1. Chapter 6 Introduction to Operant Conditioning

2.  What is it?  How does it differ from Classical Conditioning?  Major concepts –Operant Behaviors – behaviors that are influenced by their consequences –Operant Conditioning – the effects of those consequences on behavior

3. Historical Background  Edwin L. Thorndike, 1898 –Interest in animal intelligence –Believed in systematic investigation –Formulated the Law of Effect:  Behaviors that lead to a satisfactory state of affairs are strengthened or “stamped in”  Behaviors that lead to an unsatisfactory or annoying state of affairs are weakened or “stamped out”

4. Skinner  Learning by consequences –Skinner box allowed new ways to learn  “free operant” vs. maze  Rat freely controls its response rate unlike in the maze where experimenter has to “start” the rat  The nature of behavior – Skinner’s view changed –Reflexes no longer enough – 2 classes of behavior  Respondent behavior – involuntary, reflexive  Operant behavior – voluntary, consequence based –Operant Conditioning is A type of conditioning in which the future probability of a behavior is affected by its consequences

5. Operant Behavior  A class of emitted responses that result in certain consequences; these consequences, in turn, affect the future probability of strength of those responses. –“emit” implies voluntary rather than reflexive –Operant behavior is defined as a “class of responses” – why is this useful?

6. What is a reinforcer?  To be a reinforcer, a stimulus has to do two things: –Follow a behavior –Increase the future probability of that behavior

7. What is a punisher?  To be a punisher, a behavior must do two things: –Follow a behavior –Decrease the future probability of that behavior

8. These terms are defined FUNCTIONALLY!! This is one of the most important aspects of Operant Conditioning to understand!

9. Operant Antecedents  Discriminitive Stimulus –A stimulus in the presence of which responses are reinforced (or punished) and in the absence of which they are not reinforced (or punished) –In other words, a discriminitive stimulus is a signal that indicates that a response will be followed by a reinforcer (or punisher) –Think of some examples!

10. Four types of Contingencies  Reinforcement –Positive  + (presentation/add) –Something liked  Increases R –Negative  - (removal/subtract) –Something disliked  Increases R  Punishment –Positive  + (presentation/add) –Something disliked  Decreases R –Negative  - (removal/subtract) –Something liked  Decreases R

11. Let’s think of some examples of both!

12. Positive Reinforcement Further Distinctions  Immediate vs. Delayed Reinforcement –The more immediate the reinforcer, the stronger its effect on behavior  Primary and Secondary Reinforcers –Primary reinforcers are innately reinforcing –Secondary reinforcers are learned by being associated with some other reinforcer  Intrinsic and Extrinsic Reinforcement –Intrinsic – performing the behavior is reinforcing –Extrinsic – reinforcement comes from a consequence external to the behavior

13. How do we learn complex behaviors?  Here’s a problem: – If you can’t reinforce a behavior until it occurs, how can you teach a complex behavior using operant conditioning???

14. Answer: You must use shaping!  Shaping is a gradual creation of a new operant behavior through reinforcment of successive approximations to that behavior (which means behaviors that get closer and closer to the goal behavior)

15. Let’s think of some examples!