Slide 1Operant ConditioningClassical vs. OperantLaw of EffectTerminologyPunishmentPunishmentMore TerminologySchedules of ReinforcementSchedules of ReinforcementSchedules of ReinforcementApplicationsOperant Conditioning in TherapyClassical + OperantChapter 6: LearningOperant ConditioningOperant ConditioningLearning controlled by the consequences of the organism’s behaviorThe organism’s behavior is shaped by what comes after itAlso known as instrumental conditioningClassical vs. OperantIn classical conditioning, the organism’s response is elicited•In operant conditioning, the organism’s response is emitted—generated by the organism in a seemingly voluntary fashionIn classical conditioning, the animal’s reward is independent of what it does•In operant conditioning, the animal’s reward is dependent on what it doesIn classical conditioning, the organism’s responses depend primarily on the autonomic nervous system•In operant conditioning, the organism’s responses depend primarily on the skeletal musclesLaw of EffectForms the basis of much of operant conditioningSays that if a response, in the presence of a stimulus, is followed by a satisfying state of affairs, the bond between stimulus and response will be strengthenedS-R PsychologyTerminologyReinforcement: any outcome that strengthens the probability of a response•Can be positive or negativePunishment: any outcome that weakens the probability of a response•Can be positive or negativePositive: administering a stimulusNegative: taking away a stimulusPunishmentAccording to Skinner and others, punishment has several disadvantages:1. Punishment tells the organism only what not to do, not what to do2. Punishment often creates anxiety, which can interfere with future learningPunishment3. Punishment may encourage subversive behavior, prompting people to become sneakier about the situations in which they can and can’t display forbidden behavior4. Punishment from parents may provide a model for children’s aggressive behaviorPunishment works best when it is delivered consistently and follows the undesired behavior promptlyMore TerminologyDiscriminative stimulus: any stimulus that signals the presence of reinforcementIn operant conditioning, extinction occurs when we stop delivering reinforcers following a previously reinforced behavior•Extinction BurstStimulus Discrimination: ability to tell the difference between two different types of stimuliSchedules of ReinforcementThere are four major schedules of reinforcementThe main reinforcement schedules vary along two dimensions:1. Consistency of administering reinforcement—fixed vs. variable2. Basis of administering reinforcement—interval vs. ratioSchedules of ReinforcementFixed Ratio: provide reinforcement after a regular number of responsesFixed Interval: provide reinforcement for producing the response at least once after a specified amount of time has passedVariable Ratio: provide reinforcement after a specific number of responses on average, with the number varying randomlyVariable Interval: provide reinforcement for producing the response at least once during an average time interval, with the interval varying randomlySchedules of ReinforcementRatio schedules tend to yield higher rates of responding than do interval schedulesVariable schedules tend to yield more consistent rates of responding than do fixed schedulesFixed interval schedules are associated with a “scalloped” pattern of respondingVariable ratio schedules usually yield the highest rates of responding of allApplicationsAnimal Training•Shaping by successive approximationsOvercoming ProcrastinationSuperstitious Behavior•AthletesOperant Conditioning in TherapyToken economies: systems, often set up in psychiatric hospitals, for reinforcing appropriate behaviors and extinguishing inappropriate ones•Target Behaviors•Primary reinforcer: item or outcome that naturally increases the target behavior•Secondary reinforcer: neutral object that becomes associated with a primary reinforcerClassical + OperantBrain imaging studies demonstrate that these two forms of learning are associated with activations in different brain regionsThese two types of conditioning often interactTwo-Process Theory•We need both classical and operant conditioning to explain the persistence of anxiety