Edward Thorndike

Edward Thorndike Acquisition of Goal-directed responses. Law of Effect - behavior occurs in a random, trial-and-error fashion. Consequences of a behavior can increase or decrease the future probability of that behavior. 1874-1949

Cat Puzzle Box Escape Time Trials

Law of Effect Responses followed by a satisfying outcome will strengthen the association between the situation and the response. Responses followed by a dissatisfying outcome will weaken the association between the situation and the response.

Operant vs. Classical Operant responses understood by comprehending the consequences they produce vs. Pavlovian responses may have environmental effects, but this is not what controls them

Hampton Court Palace Maze

Discrete-Trial Procedures W. S. Small (1900) – used the maze as a tool to study operant learning in rats. “complex” maze; measures = running speed, latency to reach goal.

T-Maze Food No Food Start

Straight Alley “Maze” Start Food

Operant (Instrumental) ConditioningThe Skinner Box:

2 Stages of training: 1. Magazine training 2. Shaping = reinforcement of successive approximations Lever

Lever

Free-Operant Procedures Discrete-trial procedures provide animal with limited opportunities to respond. Free-operant procedures allow the animal to perform the instrumental response repeatedly without constraint.

Discrete-Trial Operant Procedure Lever Light = Discriminative stimulus (SD)

Partial Reinforcement Interval Ratio Fixed Variable

Schedules of Reinforcement # responses FI scallop Post-reinforcement pause time

Size of post-reinforcement pause determined by response-reinforcement ratio

PREE

Pigeon in a Pelican

Ginger

Reinforcement without awareness • Conditioning in amesics – eyeblink in HM • “Memento” • Radio static study • Subjects told it was an experiment on stress. • Twitching of very small thumb muscle actually terminated the aversive stimulus (harsh noise) • Students condition professor

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Edward Thorndike