AP Psychology Module 27

Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)

A chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer; attached devices record the animal's rate of bar pressing or key pecking.

Reinforcement Schedule

A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced.

Conditioned Reinforce (secondary reinforcer)

A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as a secondary reinforcer.

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 tends to decrease the behavior that it follows.

Primary Reinforcer

An innately reinforcing stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need.

Shaping

An operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.

Variable-Ratio Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses.

Variable-Interval Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredictable time intervals.

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses.

Fixed-Interval Schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed.

Discriminative Stimulus

In operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement.

Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, any event that strengthens the behavior if follows.

Positive Reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforces. A positive reinforcer in any stimulus that, when present after a response, strengthens the response.

Negative Reinforcement

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

Partial (intermittent) Reinforcement

Reinforcing a response only part of the time; results in slower acquisition of a response but much greater resistance to extinction than does continuous reinforcement.

Continuous Reinforcement

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs.

Successive Approximations

Reward responses that are ever-closer to the final desired behavior.

Law of Effect

Thorndike's principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become ore likely, and that behaviors followed by unfavorable consequences become less likely.