Operant Conditioning

Explain the basic difference between punishment and reinforcement.

Punishment makes a behavior less likely to occur, and reinforcement makes the behavior more likely to occur.

Operant Conditioning

• A type of learning in which behavior is strengthened if followed by a reinforcer or diminished if followed by a punisher

Punishment

• An event that decreases the behavior that it follows

Reinforcement

• Any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Positive Punishment

• Following an undesired response by adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of the behavior reoccuring • Spanking a child after they do something bad

Negative Punishment

• Following an undesired response by removing a pleasant stimulus • Also called a time out and reduces the likelihood of the behavior reoccuring • Telling Little Suzy she can't watch TV if she doesn't eat her peas

Positive Reinforcement

• Increasing behaviors by presenting positive stimuli, such as food • A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response

Negative Reinforcement

• Increasing behaviors by stopping or reducing negative stimuli, such as shock • A negative reinforcer is any stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response

You are a five year old who discovers that you want to be an artist, and decide to practice your skills on the wall. Upon discovering your artwork, your parents take your crayons away. Is taking your crayons away punishment or reinforcement, and is it positive of negative?

• Negative punishment, because there is the removal of something desirable (your crayons) to make your behavior less likely to occur (drawing on the walls)

Sara is a seven year old girl. One night at dinner she says that she does not like peas and refuses to eat them. Her mother says that if she does not finish all her peas, she will not be allowed to watch TV after dinner and will go straight to bed. Sara really wants to watch TV after dinner, so she eats her peas. Is this an example of classical conditioning or operant conditioning?

• Operant Conditioning • Negative reinforcement • Emphasis on her behavior (eating peas), and the consequence of it (being or not being able to watch TV after dinner) • Threatening that she would not be allowed to watch TV made her behavior more likely

What is the difference between positive and negative, in the context of punishments and reinforcements?

• Positive (punishment or reinforcement) is the PRESENTATION of something (Adding) • Negative (punishment or reinforcement) is the REMOVAL of something (Taking Away)

Sammy is a five year old boy. One day, his mom takes him to the mall and he wants to go into the candy store, but his mom says "no." Sammy begins to throw a temper tantrum in the mall. Embarrassed, his mother decides to let him get some candy this one time. The next time she takes him to the mall, when he wants to get ice cream, and his mom says "no," he begins to throw another temper tantrum. Explain Sammy's temper tantrums, using operant conditioning.

• Sammy throws temper tantrums because he learned that throwing one gets him what he wants • When his mom gave in to the first one when he wanted candy, he learned that all he had to do was throw tantrums in order to get what he wants • Example of positive reinforcement (specifically, reward for throwing a tantrum)

What is the difference between taste aversions that can be learned and taste aversions that cannot be learned?

• Some taste aversions can be learned because of previous personal experiences of a particular food • For example when people become sick after having eaten a certain food, the association of nausea with the food deters people from eating that particular food again (classical conditioning). • Some taste aversions cannot be learned, however, as when food is paired with shock or another non-food related neutral stimulus.