1. Believe infants are born with only three instinctive responses
Behaviorist
Believe infants are born with only three instinctive responses
1. Fear Rage Love
All others behaviors are developed during life through learning

3. The Power of Reinforcement
Positive Reinforcement Stimulus presented after a response that increases the probability of that response happening again
Negative Reinforcement Removal of an unpleasant stimulus, contingent on a particular behavior
Every time Madge raises her hand in class she is called on.
She raised her hand 3 time during the first class, 3 times in the second and 4 times during the last class.
A child is allowed to skip a required chore if homework is finished by a certain time.

4. Negative Reinforcement Something unpleasant is removed
Positive Reinforcement
Something pleasant is presented

5. Positive Reinforcement Giving a treat to a dog when it sits
(If this results in an increase in the future behavior of the dog sitting).
Negative Reinforcement
Turning off an annoying song when a child asks their parent and says “Please”
(If this results in an increase in the asking behavior of the child).

6. Watch video
Alfie Kohn vs Dwight Schrute
on Youtube

7. American
1874 – 1949 “Law of Effect”
Interested in animal intelligence – capacity for reasoning
Cat placed in a puzzle box
to see if they could escape by learning to make specific response like pulling a string
or pressing a bar.

9. The Skinner Box An Operant Chamber…The Skinner Box
A testing device programmed to deliver reinforcers and punishers dependent upon an animal’s behavior
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Skinner Box - Lever Press
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11. Tools: Operant Conditioning

The Operant Conditioning paradigm:
SD > Response > Consequence

“SD” is the “discriminative stimulus”

“Response” is the subject’s behavior

“Consequence” is what happens to the
subject after EMITTING the response

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Skinner’s Air Crib
It was designed to make the early childcare more simple (by greatly reducing laundry, diaper rash, cradle cap, etc.), while encouraging the baby to be more confident, mobile, comfortable, healthy and less prone to cry.
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Primary Reinforcers
Reinforcers that have an innate basis because of their biological value to an organism
Food
Sleep
Sex
Air
Water
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15. Secondary Reinforcers
Stimuli that acquire their reinforcing power by their learned association with primary reinforcers
Money
Awards
Praise
Grades
Success
Power
Virtually any stimulus can become a secondary reinforcer
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Premack Principle
The concept that a preferred activity can be used to reinforce a less preferred one
Example: A teacher lets kids run around (preferred activity) to reinforce a less preferred one (sitting still and listening)
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Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement
A reinforcement schedule in which all correct responses are reinforced
Possible Problems:
1. Correct responses can be missed, causing confusion
2. Typically loses its reinforcing quality
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18. Reinforcement Resistant to extinction
Intermittent (or Partial) Reinforcement
A reinforcement schedule in which some, but not all, correct responses are reinforced
Resistant to extinction
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Reinforcement
Extinction In operant conditioning, a process by which a response that has been learned is weakened by the absence or removal of reinforcement
How does this differ from extinction in classical conditioning?
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Extinction
Operant Conditioning
A learned response is weakened by the removal or absence of reinforcement
A. If a child has learned that if it cries it will get a toy, withhold the toy
B. A child cries for attention, simply ignore the child until the crying stops
Classical Conditioning
The CR (dog salivating) is eliminated by repeated presentations of the CS (bell/tone) without the UCS (food)
A reversal of a learned response by withholding the UCS
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Shaping
Technique where responses similar to desired response are reinforced
Example:
Getting a scared child to slide down a high slide
Begin at the bottom, and gradually go higher up the slide with each turn until the child is at the top.
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22. Behavior Modification
Extinguish an undesirable behavior by removing the reinforcer and replace it with a desirable behavior by reinforcement.
Example:
Quit smoking --- chew gum --- save $
It has been used on all sorts of psychological problems -- addictions, neuroses, shyness, autism, even schizophrenia -- and works particularly well with children.
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