1. Operant Conditioning I

2. Priscilla the Fastidious Pig

3. Thorndike and Law of Effect
Rewarded behavior is likely to occur

4. B. F. Skinner
“Operant conditioning shapes behavior as a sculptor shapes a lump of clay”
It’s all a matter of consequences

5. Operant Conditioning
Learning where responses come to be controlled by their consequences
Classical conditioning = regulating reflexive, involuntary responses
Operant conditioning = voluntary responses

6. Skinner = Pigeons

7. What the what!? How did he do that?
Shaping and reinforcement
Shaping – operant technique, reward for closer and closer approximation of desired response

8. Skinner says…
Organisms tend to repeat responses that are followed by favorable consequences
Understood best through idea of reinforcement – response is strengthened because it leads to rewarding consequences
Defined AFTER THE FACT

9. Tendency to patronize Chipotle increases
Rewarding stimulus presented:
Most delicious meal you will ever have… ever
Response:
Go to Chipotle for a meal
REINFORCEMENT IN OPERANT CONDITIONING
Tendency to tell jokes increases
Response: Tell jokes
Rewarding stimulus presented: Friends laugh

10. Primary vs. Secondary Reinforcers

11. Generalization vs. Discrimination
Which is which?
Kids only ask parents for sweets when they know the parents are in a good mood.
A cat runs into the kitchen whenever a can opener is being utilized

12. Basic Processes in Classical and Operant Conditioning
VS.
Acquisition, Extinction, Stimulus Generalization, Stimulus Discrimination

13. Operant Conditioning II

14. Fixed-ratio schedule A rat is reinforced for every tenth lever press
A salesperson receives a bonus for every fourth gym membership sold

15. Variable-ratio schedule
A slot machine in a casino pays off once every six tries on the average.
The number of winning responses between payoffs varies greatly from one time to the next.

16. Fixed-interval schedule
A man washing his clothes periodically check to see whether each load is finished
The reward (clean clothes) is available only after a fixed time interval
The man who checks his laundry before it is completed in the cycle does not receive reinforcement of clean clothes… because they’re not done yet

17. Variable-interval schedule
Person wants to win a radio contest, so calls the station and gets a busy signal
Getting through to the DJ is the reinforcer
A rat is reinforced for the first lever press after a 1 minute interval, but the following intervals are 3 min, 2 min, and 4 min (average of 2 min)

18. Conclusion:
Faster responding leads to reinforcement sooner when ratio is in effect
Variable schedules tend to generate steadier response rates
Greater resistance to extinction

19. Operant Conditioning II

20. Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement
Study hint – THEY BOTH HAVE THE WORD REINFORCEMENT IN IT – so it has to REINFORCE the behavior either way

21. Positive reinforcement: response is strengthened because it is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus
Ex: good grades, tasty meals, paychecks, scholarship, promotions, nice clothes, attention, flattery

22. Negative Reinforcement: occurs when a response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus
ex: you rush home in winter to get out of the cold, you clean a house to get rid of a mess, you give in to an argument to avoid an unpleasant situation

23. REINFORCEMENT IS REINFORCEMENT
Both positive and negative reinforcement involve a favorable outcome that STRENGTHENS
a response tendency

24. Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement in a Skinner Box
Behavior
Consequence
Rewarding stimulus presented: food delivered
Response: Press lever +
Tendency to press lever increases
Aversive Stimulus removed: shock turned off
Response: Press lever
Tendency to press lever increases -

25. Negative reinforcement applications
1. Escape learning: organism acquires a response that decreases or ends some aversive stimulation
Ex: you leave a party where you were getting picked on by peers

26. 2. Avoidance learning: organism acquires a response that prevents some aversive stimulation from occurring
Ex: you quit going to parties because of your concern about being picked on

27. How does avoidance learning present an example of how classical conditioning and operant conditioning work together to regulate behavior?
Ex: Rat, shuttle box, shock

28. Punishment: Consequences that weaken responses
Punishment: occurs when event following a response weakens the tendency to make that response
Super easy to mix-up
How is this different from negative reinforcement?

29. Punishment examples:
If you wear a new outfit and your classmates make fun of it, your behavior will have been punished and your tendency to wear the same clothing will probably decline.
2) If you have a bad meal and a restaurant, your response will have been punished, and you will be less likely to go to the restaurant again.