OPERANT CONDITIONING

OPERANT CONDITIONING

1. Operant Conditioning is a form of learning for which the likelihood of a particular response occurring is determined by the consequences of that response. Also known as instrumental conditioning.

   • 3-PHASE MODEL
     • ANTECEDENT (DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULIS)
       • Events that precede behaviour. Cue and motivation to perform behaviour
     • BEHAVIOUR (RESPONSE)
       • The way in which an animal or person behaves in response to a particular situation or stimulus.
     • CONSEQUENCE
       • A result or effect
       • SATISFYING / DESIRABLE
         • Positive Reinforcement - Giving something good. E.g. Getting money for washing the dishes
           • Negative Reinforcement - Taking away something bad. E.g. Having your chores taken away for a week for getting a good grade on a SAC
             • Strengthens behaviour. Learner more likely to repeat this behaviour
         • UNSATISFYING / UNDESIRABLE
           • Punishment - Giving something bad. E.g. Getting scolded for coming home past curfew
             • Response Cost - Taking away something good / valuable. E.g. Having your phone taken off you for disobeying your parents
               • Weakens behaviour. Learner less likely to repeat behaviour
       • FACTORS AFFECTING EFFICIENCIES
         • Order - Reinforcement or punishment needs to occur after response, not before.
         • Timing - Reinforcement or punishment needs to occur as close in time to the desired response as possible.
         • Appropriateness - For a stimulus to be a reinforcer (or punishment), it must provide a pleasing (or unpleasant) consequence for its recipient
       • SCHEDULE OF DELIVERY
         • Continuous - Reinforcing every correct response after it occurs. Good for acquisition
         • Partial - reinforcing some correct responses but not all of them. Good for maintaining conditioned response
           • FIXED
             • Fixed Interval - Reinforcement is given AFTER a set/fixed period of time following a correct response
               • Fixed Ratio - Reinforcement is given AFTER a set number of correct responses
                 • Example: An apple picker gets paid $25 for every two buckets of apple filled
               • Example: Giving yourself a break for every hour you study
           • VARIABLE
             • Variable Interval - Reinforcement is given RANDOMLY AFTER and AVERAGE period of time following a correct response
               • Variable Ratio - Reinforcement is given RANDOMLY AFTER an AVERAGE number of correct responses
                 • Example: A dog receiving a reward on average for every second response of sitting up when commanded to 'sit'
               • Example: Receiving pocket money every two weeks on average for doing chores
   • KEY PROCESSES
     • Acquisition - The establishment of a response through reinforcement
     • Stimulus Generalisation - Occurs when the correct response is made to another stimulus which is similar to the original stimulus for which reinforcement is obtained
     • Extinction - The gradual decrease in the strength or rate of responding after a period of non-reinforcement. Occurs after the termination of reinforcement
     • Stimulus Discrimination - Organism makes response to a stimulus for which reinforcement is obtained but not for any other similar stimulus
     • Spontaneous Recovery - After a rest period, the response is shown again in the absence of reinforcement