Operant conditioning

1. Operant conditioning More on reinforcement and beyond

2. extinction • Occurs when reinforcement stops following the response • If you repeat a previously reinforced behavior but fail to receive reinforcement, eventually you will probably stop performing the action

3. Stimulus generalization • Somewhat similar to classical conditioning • If a certain response/behavior received reinforcement in a certain situation, you are likely to make the same response in a similar situation

4. discrimination • Some responses gain reinforcement, others don’t • As you would expect, those that gain reinforcement will be much more likely to be repeated • We learn to chose or discriminate between the two

5. Discriminative stimuli • Any stimulus that provides an organism with a cue for making a certain response in order to obtain reinforcement • Stop signs • Warm smiles/ eye contact

6. Primary reinforcers these stand alone and, all things being equal, reinforce the behaviors that precede them because of their importance to the organism For example: water, food, and comfort

7. Secondary reinforcers These must first be paired with unconditional reinforcers to prompt increases in behaviors The most obvious example is money, which can help someone secure water, food, etc.

8. Reinforcement schedules • At the most basic level we have two different types of reinforcement schedules: 1) Continuous, in which reinforcement follows every correct response, and 2) Intermittent, in which only some correct responses are followed by reinforcement.

9. Intermittent schedules • Fixed ratio – provide reinforcement after only a fixed number of correct responses • Marked by a steady response rate • If many responses are needed to secure reinforcement, a pause follows reinforcement

10. Variable ratio – reinforcement provided after a variable amount of responses • Marked by steady response rates • Playing slot machines, lotto, and many other types of gambling

11. Fixed interval – reinforcement delivered after a fixed amount of time • Lots of responses right before reinforcement

12. Variable interval – reinforcement delivered after a varyingamount of time • Responses are made at a slow and steady rate • An astronomer looking for comets

13. The allure of intermittent reinforcement • While behaviors continuously reinforced quickly succumb to extinction, • Behaviors which are intermittently reinforced are quite resistant to extinction • Lotto • That unpredictable boyfriend/girlfriend

14. Dollard & miller: beyond skinner • Remember, Skinner was starving those poor pigeons and rats. • Wasn’t he ignoring something? • Dollard and Miller, in the 50’s, thought so.

15. Dollard & miller ii • A four step process: 1) Drive – propels the organism into action, 2) Cue – the guiding stimuli the “how and where” of the response 3) Response – the actual behavior, and 4) Reinforcement – reduces the drive

16. For example: • A long trip on an interstate 1) Drive – eventually, you get hungry 2) Cue – road signs advise of food ahead 3) Response – you get off the highway and pull into the parking lot 4) Reinforcement – you eat, satisfying your hunger

17. Observational learning • Classical conditioning and operant conditioning don’t explain it all • Operant conditioning implies trial and error • Some behaviors are too dangerous to try and then see what happens • We learn from the experiences of others

18. Bandura’s contribution • Albert Bandura realized that Skinner’s framework was not sufficient • He guessed that we learn from watching the behavior of others, not just enduring the consequences of our own

19. imitation • Poor Bobo • If children watched an adult hammer him they were likely to do the same thing • Even repeating the exact words • If the adult spared the doll, all the children did also

20. Vicarious consequences • However, if the children watched the adult being disciplined for pounding the hapless bag of air, they didn’t rough him up • They had somehow vicariously experienced the adult’s punishment and the behavior never emerged

21. Vicarious reinforcement • Powerball winners • Are they hidden? • No, they are celebrated • We share in their triumph • We can’t wait for our chance • How about all those who lost big?

22. Encouraging moral behavior • “Catch them when they are being good”? • If we wait for it to emerge, and then reinforce it, we might wait a long time • Moral behavior rarely occurs spontaneously • So, we teach it through …..

23. modeling • We imitate those we view as: 1) Powerful, 2) Successful, 3) Similar to us, and 4) Warm/Kind.

24. Modeling ii • We find an individual or character who fits these criteria and then we show them displaying the desired quality • It might make an impression