operant conditioning

operant conditioning

1. Operant (instrumental) conditioning

   • form of associative learning whereby behaviour is modified based on it's consequence 
   • Operant: organisms are learning by OPERATING on the enviornment
   • Law of Effect
     • Behaviours leading to rewards are more likely to occur again, while behaviours producing unpleasantness are less likely to occur again. 
     • Edward Thorndike
       • -Created the "puzzle Box" for a cat.  -Stepping on the pedal was instrumental to receiving the reward (food and freedom)
       • B.F. Skinner
         • -Expanded on Thorndike's law of effect -Behaviours that are followed by favourable consequences are likely to be repeated 
         • Great deal of human behaviour is influenced by reinforcement
         • Reinforcement
           • An experience that produces an increase in a certain behaviour
           • Positive Reinforcement
             • Presentation (ADDITION) of a pleasant consequence following a behaviour to increase the probability of it happening again
             • ex. giving dogs a treat for good behaviour
           • Negative Reinforcement
             • Removal of an unpleasant stimulus after a response to increase the probability of it happening again
             • ex. Car stops beeping (removal of unpleasant sound) to increase the behaviour of putting on your seatbelt 
           • Types of reinforcers
             • Primary
               • A stimulus that has survival value and is therefore instrinsically rewarding EX. food, water, sleep 
             • Secondary
               • A neutral stimulus that becomes rewarding when associated with primary reinforcer ex. Grades, money, praise 
           • Schedules
             • Continious
               • Reinforcement for every occurence of the behaviour 
             • Partial
               • Occasional or intermittent reinforcement
             • Interval Schedules
               • Fixed-Interval
               • Variable-Interval
         • Punishment
           • Decreases the likelihood a response will occur again 
           • Positive Punishment
             • Presentation of an unpleasant consequence following a specific behaviour to decrease the probability of it happening again 
             • EX. Cutting herbs without looking an cutting hand, texting while driving and crashing into someone 
           • Negative punishment
             • removal of a pleasant stimulus as a consequence of a behaviour to decrease the probability of the behaviour being repeated 
             • Ex. Taking away your phone for being rude, Taking away car keys for coming home past curfew
           • Types of punishers
             • Primary
               • A stimulus that is naturally aversive to an organism -are usually associated with pain or discomfort
               • ex. slapping, hitting, exposure to extreme temperature
             • Secondary
               • -Stimulus that become aversive when paired with primary punisher -they are learned and culutre bound
               • ex. bad grades, disapproval 

2. Taste Aversions

   • Involves learning an association between a particular food and a subsequent stomach illness EX. fresh mint or captain morgans