1. Operant Conditioning
Module 16

2. Edward Thorndike Law of Effect:
behaviors with favorable consequences will occur more frequently
behaviors with unfavorable consequences will occur less frequently

3. Operant Conditioning
type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior

4. B.F. Skinner
developed principles & techniques of operant conditioning; found ways to apply them in the real world

5. Consequences of Behavior
Reinforcement - consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior it follows
Punishment - consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

6. Think about this . . .
The subject determines if a consequence is reinforcing or punishing so…
What things are reinforcers for you that might not be for other people?
What things are punishments for you that might not be for other people?

7. Punishment & Reinforcement

8. Operant Conditioning Positive + Negative - Reinforcement
(more likely to happen in the future)
something desirable was added
something undesirable was taken away
Punishment
(less likely to happen in the future)
something undesirable was added
something desirable was taken away

9. Punishment
positive punishment
negative punishment

10. Reinforcement
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement

11. Operant Conditioning Examples
The puppy pees on the rug and is punished with a swat of the newspaper.
The toddler gets picked up and comforted for screaming.
You hit the snooze button on your annoying alarm clock.
The window looking into the other monkey's enclosure is shut when the first monkey bites the trainer.
positive punishment
positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
negative punishment

12. Operant Conditioning Examples
"I'm not talking to you after what you did!"
Walking straight through low doorways causes you to bonk your head.
You fake a stomach ache to avoid school.
A child wakes up in the middle of the night crying. The parents let the child sleep in bed with them.
negative punishment
positive punishment
negative reinforcement
positive reinforcement

13. Video Clip Questions What is operant conditioning?
Operant conditioning is based on the works of which two people?
What does the law of effect say?
Does the video clip show reinforcement or punishment?
What was the consequence for behavior in the video clip?
How did that consequence affect behavior?

14. Positive Reinforcement
Your father gives you a credit card at the end of your first year in college because you did so well. As a result, your grades continue to get better in your second year.

15. Positive Reinforcement
A lion in a circus learns to stand up on a chair and jump through a hoop to receive a food treat.

16. Negative Reinforcement
A professor has a policy of exempting students from the final exam if they maintain perfect attendance during the quarter. His students’ attendance increases dramatically.

17. The child has his crayons taken away for fighting with his sister.
Negative Punishment
The child has his crayons taken away for fighting with his sister.

18. Positive Reinforcement
You check the coin return slot on a pay telephone and find a quarter. You find yourself checking other telephones over the next few days.

19. Negative Reinforcement
Your hands are cold so you put your gloves on. In the future, you are more likely to put gloves on when it’s cold.

20. Positive Punishment
Billy likes to campout in the backyard. He camped-out every Friday during the month of June. The last time he camped out, some older kids snuck up to his tent while he was sleeping and threw a bucket of cold water on him. Billy has not camped-out for three weeks.

21. Negative Punishment
"This car isn't getting any closer to Disneyland while you kids are fighting!"

22. Positive Reinforcement
Every time Madge raises her hand in class she is called on. She raised her hand 3 times during the first class, 3 times in the second and 4 times during the last class.

23. Negative Reinforcement
John does not go to the dentist every 6-months for a checkup. Instead, he waits until a tooth really hurts, then goes to the dentist. After two emergency trips to the dentist, John now goes every 6-months.

24. Positive Reinforcement
Shelly is in the grocery store with her dad. As they near the checkout lane, Shelly starts whining for a candy bar but her dad says no. Shelly begins to cry and cries louder when her dad continues to refuse. Her dad responds by grabbing a candy bar and giving it to her. She quickly quiets down and eats her candy bar.

25. Positive Reinforcement
Your cat has learned that he can encourage your presence in the kitchen on Saturday mornings by standing on your chest and meowing (when you are obviously trying to sleep). You decide to get up and feed the cat to shut it up, but the problem only gets worse on subsequent weekends.

26. Negative & Positive Punishment
Robert gets a ticket for driving under the influence that results in a $500 fine and suspension of his driving license.

27. End Class Notes – Fall 2016

28. Problems With Punishment Read pages 309 – 310
Problems With Punishment Read pages 309 – 310. As you read, list negative and positive effects of punishment. Answer the following questions: Why is punishment used so often? What do most psychologists recommend as an effective alternative to punishment ?

29. Negative Effects of Punishment
doesn’t prevent 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 to solve problems

30. Positive Effects of Punishment
can effectively control certain behaviors: especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior
(most psychologists still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment)

31. Discrimination How do we learn to behave differently in response to similar stimuli?

32. Discrimination ability to distinguish between two similar stimuli
respond to one stimuli but not a similar stimuli
example: end of class bell v. fire alarm blares

33. Extinction How do we ever manage to get rid of behaviors we have learned?

34. Extinction
loss of a conditioned behavior occurs when consequences no longer follow it
examples: repeating the same unsuccessful move on a video game, stop flirting with someone who doesn’t respond

35. The Role of Cognition

36. Latent Learning
learning that takes place in absence of an apparent reward
shows that our thinking – not just whether we are reinforced – affects our learning

37. Overjustification Effect
promising a reward for doing what someone already likes to do
reward may lessen & replace the original, natural motivation, so the behavior stops if the reward is eliminated
examples: reading, grades