Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

1. Type of learning whereby the consequences of an action determine the likelihood that it will be performed again in the future

2. Reinforcment

   • said to occur when stimulus strengthens or increases the likelihood of a response that follows
   • Positive reinforcement
     • any stimulus that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a desired response by providing a satisfying consequence
   • Negative reinforcement
     • unpleasant stimulus that when removed strengthens or increases the likelihood of a desired response

3. Punishment

   • delivery of an unpleasant consequence following a response, or the removal of a pleasant consequence following a response
   • Positive punishment
     • involves the presentation of a stimulus and thereby decreasing the likelihood of a response occurring again
   • Negative punishment
     • involves the removal or loss of a stimulus and thereby decreasing the likelihood of a response occurring again

4. Acquisition

   • establishment of response through reinforcement

5. Extinction

   • gradual decrease in the rate of learned response following consistent non-reinforcement of response

6. Spontaneous reovery

   • organism will once again show the response in the absence of reinforcement

7. Stimulus generalisation

   • when correct response is made to another stimulus that is similar to stimulus that was present when conditioned response was reinforced

8. Stimulus discrimination

   • when organism makes correct response to a stimulus and is reinforced but does not respond to similar stimuli