OPERANT CONDITIONING

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.
1. 3-PHASE MODEL
  1. ANTECEDENT (DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULIS)
    1. Events that precede behaviour. Cue and motivation to perform behaviour
  2. BEHAVIOUR (RESPONSE)
    1. The way in which an animal or person behaves in response to a particular situation or stimulus.
  3. CONSEQUENCE
    1. A result or effect
    2. SATISFYING / DESIRABLE
      1. 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
      2. 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
    3. FACTORS AFFECTING EFFICIENCIES
      1. Order - Reinforcement or punishment needs to occur after response, not before.
      2. Timing - Reinforcement or punishment needs to occur as close in time to the desired response as possible.
      3. Appropriateness - For a stimulus to be a reinforcer (or punishment), it must provide a pleasing (or unpleasant) consequence for its recipient
    4. SCHEDULE OF DELIVERY
      1. Continuous - Reinforcing every correct response after it occurs. Good for acquisition
      2. 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 payed $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
2. KEY PROCESSES
  1. Acquisition - The establishment of a response through reinforcement
  2. Stimulus Generalisation - Occurs when the correct response is made to another stimulus which is similar to the original stimulus for which reinforcement is obtained
  3. Extinction - The gradual decrease in the strength or rate of responding after a period of non-reinforcement. Occurs after the termination of reinforcement
  4. Stimulus Discrimination - Organism makes response to a stimulus for which reinforcement is obtained but not for any other similar stimulus
  5. Spontaneous Recovery - After a rest period, the response is shown again in the absence of reinforcement

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OPERANT CONDITIONING

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	Created by Burcu Kocoglu over 8 years ago