Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

1. WEAKNESSES

   • Most therapists feel that if a patient is released into the same situation in which they started the bad habit, e.g. drinking, it is likely that they will start again.
   • Aversion therapy only treats the undesirable behaviour, not the underlying causes of it.
   • Some people may be forced to undergo the therapy against their will, which is morally questionable.
   • Extinction may start to occur as the drug and alcohol aren't always presented together, meaning that the patient may start to drink again in the future.

2. STRENGTHS

   • Howard (2001) tested the effectiveness of aversion therapy with 82 patients who were alcoholic. They were given a ten day programe with a drug which induced nausea with alcohol. It was found that the patients had been classically conditioned.
   • Aversion therapy is ethical as the patients will have given informed consent. Also, the therapy is helping patients in the long run, however they were treated in a bad way. It is both ethical and unethical.

3. Operant conditioning is concerned with voluntary behaviour. Learning is due to the consequences of an action.

4. Skinner studied rats using 'skinner boxes'. Animals were required to press a lever to release food into a tray. The rats soon learned to press the lever.

   • Skinner used the term 'reinforce' to apply to anything that would make the animal repeat the response.
     • Primary reinforcer - biological need e.g. food/water
     • Secondary reinforcer - provides the means to maintain primary reinforcers, e.g. money

5. Positive and negative reinforcers also have a large impact on whether the behaviour is repeated again.

   • Positive reinforcer - something pleasant that is received when the desired behaviour is performed.
   • Negative reinforcer - something that is removed after the desired behaviour is performed, e.g. telling someone you are being bullied.

6. Punishment is also a way of changing behaviour. It involves giving an unpleasant stimulus or taking away a pleasant one, e.g. not getting pocket money.

7. Behaviour shaping is another way that complex behaviours can be learned.

   • At the start, any behaviour that resembles the desired behaviour is reinforced. As the desired behaviour continues to develop, reinforcements become selective until the individual is only rewarded for the exact behaviour.
     • 4) Reward given for eating all vegetables
     • 1) Reward given for child having vegetables on the plate
     • 2) reward given for tasting a piece of broccoli
     • 3) Reward given for eating all broccoli