Slide 1Thorndike’s Law of EffectB.F. Skinner: The Operant ChamberSkinner’s ideas of reinforcementPositive vs. NegativeExamplesShaping – beyond simple behaviorSkinner’s ideas of punishmentPositive vs. NegativeExamplesSlide 11Slide 12How often should we reinforce?Slide 14Slide 15Operant Conditioning: Associating a response with a consequence Prominent researchers of operant conditioningEdward L. Thorndike (1874-1949) studied cats and mazesB.F. Skinner (1904-1990) used a Skinner box to study animal operant behavior He worked in our psych department!!!Thorndike’s Law of EffectIf a response is followed by a satisfying consequence, it will be strengthened; If followed by an unsatisfying consequence, it will be weakened.B.F. Skinner: The Operant ChamberThe operant chamber, often called “the Skinner box,” allowed detailed tracking of rates of behavior change in response to different rates of reinforcements.Skinner’s ideas of reinforcementSkinner further developed Thorndike’s ideas and suggested that behavior can be reinforcedreinforcement: an event/consequence that increases the likelihood of a specific behaviorreinforcement usually comes after the behaviorPositive vs. NegativePositive = addingNegative = removing Positive reinforcement: an event/consequence that adds something desirable.Negative reinforcement: an event/consequence that takes away/ends something unpleasent.ExamplesPositive reinforcement:Giving yourself a cookie after finishing homeworkKissing your romantic partner when they bring you flowers Giving a child dessert when they eat their vegetablesNegative reinforcement:Stopping the "dinging" noise in your car when you put your seatbelt on Minimizing cold symptoms by drinking vitamin CEnding your mother’s nagging by cleaning your roomShaping – beyond simple behaviorreinforcing successive approximations toward a final responseTrain a dog to sit or heelRewards for getting an ATrain your partner to clean upafter themselvesSkinner’s ideas of punishmentBehavior can also be punishedpunishment: an event/consequence that decreases the likelihood of a specific behaviorpunishment comes after the behaviorPositive vs. NegativePositive = addingNegative = removingPositive punishment: an event/consequence that adds something undesirableNegative reinforcement: an event/consequence that takes away/ends something pleasentExamplesPositive punishment:Hitting a pole while textingReceiving a ticket for speedingYour sister whacks you upside the head for getting in her personal space Negative punishment:Your ex always goes to KOK, so you stop goingYou come in late after curfew and your parents take away your car keys Your partner forgets your anniversary, so you refuse to be affectionate toward your partnerIncrease behaviorby adding something desirable Increase behaviorby removing something unpleasentDecrease behaviorby adding something unpleasentDecrease behaviorby removing something desirableReinforcementPunishmentPositive NegativeDiscriminationResponse to a stimulus A vs B GeneralizationResponde to stimuli that are similar to each otherAcquisitionExtinctionLearned behavior dissapears because of lack of reinforcementSpontaneous RecoveryHow often should we reinforce?B.F. Skinner experimented with the effects of giving reinforcements in different patterns or “schedules” to determine what worked best to establish and maintain a target behavior.In continuous reinforcement (giving a reward after the target every single time), the subject acquires the desired behavior quickly.In partial/intermittent reinforcement (giving rewards part of the time), the target behavior takes longer to be acquired/established but persists longer without reward.Fixed interval schedule: reinforcement after fixed amount of timeVariable interval schedule: reinforcement after a changing/random amount of time passes Based on Time:IntervalFixed ratio schedule: reinforcement after fixed number of responsesVariable ratio schedule: reinforcement after a randomly chosen instance of the target behaviorBased on response: RatioDifferent Schedules of ReinforcementWhich Schedule of Reinforcement is This?Ratio or Interval?Fixed or Variable?1. Rat gets food every third time it presses the lever2. Getting paid weekly no matter how much work is done3. Getting paid for every ten boxes you make4. Hitting a jackpot sometimes on the slot machine5. Buy eight pizzas, get the next one free6. No matter how often you check your phone for texts, sometimes you have one and sometimes you don’t7. Kid has tantrum, parents sometimes give