1. Mr. Koch Psychology Andover High School
Operant Conditioning
Mr. Koch
Psychology
Andover High School

2. Operant Conditioning
Strengthening of a stimulus-response by following the response with a reinforcement
Antecedent: call to action
Behavior: response – correct or incorrect
Consequence: reinforcement or punishment (or ignored)
Conscious behavior
Behavior controlled by consequences
Measurable and scientific
Law of Effect (Thorndike)
Principle that behaviors followed by:
Favorable consequences → more likely
Unfavorable consequences → less likely

3. Operant Conditioning

5. Operant Conditioning Positive Reinforcement Negative Reinforcement
Increases the frequency of a behavior by adding something desirable
reward
Ex: food, praise, money, awards
Negative Reinforcement
Increases behavior by removing something unpleasant (discomfort, fear, social disapproval, etc)
“reverse reward”
Ex: don’t have to do the dishes all week if you get an A

6. Operant Conditioning Shaping
Reinforcing a series of behaviors which progressively become more specific and similar to desired response
(guide with successive approximations toward desired goal)

7. Operant Conditioning Primary Reinforcers Secondary Reinforcers
Associated with needs
Not learned
Ex: food, clothing, shelter
Secondary Reinforcers
Associated with something that satisfies a need
Is learned
Ex: $$$, grades, tokens

8. Operant Conditioning Punishment (Positive/Negative) Important:
Consequence that decreases the rate of a behavior
Important:
What is reinforcing to one is NOT necessarily to another
Ex: Suspension after skipping school = more days off vs. fear of suspension
Increases attendance for some, not for others
Ex: Student forced to stay after school = punishment for some vs. now getting teacher’s full attention (positive)

9. Punishment B.F. Skinner’s views on Punishment:
Tells us what NOT to do…
doesn’t tell us what to do
Teaches us avoidance
May cause undesirable side effects:
Fear
Aggression
If punishment is unpredictable and unavoidable, we develop sense that events are beyond our control
Leads to:
Depression
Helplessness

10. Punishment INSTEAD: Emphasize reinforcement
Catch us doing something right and affirm it

11. Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement
Reinforcing desired response every time it occurs
+ acquire quickly
- extinct quickly
Partial (intermittent) Reinforcement
Reinforcing part of the time
- acquire slower
+ extinct slower

12. Operant Conditioning (Schedules of Reinforcement)
Fixed Interval
based on time
Reinforced after a set time period
Ex: bell ringing after class
Ex: quizzes every Friday
Variable Interval
Based on time
Reinforced randomly at different times
Resistant to extinction
Ex: pop quizzes

13. Operant Conditioning (Schedules of Reinforcement)
Fixed Ratio
Based on responses (behaviors)
After set # of correct responses
Easy to extinguish behavior
Ex: piecework in factories, dog treat every 3rd time trick is performed
Variable Ratio
Reinforce behavior after random number of correct responses
Very resistant to extinction (can be addictive)
Ex: Gambling, fishing