1. Operant Conditioning
Chapter 6

2. Definition
Learning a behavior is strengthened if followed by reinforcement or diminished if followed by punishment
Classical conditioning involves respondent behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus.
Operant conditioning involves operant behavior, a behavior that operates on the environment producing rewarding or punishing stimuli

3. Operant Conditioning

4. Law of Effect Edward L. Thorndike
behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely
behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely

5. Early Operant Conditioning
Thorndike’s Box used on cats
Scratch at bars
Push at ceiling
Dig at floor
Situation:
stimuli
inside of
puzzle box
Howl
Etc.
Press lever
First Trial
in Box
After Many
Trials in Box

7. B.F. Skinner
Operant chamber or Skinner box comes with a bar or key that an animal manipulates to obtain a food or water reinforcer
It is connected to devices that record the animal’s responses.
Using Thorndike's law of effect as a starting point Skinner developed the Operant chamber or the Skinner box to study operant conditioning.

8. B.F. Skinner
Shaping: Reinforcing small steps toward more complex behavior
Discriminative Stimulus: signals availability of reinforcement or punishment (light, sound, parent)

9. Skinner Box

10. Extending Skinner’s Understanding Cognition and Operant Conditioning
Intrinsic Motivation
Internal
behavior for its own sake
Extrinsic Motivation
External
The desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishments

11. Extending Skinner’s Understanding Biological Predispositions
Biological constraints predispose organisms to learn associations that are naturally adaptive

12. Skinner’s Legacy Applications of Operant Conditioning
At school
Grades, college, graduation
In sports
Winning, skill development, belonging
At home
Love, money, belonging
For self-improvement

13. Discussion
What are the similarities between classical and operant conditioning?
What are the differences between classical and operant conditioning?

14. Operant vs. Classical Conditioning

15. Processes in Operant Conditioning
Acquisition: Initial stages of learning through reinforcement
Extinction: The gradual weakening and disappearance of a response tendency because the response is no longer followed by a reinforcer
Generalization: When responding increases in the presence of new stimuli that resembles the original discriminative stimulus
Discrimination: When responding does not increase in the presence of a new stimulus that resembles the original discriminative stimulus

16. Reinforcement: consequences that strengthen responses
Positive Reinforcement: A response is strengthened because it is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus
Negative Reinforcement: A response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus (buzzer for seat belt)
Conditioned Reinforcement
Primary Reinforcers: Inherently reinforcing satisfy biological needs (food, water, shelter)
Secondary Reinforcers: Acquire reinforcing qualities by being associated with primary reinforcers (money, stickers, praise)

17. Exchanging reinforcers
Tokens Systems
Given tokens for good behavior or compliance with those in charge
Exchanged for Primary reinforcers

18. Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous: Reinforce every time
fastest, but quickest to extinction)
ATM
Grades for completing assignments

19. Fixed Ratio (FR)
Fixed Ratio: Reinforcer is given after a fixed number of non-reinforced responses
reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses
faster you respond the more rewards you get
Very high rate of responding
Commission Pay
Getting a bonus for every 5 cars sold.

20. Fixed Interval (FI)
Fixed Interval: Reinforcer is given for the first response that occurs after a fixed time interval has elapsed
reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed
response occurs more frequently as the anticipated time for reward draws near
Paycheck every Friday

21. Variable Ratio (VR)
Variable Ratio: Reinforcer after a variable number of non-reinforced responses
very hard to extinguish because of unpredictability
like gambling, fishing
Bingo

22. Variable Interval (VI)
Variable Interval: Reinforcer is given for the first response after a variable time interval has elapsed
reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals
produces slow steady responding
Pop quiz

23. Schedules of Reinforcement

24. Punishment Punishment can result in unwanted fears.
Although there may be some justification for occasional punishment (Larzelaere & Baumrind, 2002), it usually leads to negative effects.
Punishment can result in unwanted fears.
Conveys no information to the organism.
Justifies pain to others.
Unwanted behaviors reappear in its absence.
Aggression towards the agent.
One unwanted behavior appears in place of another.

25. Punishment