Operant conditioning Zimbardo P G Johnson R L

Operant conditioning Zimbardo, P. G. & Johnson, R. L. & Mc. Cann, V. (2009). Learning and human nurture. In S. Frail (Ed. ) Psychology: Core Concepts (pp. 91 -114). (6 th ed. ) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. www. lrjj. cn

Operant conditioning • Voluntary (not just reflexes = CC) • Reward and punishments • Consequences of behavior encourage or discourage behavior • Consequences = reward or punishment • More important than classical conditioning www. lrjj. cn

Behaviorism • Skinner - consequences • Thorndike – law of effect Ø dog in a box • Skinner uses law of effect but gets rid of ‘the mind’ = Radical behaviorism www. lrjj. cn

Reinforcement • Try to reinforce the behavior; you want the behavior to happen again, to be repeated: Ø Positive reinforcement Ø Negative reinforcement www. lrjj. cn

Positive Reinforcement • Positive reinforcer follows and strengthens a response Ø food, money, sex Ø smile, praise • Positive reinforcement behavior will happen again www. lrjj. cn

Negative Reinforcement • Negative reinforcer is taken away and strengthens the response Ø rain Ø noise • Negative reinforcement behavior will happen again • The Skinner box • Big Bang www. lrjj. cn

The Skinner Box or Operant Chamber www. lrjj. cn

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Time and frequency of reinforcements • Crucial • Continuous reinforcement Ø Shaping – The Pony Ø Disadvantages: - Not always a reward for good behavior - Subject could get full • Experiment www. lrjj. cn

Intermittent reinforcement • • • Not rewarding all correct responses Already learned behavior Social reinforcement – ‘Good dog’ Resistance to extinction (2 slotmachines) Schedules of reinforcement Ø Ratio – reinforcement after a certain number of responses Ø Interval – reinforcement after a certain time interval www. lrjj. cn

Time and frequency of intermittent reinforcements 1. 2. 3. 4. Fixed ratio Variable ratio Fixed interval Variable interval www. lrjj. cn

Ratio schedules • Fixed ratio (FR) Ø work faster Ø production Ø disadvantages? • Variable ratio (VR) Ø less predictable, very effective Ø telemarketing Ø slot machines www. lrjj. cn

Interval schedules • Fixed interval (FI) Ø weekly quizzes Ø rats in a lab Ø paycheck (extension of a weekly contract) • Variable interval (VI) Ø random visits boss Ø pop quizzes Ø fishing www. lrjj. cn

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B. F. Skinner • Schedule of reinforcement • Ping Pong www. lrjj. cn

Applied to a work situation • Which of these schedules of reinforcement is useful for what type of job? • Paycheck or supervision? www. lrjj. cn

Primary and secondary reinforcers • Primary reinforcers • Secondary or conditioned reinforcers • How secondary reinforcers can become primary ones. www. lrjj. cn

Biological base in operant conditioning • Biological base of operant conditioning Ø certain reinforcers (junk food) Ø instinctive drift Nature vs. Nurture • Humans and operant conditioning ØToken economies www. lrjj. cn

The Premack Principle • Desirable activities as a reinforcer Ø exercise Ø run around • Experiments Ø thirsty rats Ø exercise deprived rats www. lrjj. cn

Reinforcement across cultures • What is a good reinforcer? Ø eating chocolate cake Ø taking away the noise of heavy metal music Ø going to the gym www. lrjj. cn

Punishment • Discourage behavior • Opposite of reinforcement Ø positive punishment - Hotplate Fingers between doors Cut in your fingers Using salt instead of sugar Ø negative punishment - Teenagers phone - No dessert www. lrjj. cn

Punishment • Punishment has to change the behavior - Spanking - Speeding ticket - Behavior point deduction • Continuous (unlike reinforcement) ØEmployee comes in late (rewarding) • Different from negative reinforcement - Rat presses lever to turn off the loud sound - Rat presses lever and a loud sound starts www. lrjj. cn

Operant Conditioning www. lrjj. cn

Punishment • Does punishment work? • What are the reasons of punishment? • Punishment or reinforcer? www. lrjj. cn

Why do people punish? • It immediately changes behavior • Punisher may feel good But does it work in the long run? www. lrjj. cn

Effective punishment = difficult 1. Threat goes away - Supervision - Police 2. Reward is bigger than the punishment - Dieting - Drugs www. lrjj. cn

Effective punishment = difficult 3. Aggression and escape - Prison - Rats in a shock box - Aggression can be used to influence 4. Stops the learning process - Learned self-helplessness (depression) - Focus on what not to do www. lrjj. cn

Effective punishment = difficult 5. Applied unequally Ø boys Ø children Ø minority groups Does punishment ever work? ØSelf-destructive behavior ØLogical consequence www. lrjj. cn

Effective punishment 1. 2. 3. 4. Immediate Consistent – every time Limited time and intensity Logical consequence of behavior – late for dinner eat dinner cold 5. Limited to the situation 6. No mixed messages ‘no hitting in this house’ 7. Negative punishment www. lrjj. cn

Examples of Operant Conditioning • Lab rat • Big Bang www. lrjj. cn

How to change behavior? • Positive reinforcement (Premack Principle) • Punishment • Negative reinforcement (nagging, allowed to come out of ‘time out’) • Extinction – ignoring the behavior • Combination! www. lrjj. cn

Classical conditioning Operant conditioning First = stimulus Second = behavior First = behavior Second = stimulus Encourage/discourage behavior with consequences (reward or punishment) No reward or punishment (pleasant or aversive stimuli) Reward or punishment New stimulus produces and ‘old’ (reflexive) behavior A new stimulus (reinforcer) produces new behavior Extinction = withholding UCS Extinction = withholding reinforcement Involuntary responses (reflexive) Voluntary responses www. lrjj. cn