1. Classical Conditioning Review
A young child who reaches out to pet a barking dog is bitten by the dog & cries. Every time she hears a dog bark, she whimpers.
UCS-
UCR-
CS-
CR-

2. Operant Conditioning
Learning where a behavior is followed by a consequence (reward or punishment)

3. Thorndike’s Cats in a Puzzle Box
Law of effect- behaviors followed by a positive consequence strengthens behavior & negative consequence weakens behavior

4. Skinner’s Experiments
Operant Chamber/Skinner Box
Shaping – reinforce any behavior leading up to the desired behavior
Pigeon Ping Pong

5. Skinner’s Experiments
Operant Chamber/Skinner Box
Shaping (Acquisition Stage) – reinforce any behavior leading up to the desired behavior
Pigeon Ping Pong

6. Consequences
Reinforcement (R)- increases chance behavior will occur again
Primary - necessary for survival, such as food
Secondary- anything else, such as money, praise, a sticker
Punishment (P)- decreases chance behavior will occur again
Big Bang Theory Example

7. R P
Positive +
Add pleasant stimulus to increase behavior
Add unpleasant stimulus to decrease behavior
Negative -
Remove unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior
Remove pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior

8. Using Punishment to Discipline:
Can have unwanted effects (anger, hostility, anxiety)
Physical punishment leads to aggression
Better to reinforce desirable behavior

9. Guidelines to Effective Punishment
Don’t delay
Explain the punishment
Use least severe punishment (minimize physical punishment)
Follow through

10. Examples: A rat presses a bar and receives a food pellet.
A teenager can’t use the car for a week because she stayed out past curfew.
You party all night and get an F.
You are caught speeding and are given a ticket by a police officer.
Every time the 2 year old uses the toilet his parents praise him.

11. Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement- behavior is always reinforced
Intermittent/Partial Reinforcement- behavior is sometimes reinforced
Skinner clip of schedules of reinforcement

12. FR VR FI VI Fixed- set amount Variable- random amount Ratio-
Based on certain # of responses FR
FR-15 (reinforcer every 15th response)
Paid by the job VR
VR-15 (reinforcer over an average of 15 responses, not every 15
Gambling
Hardest to extinguish
Interval
Based on time FI
FI-15 (reinforcer after every 15 seconds if 1 correct response is made)
Paid by the hour VI
VI- 15 (reinforcer over an average interval of 15 seconds)
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