Learning 2 - Operant Conditioning

Question 1

What is a positive reinforcer?

Answer 1

• ADDING something positive to increase the likelihood that target behaviour will be repeated

Question 2

What is a negative reinforcer?

Answer 2

• REMOVING something negative to increase likelihood that target behaviour will be repeated

Question 3

What is a positive punisher?

Answer 3

• ADDING something negative to decrease the likelihood that target behaviour will be repeated

Question 4

What is a negative punisher?

Answer 4

• REMOVING something positive to decrease the likelihood that target behaviour will be repeated

Question 5

When does reinforcement work best? How does this explain why dieting often doesn’t work?

Answer 5

• when reinforcement arrives immediately after the target behaviour
• takes too long to see weight loss (reinforcement), so dieting doesn’t work often

Question 6

What is a primary reinforcer/punisher?

Answer 6

innate reinforcing/punishing quality that isn’t lost, is biologically important
- water
- sex

Question 7

What is a secondary reinforcer/punisher?

Answer 7

only reinforcing/punishing when linked to primary, classically conditioned
- money

Question 8

How does shaping work in operant conditioning?

Answer 8

• results from reinforcement in successive steps to a final behaviour
• showed with Skinner’s pigeon