Psychology 2e: Operant Conditioning

Learning Objectives

• Define operant conditioning
• Explain the difference between reinforcement and punishment
• Distinguish between reinforcement schedules

Overview

• Focus on associative learning in operant conditioning.
• Organisms learn to associate a behavior and its consequence.
  • Pleasant consequence increases likelihood of behavior recurrence.
• Example: Dolphin flips air for fish reward.

Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

• Classical Conditioning: Reflex triggered by environmental stimulus.
• Operant Conditioning: Behavior followed by reinforcement or punishment.
  • Stimulus occurs soon after the response (reinforcement or punishment).

B. F. Skinner's Contributions

• Proposed behavior is motivated by reinforcements and punishments.
• Law of effect: Satisfying consequences increase behavior frequency.
• Conducted experiments with animals in Skinner boxes.

Reinforcement and Punishment

• Reinforcement: Increases behavior likelihood.
• Punishment: Decreases behavior likelihood.
• Positive means adding something; negative means removing something.

Types of Reinforcement and Punishment

• Positive Reinforcement: Add stimulus to increase behavior (e.g., giving a toy for cleaning room).
• Negative Reinforcement: Remove stimulus to increase behavior (e.g., seatbelt alarm stops when buckled).
• Positive Punishment: Add stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., scolding for texting in class).
• Negative Punishment: Remove stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., taking away a toy for misbehavior).

Shaping

• Reward successive approximations of target behavior.
• Break behavior into small, achievable steps.

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

• Primary Reinforcers: Innate qualities (e.g., food, water).
• Secondary Reinforcers: Linked with primary reinforcers (e.g., money, praise).
• Token economies use secondary reinforcers to modify behavior.

Behavior Modification

• Uses operant conditioning to change behavior.
• Sticker charts and time-outs as examples.

Reinforcement Schedules

• Continuous Reinforcement: Reinforce behavior every time.
• Partial Reinforcement: Reinforce behavior intermittently.
  • Fixed Interval: Predictable time intervals.
  • Variable Interval: Unpredictable time intervals.
  • Fixed Ratio: After predictable number of responses.
  • Variable Ratio: After unpredictable number of responses.
• Variable ratio schedule is the most effective.

Gambling and the Brain

• Gambling uses variable-ratio reinforcement.
• Dopamine release during gambling similar to addictive drugs.

Cognition and Latent Learning

• Edward C. Tolman: Learning can occur without immediate reinforcement.
• Example of latent learning: Cognitive map learning in rats.

Everyday Connection

• Cognitive maps help navigate environments like buildings.
• Paying attention to features helps build cognitive maps.