Psy 217 Pitts Study Guide Learning Module 5 Operant Behavior Reinforcement Extinction Operant Behavior What is operant behavior B C Behavior controlled by its consequences Behavior that occurs and continues to occur or not because it produces some outcome an effect The consequences of the behavior determine the probability of the behavior How is operant behavior different from respondent reflexive behavior Rather than being elicited by a stimulus like respondent operant behavior initially is emitted and then results in some sort of consequence Operant behavior is controlled by its consequences respondent behavior is not What is the key characteristic of operant behavior i e how is operant behavior controlled Operant behavior is controlled by its consequences respondent behavior is not Examples of operant behavior Ask a question Get an answer Tell a joke Others laugh or not Study long and hard Improved test score Smoke cigarettes Nicotine effects perhaps social effects health effects later Decide to go to party Have fun but fail test E L Thorndike puzzle box study studying cats in puzzle boxes Latency to get out of the puzzle box Law of Effect Behaviors actions satisfaction Why was Thorndike s work important Important because It emphasizes the importance of consequences of behavior Discrete Trials procedures Type of procedure thorndike used What were some limitations of Thorndike s procedures Not precise enough Satisfaction is not well defined B F Skinner Conditioning Chambers Rat pressed lever and got food Pigeon put his nose in the right hole Free operant methodology How is this method different than discrete trials procedures Free operant is arbitrary behavior What are some of the advantages of Skinner s free operant methodology Cumulative Records Rate of behavior as a measure of learning behavior change A good measure because increased rate means that acquisition has occurred Know how to read cumulative records Slash marks mean other events More responses the more jumps The steeper the slope the higher the rate A change in the rate of behavior is indicated by a change in the slope When a behavior that previously was effective is no longer effective Operant Conditioning Operant level With operant behavior the presentation or removal of a stimulus is contingent upon behavior i e it is a consequence of the behavior Acquisition Contingency Effects of conditioning Reinforcement Definition what reinforcement is and what it is not 1 Operation arrange contingency 2 Effect increase probability of response 3 Process the contingency caused the effect Positive versus Negative Reinforcement Positive stimulus is presented added probability Negative stimulus is removed subtracted probability decrease Potential examples of each Importance of Reinforcement Extinction Definition Effects of Extinction Resistance to Extinction Application of Extinction to children s nighttime sleeping problems e g Didden et al 1999 MODULE 6 Types of Reinforcers Primary unconditioned Natural reinforcers like sexual contact and food Secondary conditioned Social interaction like good grades Generalized conditioned Money because many other reinforcers linked to it Natural vs Contrived Natural events that follow automatically from the behavior Contrived events that have been arranged by someone usually for the purpose of modifying behavior Variables that Impact the Effectiveness of Reinforcement Consequences Immediacy if it follows immediately it is stronger Frequency usually good but too much can be bad And lead to satiation Contingency refers to the degree of correlation between a behavior and its consequence Size magnitude the larger the stronger Motivating Establishing Operations anything that establishes conditions that improve the effectiveness of a reinforcer Food is more reinforcing if an animal is hungry Premack Principle high probability behavior reinforces low probability Shaping of Operant Behavior Differential Reinforcement some responses are reinforced and others are not Successive Approximations the requirement becomes successively more stringent precise Natural vs Deliberate Deliberate usually systematic often done by teachers coaches and therapists Natural as a result of naturally occurring rather than deliberately arranged contingencies Ex when a parent unwittingly shapes whining Applications of Reinforcement Extinction Substance Abuse Therapy Contingency Management involves establishing reinforcement contingencies to achieve a desired treatment outcome It involves differential reinforcement of abstinence Treatment of infant sleep problems review Didden et al 1999 Nighttime crying was completely ignored If silent through the night then the lady would give a positive attention breakfast If ill parents were instructed to provide minimal care to avoid reinforcement Applications of Deliberate shaping read Reynolds et al 2008 Using a reversal design participants could earn money for continued abstinence during the treatment phases MODULE 7 Continuous vs Intermittent Reinforcement What is continuous reinforcement each instance of the behavior i e each response results in a reinforcer What is intermittent reinforcement typically is involved in the maintenance of behavior over time That is behavior can be maintained almost indefinitely by reinforcing it only every now and then Ratio vs Interval Schedules What are ratio schedules Reinforcement is contingent upon the number of responses Often called work schedules Reinforcement requires a certain amount of work What are interval schedules Time based schedules where the availability of reinforcement is based upon the passage of time Individual must wait for a while until a response will produce a reinforcer How do ratio and interval schedules differ They differ on how often the reinforcer is available Fixed Ratio FR Schedules Definition of FR schedule The number of responses required for reinforcement is the same each time it is fixed Pattern of responding under FR schedules cumulative record The amount of work required for reinforcement is the same each time The work requirement is predictable after enough experience with the schedule the individual learns how much work is required for each reinforcer Break and Run a very reliable characteristic of behavior under FR schedules It shows great generality across different species different reinforcers and different types of responses Post Reinforcement Pause PRP After experience under this schedule the