Operant Conditioning
(193Os; Skinner) a type of leaving in which voluntary behavior is modified by the consequences that follow the behavior.
Law of Effect
(Thorndike) any behavior followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated. Behavior followed by unpleasant consequences is unlikely to be repeated.
Superstitious Behaviors
actions that are randomly tied to good results. Ex) Lucky pen on test.
Learned Helplessness
a psychological state where someone stops trying to change a bad situation because they’ve learned, through repeated negative experiences, that their efforts don’t matter and they have no control, even when they actually do have the power to change things
Reinforcement
anything (a reward or removal of something bad) that makes a behavior more likely to happen again, strengthening it. Ex) praise.
Positive Reinforcement
the introduction of a desirable or pleasant stimulus immediately following a behavior, increasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. Ex) A parent gives their child a sticker immediately after the child cleans their room, making the child more likely to clean their room again in the future.
Negative Reinforcement
the removal of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus after a desired behavior occurs, increasing the frequency of that behavior in the future. Ex) You put on your seatbelt in the car to stop the annoying continuous beeping sound. The removal of the annoying sound reinforces the behavior of putting on your seatbelt.
Punishment
a consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. Ex Slap.
Positive Punishment
adding an unpleasant consequence immediately following an unwanted behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior happening again. Ex) A child draws on the walls with a crayon; a parent adds a chore as a consequence, intending to stop the child from drawing on the walls in the future.
Negative Punishment
taking away a desirable or pleasant stimulus immediately following an unwanted behavior, which decreases the likelihood of that behavior happening again. Ex) A teenager comes home an hour after curfew; a parent responds by taking away their cell phone for a week, intending to stop the teenager from breaking curfew again.
Primary Reinforcement
an innately valued reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need (food, etc).
Reinforced Discriminations
the ability to distinguish between situations in which a behavior will be reinforced and those in which it will not.
ex) A dog learns to sit only when hearing “Sit” because it gets a treat, but it gets no treat if it sits after hearing “Stay.”
Secondary Reinforcers
earned through association (money, + grades)
Reinforcement Generalizations
a learned reward (like praise or money) becomes effective for many different behaviors, not just the one it was first taught with, because it’s been paired with lots of other good things
Schedules of Reinforcement
(SKINNER) rules for WHEN and HOW OFTEN to reward a behavior to control how strong or resistant to extinction that behavior becomes (operant conditioning). Includes Fixed Ratio, Variable Ratio, Fixed Interval, and Variable Interval.
Continuous Reinforcement
(Schedules of R.) giving a reward or consequence every single time a desired behavior happens
Partial Reinforcement
not reinforcing a response every time.
Ratio Schedules
rewarding behavior based on the NUMBER of responses. Inludes fixed and variable.
Interval Schedules
rules for when to give rewards (reinforcement) based on the TIME that passes
Fixed Reinforcement
Reinforcement after a predetermined number of desired actions or predetermined period of time.
Fixed-Interval Schedule
provides reinforcement for the first behavior after a predetermined period of time.
Variable Interval Reinforcement
unpredictable reinforcement. The first behavior after variable amounts of time is rewarded.
Fixed-Ratio Reinforcement Schedule
a behavior is reinforced after a specific NUMBER of behaviors. Ex) Someone on the sales commission.
Variable-Ratio Reinforcement Schedule
behavior is reinforced after a variable number of behaviors. The most powerful; organism doesn’t know when reinforcement will occur.
