1. Operant Conditioning What is Operant Conditioning?
Who are the leading scholars?
What is a reinforcement v. punishment?
What are the schedules of reinforcement?

2. How did you learn to learn?
Have you ever been grounded before? How long? Did it work?
How do you think schools get you to learn?
Why do people break laws?
Have you ever cheated before? Why?
Knowing that there is no way to win at a casino why do you think people still gamble?

3. Operant Conditioning
Learning that occurs when the participant must make a response to produce a change in the environment.

4. Introduced the “Law of Effect”
Edward Thorndike ( )
Introduced the “Law of Effect”
Behaviors with favorable consequences will occur more frequently.
Behaviors with unfavorable consequences will occur less frequently.
Developed into Operant Conditioning
Created puzzle boxes for research on cats

5. Thorndike’s Puzzle Box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDujDOLre-8

6. Operant Conditioning
A type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior
The frequency will if the consequence is reinforcing to the subject.
The frequency will if the consequence is not reinforcing to the subject.

7. B.F. Skinner ( )
Developed the fundamental principles and techniques of operant conditioning.
Devised ways to apply these principles in the real world.
Designed the Skinner
Box.

8. Reinforcement v Punishment
Reinforcement - Any
consequence that increases
the likelihood of the
behavior to be repeated.
Punishment - Any consequence
that decreases the likelihood
of the behavior to be repeated.

9. Reinforcement A. Types of Reinforcement

10. 1. Positive Reinforcement
Anything that increases the likelihood of a behavior by following it with a desirable event or state
The subject receives something they want
Will strengthen the behavior

11. Positive Reinforcement

12. Operant Conditioning Activity: Positive Reinforcement
Get in groups of three. Choose who will be the recorder, the experimenter, and the subject.
Subjects please leave the room for a moment.
Directions……

13. 2. Negative Reinforcement
Anything that increases the likelihood of a behavior by following it with the removal of an undesirable event or state
Something the subject doesn’t like is removed X X OR
Will strengthen
the behavior (Definition of Reinforcement)

14. Negative Reinforcement

15. Positive/Negative Reinforcement
A. What is a the difference?
B. Give an example of each.
C. Which do you think is more effective?

16. Ways of Reinforcement:
Primary
Secondary

17. Primary Reinforcement
Something that is naturally reinforcing
Examples: food, warmth, water, etc.
The item is reinforcing in and of itself

18. Secondary Reinforcement
Something that a person has learned to value or finds rewarding because it is paired with a primary reinforce
Money is a good example
Cooking utensil

20. What is Shaping?
Step by step reinforcement of behaviors that are more and more similar to the one you want to occur.
(Progress Reports, etc)
Technique used to
establish a new
behavior

21. Question: How many of you live within 5-7 miles of the school?
Why did you raise your hand? I didn’t ask you to…
Connect raising your hand to operant conditioning…

22. Ways of Reinforcement Immediate v Delayed

23. Immediate/Delayed Reinforcement
Immediate reinforcement is more effective than delayed reinforcement
Ability to delay gratification predicts higher achievement

24. Ways of Reinforcement Continuous Reinforcement

25. Continuous reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response
Most useful way to establish a behavior
The behavior will extinguish quickly once the reinforcement stops.

26. Schedules of …. Reinforcement: Partial Reinforcement

27. Partial Reinforcement
A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows only some correct responses
Includes the following types:
Fixed-interval and variable interval
Fixed-ratio and variable-ratio

28. Fixed- Interval Schedule
A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period of time
i.e. weekly quiz in a class

29. Variable-Interval Schedule
A partial reinforcement that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of time
i.e. “pop” quiz in a class

30. Fixed-Ratio Schedule
A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards a response only after some defined number of correct responses (attempts)
The faster the subject responds, the more reinforcements they will receive.

31. Variable-Ratio Schedule
A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards an unpredictable number of correct responses (attempts)
This schedule is very resistant
to extinction.
Sometimes called the “gambler’s schedule”; similar to a slot machine

32. Schedules of Reinforcement

33. Punishment: The Process of Punishment
Decrease a behavior from happening again by following it with a negative consequence

34. Types of Punishment
(1) An undesirable event following a behavior
(2) A desirable state or event ends following a behavior

35. Problems with Punishment….

36. Negative Effects of Punishment
Doesn’t prevent the undesirable behavior when away from the punisher
Can lead to fear, anxiety, and lower self-esteem
Children who are punished physically may learn to use aggression as a means to solve problems.

37. Positive Effects of Punishment
Punishment can effectively control certain behaviors.
Especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior
Most still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment

38. The Role of Cognition: New Understandings of Operant Conditioning

39. Latent Learning
Learning that takes place in absence of an apparent reward

40. Cognitive Map A mental representation of a place
Experiments showed rats could learn a maze without any reinforcements
PsychSim: Operant Conditioning

41. Over justification Effect
The effect of promising a reward for doing what someone already likes to do
The reward may lessen and replace the person’s original, natural motivation, so that the behavior stops if the reward is eliminated

42. Operant Conditioning Computer Lab & Activities
PsychSim Operant Conditioning Maze Lab

43. Apply Operant Condition
How can an individual’s use of alcohol or other drugs be explained as positive or negative reinforcements? Include terms such as primary or Secondary and schedule of reinforcements.
How could a high school student use the principles of operant conditioning their parents to set a later curfew? Consider the effectiveness of positive reinforcement, shaping, and the use of schedule reinforcements in your answer.

44. Review of Operant Conditioning
1. If you were doing a crossword puzzle on the subject of behavior modification and were asked for a synonym for negative reinforcement, what word would you select?
2. When you supply negative reinforcement, it usually results in:
A. Weakening a behavior that you wanted weakened.
B. Strengthening a behavior you wanted strengthen

45. 3. Do people usually look forward to receiving negative reinforcement
3. Do people usually look forward to receiving negative reinforcement? (Yes or No)
4. Do you anticipate regularly supplying positive reinforcement to those you might manage in the future? How so?
5. Do you anticipate regularly supplying negative reinforcement to those you might manage in the future? How so?

46. Consequence Matrix Type of Stimulus Supply a Stimulus
Remove a Stimulus
Desirable
(Appetitive)
Undesirable
(Aversive)

47. Consequence Matrix Type of Stimulus Supply a Stimulus
Remove a Stimulus
Desirable
(Appetitive)
Positive reinforcement
Time out
(this results in a weakened behavior)
Undesirable
(Aversive)
Punishment
Negative Reinforcement

48. Review of Schedules…. What is the gambler’s schedule?
If you were to get paid on the 15th of every month, what type of reinforcement schedule are you on?
If I paid you 5$ for every 4 hours that you worked, what type of reinforcement schedule are you on?
If you work you will get paid sometime that week.

49. The End