Ch 6: Learning Operant Conditioning (Instrumental conditioning)

Classical vs Operant  Classical: organism assoc diff stimuli that it doesn’t control  Operant: assoc behavior w/consequences

Classical vs Operant  Classical involves respondent behavior/ behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Classical vs Operant  Operant involves operant behavior/act that operates on the enviro to prod rewarding/punishing stimuli

KEY QUESTION  Ask: Is the organism learning assoc b/w events it doesn’t control (classical)/learning assoc b/w its behavior & resulting events (operant)

Operant Conditioning  More likely to repeat rewarded (reinforced) behavior  Less likely to repeat punished behaviors

Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism  B.F. Skinner believed that the most powerful influences on behavior are its consequences

SKINNER’S EXPERIMENTS  Modern behaviorism’s most influential & controversial figure  Influenced by Thorndike’s Law of Effect (Rewarded behavior is likely to occur)

 designed an operant chamber (Skinner’s Box)  typically soundproof, w/a bar/key that an animal presses/pecks to release a reward (food/H2) & a device that records responses

 Shaping –Procedure in which reinforcers (food) gradually guide an animal’s behavior toward a desired behavior

–reward responses that are closer to the final desired behavior & ignore all other responses –making rewards based on desired behaviors, researchers & animal trainers gradually shape complex behaviors

–Shaping enables psychologists to determine what nonverbal organisms perceive (Can a dog distinguish color?)

–If shaped to respond to 1 stimulus & not another the nonverbal animal can perceive the difference

–Experiments show that some animals are capable of forming concepts –Demonstrated by discriminating b/w classes of events/objects

For Example:  Reinforcing a pigeon for pecking after seeing a human face, not after other images, pigeon will recognize learn to recognize a face

–Parents shape good table manners by using praise as a reward for eating behavior that is more adultlike –Real world: we continually reward & shape the behaviors of others but often unintentionally

 Reinforcement: any consequence that strengthens behavior Principles of Reinforcement

 2 Basic Types: –Positive: strengthens response by presenting a stimulus after a response (food- animals; approval- people)

–Negative: strengthen response by reducing/ removing an aversive stimulus (removing seatbelt turns off buzzer; hitting snooze on alarm clock)

 Primary & Conditioned Reinforcers –Primary: naturally satisfying (getting food) –Conditioned (Secondary Reinforcers): are learned –Conditioned greatly enhance our ability to influence ea. other

 Immediate & Delayed Reinforcers –We respond to reinforcers that are greatly delayed (pay check end of week; grade end of semester)

–To function effectively we must learn to postpone immediate rewards for greater long-term rewards

–Learning to delay gratification & control impulses in order to achieve more valued awards-step toward maturity

–Temptation of small immediate reinforcements are sometimes more alluring than big but delayed reinforcements

 Ex: smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts may know that their immed pleasure is more than offset by future ill effects –Nicotine & cocaine most addictive b/c of the extreme immed reinforcement

 Reinforcement Schedules –Continuous reinforcement: desired response reinforced every time it occurs  Learning occurs rapidly  When stopped extinction occurs quickly

 Real world doesn’t provide continuous reinforcement  Partial (intermittent) reinforcement: schedules in which responses are sometimes reinforced & sometimes not

 Initial learning is slower  But, produces greater persistence/greater resistance to extinction

For Example:  Slot machines reward gamblers occasionally & unpredictably—keep trying  Occasionally giving into a tantrum reinforces the child’s occasional tantrums

4 Types of Schedules:  Fixed-ratio: reinforce behavior after a set # of responses e.g. factory workers getting paid after every 10 cases of product are completed

 Variable-ratio: provide reinforcers after an unpredictable # of responses e.g. slot machine pay-offs

 Fixed-interval: reinforce the 1 st response after a fixed time period e.g. weekly or monthly paychecks

 Variable-interval: reinforce the 1 st response after varying time intervals e.g. random visits from the boss who delivers praise

Punishment  Any consequence that decreases the frequency of a preceding behavior  Most effective when it’s strong, immediate, & consistent

Punishment vs. Negative Reinforcement Loud NoisePress Lever Loud Noise Removed Loud Noise Applied Response Consequence Negative Reinforcement Punishment No Noise

 Can have undesirable side effects: –Punished behavior not forgotten; it’s suppressed –Increase aggressiveness –Create fear –Failure to teach how to act positively

The Problem of Punishment  Positive punishment – The application of an aversive stimulus after a response Omission training (negative punishment) – The removal of an appetitive stimulus after a responseOmission training (negative punishment) – The removal of an appetitive stimulus after a response

Four Kinds of Consequences Positive or appetitive Negative or aversive STIMULUS - Remove Negative Reinforcement Aspirin curing headache causes more aspirin use Omission Training Missing dinner leads to less staying out late + Present Positive Reinforcement Bonus for working hard leads to more hard work Punishment Getting speeding ticket leads to less speeding

The Use and Abuse of Punishment  Power usually disappears when threat of punishment is removed  Punishment –Often triggers aggression –May inhibit learning new and better responses –Is often applied unequally  When does punishment work?

Alternatives to Punishment  Extinction  Reinforcing preferred activities –Premack principle  Prompting and shaping

Operant and Classical Conditioning Compared  Classical conditioning involves the association of two stimuli (UCS + CS) before the response or behavior  Operant conditioning involves a reinforcing (reward) or punishing stimulus after a response or behavior

How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning?  Insight learning – Problem solving occurs by means of a sudden reorganization of perceptions  Cognitive maps – A mental representation of physical space