operant conditioning

Question 1

operant

Answer 1

• response that occurs without any stimulus

- voluntary behaviour that acts upon the environment in the same way each time

Question 2

3 phase model

Answer 2

Antecedent/Discriminative stimulus:
stimulus that occurs before the behaviour
Behaviour: 
occurs due to antecedent
Consequence: 
of the behaviour

Question 3

antecedent

Answer 3

• stimulus that precedes a specific behaviour

Question 4

behaviour

Answer 4

• voluntary action that occurs in the presence of the antecedent stimulus
• activity that has an effect on environment

Question 5

consequence

Answer 5

• environmental event that occurs immediately after the behaviour and has an effect on the occurrence of behaviour
• behaviour will change in its strength and frequency depending on the consequence (reward or punishment)
• followed by reinforcement strengthens the behaviour
• followed by punishment weakens behaviour

Question 6

reinforcers

Answer 6

• stimulus is strengthened or increases the frequency or likelihood of the behaviour occurring
• two types: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement

Question 7

positive reinforcement

Answer 7

• as a result of a positive outcome, strengthens the stimulus and increases the likelihood of behaviour occurring
• praise

Question 8

negative reinforcement

Answer 8

• as a result of removing something negative, strengthens stimulus and increases the likelihood of behaviour occurring
• taking a headache pill

Question 9

punishment

Answer 9

• stimulus is weakened and decreases the likelihood of behaviour occurring

Question 10

positive punishment

Answer 10

• presentation of a negative stimulus thus weakening the stimulus and decreasing the likelihood of the behaviour
• such as having to run an extra lap for being late to training

Question 11

response cost

Answer 11

• form of punishment that entails something desirable taken away, thus weakening the stimulus and decreasing the likelihood of the behaviour occurring
• being fined for speeding

Question 12

effective punishment

Answer 12

• brief
• immediate
• linked to the undesired behaviour
• positive behaviour can be developed to replace the negative behaviour

Question 13

extinction

Answer 13

• when conditioned response disappears over time

Question 14

spontaneous recovery

Answer 14

• reappearance of an extinguished response after a rest period
• shows that extinction of behaviour is not ‘unlearning’
• response is likely to be weaker

Question 15

stimulus generalisation

Answer 15

• behaviour is elicited as a result of a discriminative stimulus similar to original

Question 16

stimulus discrimination

Answer 16

• has a correct response to a discriminative stimulus but does not respond to any other stimulus in the same way even if similar

Question 17

shaping

Answer 17

• procedure in which a reinforcer is given for any response that gets closer and closer and eventually leads to the desired response

Question 18

example of shaping

Answer 18

• you attempt the new piece and play until you make a mistake
• you try again, making it a little further through the piece before making a mistake and you feel good about the progress
• and this process continues until you play it perfectly.