaviour. Threats and promises. Advertising.

3) techniques that increase the likelihood that people will behave in a certain way. Deprived food more likely to eat.

4) including the jailing of criminals. hold child back from ravine. Does not negate freedom.

Front 23

List the methods of self-control, according to Skinner:

1) physical aids

2) changing environmental stimuli

3) arranging the environment to allow escape from aversive stimuli

4) drugs

5) doing something else

Back 23

1) Such as tool, machines and financial resources to alter their environment.

2) Can turn off tv to study.

3) Change environment to escape aversive stimulus.

4) Ingest - tranquilizers to make behaviour more placid.

5) Count repetitious pattern in wall to acoid thinking about past experience that would create quilt.

Front 24

Explain Skinner's approach to understanding the unhealthy personality.

a) Counteracting Strategies

Back 24

Techniques of social control and self-control can sometimes produce detrimental effects.

a) when social control is excessive, people can use 3 basic strategies for counteracting:

1) escaping from it - withdrawal from controlling agent either physically or psychologically.

2) revolting against it ex. vandalizing public property. tormenting teachers. verbally abusing.

3) passively resisting it more subtle. More irritating. Stubbornness. Child with homework has million excuses.

Front 25

Explain Skinner's approach to understanding the unhealthy personality.

b) Inappropriate Behaviors

Back 25

b) Shaped by + or - reinforcement or punishment. Counteracting social control or from unsuccessful attempts at self-control

1) vigorous behaviour

2) Excessively restrained behavior

3) Blocking reality by simply paying no attention to aversive stimuli.

4) undesirable behaviour. results from defective self-knowledge. Manifested as: self-deluding responses like: boasting, rationalizing, claim to be Messam. Negatively reinforcing.

5) self-punishment

Front 26

Name two effects of reinforcement

Back 26

Anything within the environment that strengthens a behavior is a reinforcer.

Positive reinforcement is any stimulus that when added to a situation increases the probability that a given behavior will occur.

Negative reinforcement is the strengthening of behavior through the removal of an aversive stimulus.

Both positive and negative reinforcement strengthen behavior.

Front 27

Explain three undesirable effects of punishment.

Back 27

Does not strengthen nor weaken a response. Effects of ____ are less predictable:

1)No accuracy to predict behaviour if punishment. Imposed to prevent people from acting a certain way. Does not tell them what they should day simply suppresses the behaviour.

2) Conditioning of a negative feeling. Associating a strong
aversive stimulus with the behaviour being punished. It will instigate a response that is incompatible with the behaviour.

3) Spread of its effects. Any stimuli associated with the punishment may be suppressed or avoided.