1. Rewards and punishment
Operant Conditioning
Rewards and punishment

2. Classical vs. Operant Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Behavior is determined by what PRECEDES it.
Behavior is determined by anticipation of what FOLLOWS it.
Involuntary
Voluntary
Dog salivates after a tone.
Dog sits in anticipation of getting a treat.

3. Classical or Operant?
A very bright (mildly painful) light is turned on a rat. The rat has learned that he can turn off the light by pressing a lever on the other side of his cage. As soon as the light comes on, the rat suns across the room and presses the lever.

4. Classical or Operant?
When a mother strokes her infant’s skin, the stroking creates pleasure responses in the baby. After this goes on for many days, the baby begins to show pleasure responses simply at the sight of her mother (even before being touched).

5. Classical or Operant?
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 in her mouth. Because this behavior of stealing food is very undesirable, a plan is developed whereby every time the patient steals food from other plates, she is immediately taken to a room without food.

6. Classical or Operant?
Imagine you have a friend who keeps the temperature in her home so high that each occasion on which you visit her you find yourself perspiring. The last time you visited her, you noticed that you began to perspire and became uncomfortable as soon as you saw her house (even before you got inside).

7. Classical or Operant?
Fred leaves his clothes and toys all over his room. It seems that the only time he cleans up his room is when his mother yells at him. When she yells at him, Fred picks up his clothes and put away his toys.

8. Reinforcement vs. Punishment
Practice with partner.

9. Types of Reinforcment positive (adding) or negative (taking away)
primary (innately satisfying) or secondary (conditioned) (learned to be satisfying)
immediate or delayed

10. Reinforcement Schedules
reinforcement schedules (give out handout)
continuous – rewarded every time
partial – not every time
“fixed” – set, constant
“variable” – unpredictable
“interval” – time
“ratio” – number

11. Reinforcement Schedules
fixed ratio – set number (every three times you raise your hand I call on you)
variable ratio – unpredictable number of responses (slot machine)
fixed interval – set amount of time (pay you every hour)
variable interval – unpredictable amount of time (fishing)

12. Reinforcement Schedules
Role-playing activity
Summary
Ratio schedules cause a greater response rate
Variable schedules are more resistant to extinction
Continuous reinforcement causes the fastest learning.
Immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed.

13. Problems with Punishment
it models aggression as a way to solve problems
breeds anger in the recipient
doesn’t provide an alternative behavior. Therefore, the behavior only goes away when the punisher is around.

14. Overjustification Effect
Experiment
Story of boys playing soccer
Overjustification effect: when we are rewarded for behaviors that we naturally enjoy, we sometimes lose our intrinsic motivation.
Learning and grades?
Professional athletes?

15. Criticisms of Behavioralism
Deemphasizes the role of internal thoughts and feelings in behavior; Presents humans as lacking free will
Ignores biological predispositions

16. Support for Criticisms
1. Experiments with humans and animals both indicate that biological predispositions influence conditioning.
a. Animal training
b. Human societies built on behavioralist principles.

17. Support for Criticisms
2. Cognition seems to influence conditioning (alcoholics and nausea-producing drug).
3. Learning occurs in the absence of rewards or punishments (this is called latent learning)
- mice and cognitive maps

18. Observational Learning
Also known as modeling.
Albert Bandura – Bobo doll experiment

19. Modeling Prosocial Behavior – constructive behavior
Antisocial Behavior – unproductive or destruction behavior