1. Please get out your notes and a separate sheet of paper to write your answers to questions we will be asking in class.

2. Primer: Answer the following T/F Questions
1.) With training, pigeons can be taught to discriminate between Bach’s music and Beethoven’s music T/F
2.) Negative reinforcement is another term for punishment T/F
3.) Psychologists agree that punishment, regardless of its form, has little effect on behavior T/F
4.) Animals learn only when rewards are given T/F
5.) Animals can learn to make virtually any response if consistently rewarded for it T/F

3. Answers
With training, pigeons can be taught to discriminate between Bach’s music and Beethoven’s music True
Negative reinforcement is another term for punishment False
Psychologists agree that punishment, regardless of its form, has little effect on behavior False
Animals learn only when rewards are given False
Animals can learn to make virtually any response if consistently rewarded for it True, but has limitations

4. Operant Conditioning
E.Q.: How is operant conditioning a more complex type of learning compared to classical conditioning?

5. B.F. Skinner Psychologist B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Led pioneering studies in learning
Trained pigeons to do very un-pigeon like things like walk in a figure 8 and play Ping-Pong
HOW was he able to do this?
Operant Conditioning

6. Classical Conditioning Review
1.) Present dog with food (Unconditioned stimulus)
2.) Dog salivates (Unconditioned response)
3.) Ring a bell (Neutral stimulus), gives dog food (unconditioned stimulus)
Repeat this step many times
Learning – namely classical conditioning takes place
4.) Ring a bell (conditioned stimulus), dog salivates (conditioned response)

8. Operant Conditioning vs. Classical Conditioning
Classical conditioning- animals form associations between two events they DO NOT CONTROL.
Bell = Food
Does the dog have to do anything for the food?
Operant conditioning - animals associate THEIR OWN ACTIONS with specific consequences. They can CONTROL what the outcome of an event will be.
Action required by an animal to get something they want or to make something go away
If a rat pulls a lever, the rat gets a piece of food

9. What is the key difference between classical and operant conditioning?
Write your answer down in your notes

10. So, how did Skinner get these pigeons, rats, etc
So, how did Skinner get these pigeons, rats, etc. to perform these unnatural behaviors?

12. The Skinner Box: The Operant Chamber
For his studies, Skinner designed an “operant chamber”, now known as the Skinner Box
A box that has a bar or button that an animal presses or pecks to release food or water as a reward
Food or water serves as reinforcement – any event that strengthens a preceding response
So, getting food will reinforce the behavior of pushing down on a lever for a rat
Kind of like a vending machine that gives away free food

13. Primary Reinforcers vs. Conditioned
Primary reinforcers – reinforcers that are unlearned; innately reinforcing by satisfying a biological need
The food that a rat receives
Human primary reinforcers can be food, water, affection, social acceptance
Conditioned reinforcers – associated with the primary reinforcer through learning
Lever in the Skinner Box that the rat pushes in order to get food
Human conditioned reinforcers can include money, good grades, warm tone of voice

14. Primary and Conditioned Reinforcers
Write your answer down on the sheet of paper you answered your T/F questions on
Primary reinforcers can be compared to _____________ from classical conditioning
Conditioned reinforcers can be compared to _____________ from classical conditioning

15. More About Reinforcers…
Reinforcement helps encourage a particular behavior by providing something desirable or taking away something undesirable
What do you think this child had to say in order to get his ice cream?
Is the ice cream the reinforcer here?
YES
What kind of reinforcer is it?

17. Two More Types of Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement – strengthening a response by presenting a typically pleasurable stimulus (like food, water, affection, money, acknowledgement )
Negative reinforcement – strengthens a response by reducing or removing something undesirable
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IS NOT PUNISHMENT!
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT =/= PUNISHMENT

18. Examples of Positive Reinforcement
Getting paid for completing a job
Studying hard for a test and receiving a good grade
Being accepted by a social group for acting a certain way
Negative Reinforcement:
End pain by taking pain killers
Taking more drugs to end withdrawal symptoms
Pushing the snooze button on your alarm to silence the annoying beeping

19. Example: Positive AND Negative Reinforcement
Child: Asks parent to tie shoes
Dad: Continues to read newspaper
Child: DADDD PLEAASEEE TIE MY SHOES
Dad: Ignores child again
Child: PLEASEEE!!!!
Dad: “How many times have I told you not to whine!? Which shoe needs to be tied?”
Positive Reinforcement: Child gets his shoes tied and dad’s attention
Negative Reinforcement: Dad doesn’t have to listen to child’s whining any longer

21. Positive and Negative Reinforcement
With your partner try to come up with ONE example of positive reinforcement and ONE example of negative reinforcement
Write down what stimulus you are receiving for positive reinforcement
Write down what stimulus is being removed for negative reinforcement

22. Principles of Operant Conditioning: Shaping
Shaping- procedure in which reinforcers guide actions that are closer and closer toward the desired behavior
Example:
Desired behavior: Push a lever to receive food
Get a piece of food for approaching the lever
Get a piece of food for sniffing the lever
Get a piece of food for touching the lever
And finally, get a piece of food for pushing on the lever

24. Get your books out…
Answer questions 7,8 on pg
Then write down the THREE things you’ve learned today

25. Negative Reinforcement
Brie cleans her room to keep her parents off her back.
Unpleasant stimulus that goes away:
Parents nagging
Behavior that is strengthened:
Cleaning bedroom

26. Positive and Negative Reinforcement
Negative = Subtraction
Positive = Addition
With negative reinforcement, we are SUBTRACTING an UNPLEASANT stimulus to increase a behavior
With positive reinforcement, we are ADDING a PLEASANT stimulus to increase a behavior

27. Punishment

29. Punishment Reinforcement increases a behavior
Punishment decreases a behavior
Punishment – an event that decreases the behavior it follows
Example: small shock to a rat for touching a forbidden object

30. Behavior A
Reinforcement
More behavior A
Behavior B
Punishment
Less behavior B

31. Positive and Negative Punishment
Just like reinforcement, punishment can be either positive or negative…
Think of it as:
Positive = adding (undesired stimulus)
Negative = subtracting (removing desired stimulus)

32. Positive Punishment – An aversive (unpleasant) stimulus is introduced in response to a behavior
Smacking a child after they are insubordinate
Unpleasant stimulus: Smack
Behavior suppressed: insubordination

33. Negative Punishment – A desirable stimulus is taken away in response to a behavior
Taking away a teenager’s cell phone privileges after talking back to a parent
Desirable stimulus: Cell phone privileges
Behavior suppressed: Talking back to a parent

34. Behavior A
Reinforcement
More behavior A
Behavior B
Punishment
Less behavior B

35. Examples of Positive Punishment:
An employee's inappropriate behavior at work stops after being criticized by a supervisor.
Undesirable stimulus received: Criticism from supervisor
Behavior that is suppressed: Inappropriate behavior
Shocking a rat when touching a forbidden object
Undesirable stimulus received: Electric shock
Behavior that is suppressed: Touching the forbidden object
Someone frowns when you tell a joke
Undesirable stimulus received: Frown
Behavior suppressed: Telling jokes/Telling bad joke

36. Examples of Negative Punishment
I got grounded because I came home past curfew.
Desirable stimulus removed: FREEDOM
Behavior suppressed: coming home past curfew
Dog jumps on you when you return home. You turn your back on the dog and ignore him.
Desirable stimulus removed: Affection/attention from owner
Behavior suppressed: jumping
Losing your driver's license after getting a DUI.
Desirable stimulus removed: The ability to legally drive
Behavior suppressed: Driving drunk

38. Write whether it is an example of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment or negative punishment
For Positive Reinforcement write down:
Desired stimulus received:
Behavior that is strengthened:
For Negative Reinforcement write down:
Undesired stimulus removed:
For Positive Punishment write down:
Undesired stimulus received:
Behavior that is suppressed:
For Negative Punishment write down:
Desired stimulus removed:

39. 10. ) A patient in a mental hospital is very disruptive at mealtimes
10.) A patient in a mental hospital is very disruptive at mealtimes. She grabs food from the plates of those sitting near her and tries to cram the food into her mouth. Because this behavior of stealing food is very undesirable and needs to stop immediately, a plan is developed whereby every time the patient steals food from other plates, she is immediately taken to a room without food.
Positive Punishment
Undesirable stimulus received: room without food
Behavior suppressed: eating others’ food
How might it also be negative punishment?
Desirable stimulus removed: food

40. 11. ) Lindsay wasn’t doing well in her 6th grade math class
11.) Lindsay wasn’t doing well in her 6th grade math class. Her teacher told her parents that Lindsay handed in less than 50% of her assignments. Her parents told Lindsay that any day on which she did not hand in her homework she would be sent to bed right after dinner. As a result of this threat, Lindsay has handed in her assignment 97% of the time.
Positive Reinforcement
Desirable stimulus received: Staying up past dinner
Behavior strengthened: Turning in assignments

41. 13. ) Greg does not go to the dentist every 6 months for a check-up
13.) Greg does not go to the dentist every 6 months for a check-up. Instead, he waited until a tooth really hurts, then goes to the dentist. After 2 emergency trips to the dentist, Greg now goes to the dentist every 6 months like he should.
Waiting until your tooth hurts to go to the dentist is negative reinforcement (Undesired stimulus removed: toothache)
Positive Reinforcement
Desired stimulus received: regular, no-fuss check-ups at the dentist
Behavior strengthened: Going to the dentist every 6 months
Initially, how was this negative reinforcement?
Undesired stimulus removed: emergency trip

42. 14.) After Cassie flirted with someone else at the party, her boyfriend stopped talking to her. Cassie didn’t flirt at the next party.
Negative Punishment
Desired stimulus removed: Boyfriend conversing with Cassie
Behavior Suppressed: Flirting with others

43. 16. Police randomly stop drivers and give tickets to those who are not wearing their seat belts; as a result of this program seat belt use increases in town.
Positive Reinforcement
This is just like Lindsay turning in her assignments more often after her parents threatened to make her go to bed after dinner
Desired stimulus received: Driving unbothered; not getting a ticket
Behavior strengthened: Wearing a seatbelt

44. Big Bang Theory Clip

45. For the rest of class…
Read pages under the green header that says, “Reinforcement Schedules”
After you’ve read the section, discuss what you just read with your partner to make sure you both understand
Work with your partner and try to solve Schedules of Reinforcement #’s 1-8 on your worksheet
Ask me if you need help

47. Reinforcement Schedules