2.  Organisms learn by associating an action or behavior with a reward or punishment

3.  Behaviorist psychologist who is most famous for his experiments with rat and pigeons  Developed the “Skinner Box” to prove that learning is encouraged through reinforcements

4.  Anything that increases the chances that a behavior will be repeated  Primary Reinforcers: Reinforcers that function due to the biological make-up of an organism

5.  Secondary Reinforcers: Reinforcers that must be learned to acquire their value by being paired with primary reinforcers

6.  Positive Reinforcers: Any reinforcers that increase the frequency of a behavior (food, fun activities, social acceptance)  Negative Reinforcers: Any reinforcers that increase the frequency of a behavior when the reinforcement is removed

7.  Rewards: Increase the frequency of a behavior by “awarding” something pleasing for that behavior (and “A” for hard work in class, a pay raise for a job well done)

8.  Punishments: Aim to decrease the frequency of a behavior when they are applied

9.  Does not teach appropriate, alternate behaviors  Works only when ALWAYS given  Can create anger or hostility  May be imitated as a way of solving problems  Sometimes can be seen as an effective way to get attention

10.  Continuous Reinforcement: The reinforcement of a behavior every time it occurs  This is very effective when you are just learning something new

11.  Partial Reinforcement: A behavior that is NOT reinforced EVERY time  Behaviors tend to last longer

12.  Fixed Ratio: Reinforced after a fixed number of events  (Getting a bonus after fixing 10 cars)  Variable Ratio: Reinforced after a changing number of events  Slot Machine

13.  Fixed Interval: Reinforced after a fixed amount of time has passed  (Getting paid every Friday)  Variable Interval: Reinforced after a changing amount of time  (Unpredictable pop quizzes in class)

14.  Extinction may occur after a repeated performance of a behavior without reinforcement

15.  Shaping: A way of teaching complex behaviors by reinforcing small steps in the right direction  Programmed Learning: Assumes that any task, no matter how complex, could be learned (“teaching machines”)

16.  Discipline: Sometimes doesn’t work to reinforce or punish inappropriate behaviors because this can give attention for bad behavior  Suggests that isolation from others and ignoring a child works best (“Time-Out”)

17.  Albert Bandura  Suggested that we acquire knowledge and skills by observing others  Ex: Media Violence  Ex: Child Abuse Patterns

18.  Preview: Getting a general picture of what is covered in the chapter before really “starting” it  (warm-up activities, Vocab exercises, pre-tests)  Question: Learning is easier when we have goals in mind and there is something particular we want to learn  (Chapter questions, reading guide)

19.  Read: Once you have questions, read the material to find the answers  (Relating to the previous questions will give the reading a sense of purpose and help you to focus on key points)  Reflect: Reflect to be sure you understand the subject matter  (Relate new information to old information, to events in your personal life, or to the lives of others)

20.  Recite: Once you have read the material and have answered your questions, recite the information aloud or silently)  Review: Review the material each day; distributed information is much more effective than “mass learning”