Topic 2- Operant Conditioning

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Another learning theory developed within the behaviourist approach

Question 2

What 2 ways does it differ from classical conditioning?

Answer 2

1. This theory does not start with a stimulus response that already exists
2. Instead it works on the assumption that animals try out different
   pieces of behaviour and it is the response to that behaviour that
   dictates whether an animal will repeat the behaviour.

Question 3

What is Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement

Answer 3

Positive Reinforcement motivates someone to repeat the behaviour because of the reward

Negative reinforcement encourages someone to repeat a behaviour because of fear of the consequences

Question 4

What is Punishment and how is it different from negative and positve reinforcement?

Answer 4

A punishment is administered after a piece of undesirable behaviour
has been enacted and there is no time for the animal to change their behaviour, only to endure the punishment. In fact it can often
encourage the animal to become deceitful to avoid future
punishment and if there is no one watching them then the
behaviour can be repeated in safety.

Question 5

How is Punishment different from Positive and Negative Reinforcement?

Answer 5

Punishment is likely to result in no repetition of the behaviour, whereas positive and negative reinforcements are likely to result in the behaviour being repeated.

Behaviour is essentially shaped and maintained by its consequences.

Question 6

What is the “Law of Effect” by Thorndike (1898)?

What was the learned behaviour and the positive reinforcement?

What sort of Reinforcement is this?

Answer 6

The ‘Law of Effect’ was generated from work by Thorndike (1898) and underpinned the principles of operant conditioning. Thorndike’s work observing how cats managed to escape a puzzle box where they were required to pull on a latch was pivotal in formulating operant conditioning.

The first time the cats were put in the box it took them time to escape as it happened by chance, but once they had learned that they could escape by pulling the latch they did so straight away in subsequent trials. This pulling the latch became the learned behaviour. This was because pulling the latch was positively reinforced as it led to them escaping, This is an example of continuous reinforcement

There was also a fish within sight outside the box, which acted as further reward once they were out of the box.

Question 7

What 3 things did B.F. Skinner include in his Skinner Box?

What is the Positive and Negative Reinforcement and the Punishment?

What is the learned behaviour?

What type of reinforcement did it use?

Answer 7

1. A response lever which could prompt the release of a pellet down a chute so that the rat could eat it. Skinner observed that as soon as a rat learned that it would get a pellet when pressing the lever it would keep doing so (as the behaviour was positively reinforced). The pressing of the lever then becomes a learned behaviour as the rat learns that it will be rewarded with a pellet every time it presses the level. This is called continuous reinforcement.
2. The floor was metal and had the capacity to be electrified so that an electric shock could be administered to the rat if the experiment so required. The electric shock provided punishment to the rats. Actions to avoid the shocks would then be reinforced, an example of negative reinforcement.
3. There were also loudspeakers and lights which acted as visual and auditory signals when needed, which acted as cues in some of the trials.

Using the terms of operant conditioning in Skinner’s research we can say that the pellet is the positive reinforcement, the electrified floor is the punishment and the negative reinforcement is the avoidance of the electrified floor or punishment.

Question 8

What are the 5 types of reinforcement?

Answer 8

Continuous, Fixed Interval, Variable Interval, Fixed Rate, Variable Ratio

Question 9

Describe the Pattern, Rate of Response and Response to Extinction for each

Answer 9

https://ebooks.boost-learning.co.uk/wr/viewer.html#book/1a8afd8e-673d-4d4a-8b7b-32e0163aed1e/ch05/pos_28.037646528403968

Question 10

What does the ABC of Operant Conditioning stand for?

Answer 10

Antecedent- What happens just before a behaviour is being performed (light/sound for rat)

Behaviour (Skinner calls these operants- e.g the rat would be pressing the lever)

Consequences-

Question 11

What do Behaviourist believe and what debate do they support

Answer 11

2. They believe that behaviour is learned and therefore are strong proponents of the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate.

Question 12

Give me 3 disadvatages

Answer 12

1. Behaviourists use animal research in their work and some argue that this is not appropriate due to the differences in the complexity of human and animal behaviour.
   Social learning theory
2. Any spontaneous behaviour that occurs in humans is not easily explained by the behaviourists’ principles of classical and operant conditioning.
3. Behaviourists do not consider the influence of thought and cognitive processes as they are not observable.

Question 13

Give me 3 advantages

Answer 13

1. Behaviourist ideas are used widely to help change behaviour which is seen to be negative and to encourage positive behaviour such as behaviour modification strategies used in prisons and schools.
2. Some people argue that testing animals is more ethical than using humans
3. Behaviourists use scientific methods to investigate human behaviour and there is seen to be credibility in their methods.