Outline B F Skinner cont Theoretical notions cont
Outline • B. F. Skinner, cont – Theoretical notions, c’ont > > > Concurrent schedules of reinforcement Verbal behaviour Programmed learning Contingency contracting Skinner and learning theory A technology of behaviour
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Schedules of reinforcement B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Concurrent reinforcement schedules - two reinforcement schedules are applied to two different responses. § Skinner noted that pigeons distributed their responses according to the schedules of reinforcement § Herrnstein’s quantification: The matching law. B 1 + B 2 = R 1 + R 2
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Schedules of reinforcement > Concurrent reinforcement schedules § The matching law B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990)
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Schedules of reinforcement B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Concurrent reinforcement schedules § The matching law • There is also extraneous behaviour (other than pecking or lever pressing) that occurs during testing B 1 R 1 = B 1 + B 2 + B e R 1 + R 2 + R e
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Schedules of reinforcement B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Concurrent reinforcement schedules § Hernnstein’s equation • The sum of the rate of all behaviour is a constant (k = B 1 + B 2 + Be) so for any single response: B 1 = (k)R 1 SR
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) – Schedules of reinforcement > Concurrent reinforcement schedules § High level of extraneous reinforcement interferes with performance on a target operant response B 1 Re = 5 Be Rate of reinforcement for B 1 k Response rate k B 1 Re = 20 Be Rate of reinforcement for B 1
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Schedules of reinforcement B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Concurrent chain reinforcement schedule § Behaviour during the initial phase of the experiment determines what schedule of reinforcement it receives during the second phase. § Normally, organisms prefer small immediate rewards over larger, but delayed rewards in concurrent reinforcement schedules § In concurrent chain reinforcement, animals will respond in favour of a schedule of small immediate rewards in phase 2 over larger delayed rewards.
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) – Schedules of reinforcement > Concurrent chain reinforcement schedule § Rachlin and Green’s experiment 10 sec blackout 2 sec of food 4 sec blackout 4 sec food FR 15 Ineffective 10 sec blackout 4 sec food 65%
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Verbal behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Skinner classified verbal behaviour in terms of its relationship to reinforcement and discriminative stimuli. > Six primary operants 1. Mand - From ‘demand’. • A verbal operant that often specifies its reinforcement. • E. g. , Water! • The SD is deprivation
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Verbal behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) 2. Tact - a verbal operant in which the response is evoked by a particular object. • Basically it is naming an object • E. g. , “Porsche 944” • Reinforcement comes from other people rewarding the correct match between the environment and the verbal utterance.
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Verbal behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) 3. Echoic behaviour - repeating someone else’s verbal behaviour verbatim. • Important during language acquisition in children. • The echoing is reinforced by the parents or teacher 4. Autoclitic behaviour - qualifies responses and provides the grammatical framework for verbal behaviour • E. g. , “I think it is going to be stormy” > “I think” is autoclitic
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Verbal behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) 5. Textual • Reading and writing 6. Intraverbal - Verbal behavior that is evoked by a verbal SD that does not have point-to-point correspondence to the verbal response E. g. , “How are you? ” … “I am fine”
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Verbal behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Criticisms of verbal behaviour § Noam Chomsky • Miller (1965) -> There are 10, 000, 000 twenty word sentences in English -> We cannot listen to them all • Grammatical sentences can be constructed in which there are no SD • E. g. , Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Programmed learning B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > For effective learning § Information should be presented in small steps § Learners should be given rapid feedback § Learners should proceed at their own pace > This is very unlike the classic lecture style > Proposed the use of a teaching machine
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Contingency contracting B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Making arrangements for the reinforcement of a behaviour that might not otherwise be immediately reinforced § E. g. , You give a friend $100 § Everyday you go without smoking, she gives you $10 back
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Attitude towards learning theory B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > The empty organism approach § Black box psychology > Learning theories should be simple § Atheoretical • No need to explain ‘why’ -> E. g. , partial reinforcement is more resistant to extinction that continuous reinforcement.
B. F. Skinner • Major Theoretical Notions – Technology of behaviour B. F. Skinner (1904 -1990) > Felt that a science of behaviour could solve the myriad of problems faced by humanity > Culture is working against reinforcement contingencies § E. g, implementing rules instead of providing reinforcements
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