Chapter Seven Behavioral Learning Theory Operant Conditioning Overview

Chapter Seven Behavioral Learning Theory: Operant Conditioning

Overview • Operant conditioning • Educational applications of operant conditioning principles • Using computer-assisted instruction in your classroom Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 2

Operant Conditioning • Theorist – B. F. Skinner • Basic assumption – Voluntary responses are strengthened or weakened as a result of their consequences • Original research – Rats in Skinner boxes Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3

Operant Conditioning Concepts • Positive reinforcement – Strengthening (increasing) a behavior by presenting a positive stimulus immediately after the behavior has occurred • Negative reinforcement – Strengthening (increasing) a behavior by removing a negative stimulus immediately after the behavior has occurred Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 4

Operant Conditioning Concepts • Presentation punishment (Type I) – Weakening (decreasing) a behavior by presenting an aversive stimulus immediately after the behavior has occurred • Removal punishment (Type II, time-out) – Weakening (decreasing) a behavior by removing a positive stimulus immediately after the behavior has occurred Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 5

Operant Conditioning Concepts • Extinction – When a previously reinforced behavior decreases in frequency and eventually ceases altogether because reinforcement is withheld • Spontaneous recovery – When an extinguished behavior reappears without having been reinforced Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 6

Operant Conditioning Concepts • Generalization – When an individual learns to make a particular response to a particular stimulus and then makes the same or a similar response in a slightly different situation • Discrimination – When an individual learns to notice the unique aspects of seemingly similar situations and thus different ways of responding Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 7

Operant Conditioning Concepts • Shaping – Reducing complex behaviors into several more simple behaviors – Reinforcing successive approximations to the complex behavior Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 8

Schedules of Reinforcement • Fixed interval schedule – Reinforcement occurs after a specific amount of time • Variable interval schedule – Reinforcement occurs after a random amount of time • Fixed ratio schedule – Reinforcement occurs after a specific number of responses • Variable ratio schedule – Reinforcement occurs after a random number of responses Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 9

Educational Applications of Operant Conditioning Principles • Programmed instruction • Computer-based instruction (CBI) – Drill-and-practice programs – Simulation programs – Tutorial programs • Integrated learning systems (ILS) Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 10

Educational Applications of Operant Conditioning Principles • Behavior modification – Shaping – Token economies – Contingency contracts – Extinction, time-out, and response cost – Punishment Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 11

Steps in Shaping • • Select the target behavior. Obtain realistic baseline data. Select potential reinforcers. Reinforce successive approximations for the target behavior each time they occur. • Reinforce the newly established target behavior each time it occurs. • Reinforce the target behavior on a variable reinforcement schedule. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 12

Criticisms of Behavior Modification • Many students will eventually catch on to the fact that they get reinforced only when they do what the teacher wants them to do. • Behavior modification methods, because of their potential power, may lend themselves to inappropriate or even unethical uses. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 13

Major Types of CBI Programs (Grabe & Grabe, 2004) Type of Program Purpose Drill and Practice knowledge and skills learned earlier to produce fast and accurate responses Tutorial Teach new information (e. g. , facts, definitions, concepts) and skills Probems-Solving Programs: Simulations and Games Teach new information and skills and provide an opportunity to apply what was learned in a meaningful context that would otherwise be unavailable because of cost, physical danger, and time constraints Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 14