Learning Exam #2 - Operant Behavior & Reinforcement

Reinforcer (S^R)

1. Consequence that follows a response 2. Increase the probability of that response in the future 3. Probability of the response increases because of the consequence

Establishing Operations (EO)

Any environmental event or operation that: A. momentarily INCREASES the reinforcing efficacy of a stimulus B. momentarily INCREASES the probability of the response necessary to obtain the reinforcement that has been altered

Discriminative stimulus (S^D)

Any event that precedes operant behavior and sets the occasion for behavior The A sets the occasion for the behavior, IT SIGNALS whether the response will be reinforced Note: Discriminative stimuli do not force a behavior, operant behavior is voluntary Examples: You see a stop sign, you stop You see a skunk, you walk away A pigeon in a skinner box, yellow light signals food Throwing a football Antecedents A S^D See a receiver open Behavior B Throw the football Consequence C S^R Touchdown

Operant Behavior

Behavior that is mediated by its consequences Voluntary behavior

Deprivation

Calculation of average weight Kept at 85% of free-feeding weight

You tell your friends as story (Behavior) She laughs (Consequence) Is her laughing a reinforcer?

It depends If you are then more likely to tell her stories, then laugh was a reinforcer If you are then NOT more likely to tell her stories, laughing was not a reinforcer

Examples of EO

1. Food deprivation By depriving an organism of food, it makes food a stronger reinforcer, and makes behavior involved in obtaining food more likely 2. Bars put out popcorn or nuts because they are salty and make you thirsty, therefore you order more drinks 3. If you are very hot, it increases the probability you want ice or want to go swimming 4. If you are very cold, it increases the probability you want hot tea, soup, hot coffee, etc

Factors affecting the efficacy of reinforcement (5)

1. Quality 2. Delay 3. Quantity 4. Establishing operations (EO) 5. Schedules of reinforcement

Contingency of Reinforcement

A (Antecedent Stimulus) --> B (Behavior) --> C (Consequence Reinforcers)

Reward

A stimulus that is presented following a response Behavior does not necessarily increase in the future Behavior does not necessarily increase because of this consequence Often includes a contractual agreement before the response

We cannot know that anything is a reinforcer or punisher until...

After it happens

Which of the following examples of operant behavior? Reading a book Painting a picture Driving a car All of these

All of these

Positive punishment

An operant results in the presentation of an event, and later decreases the frequency of this operant Example: Being scolded Burning your hand on the stove Playing with a cat, pulling the tail, they bite you, decreases frequency of pulling tail

Negative punishment

An operant results in the removal of an event, and later decreases the frequency of this operant Example: Being grounded Taking a toy away from a child Caught texting, professor takes phone away, student never texts in class again

Negative reinforcement

An operant results in the removal of an event, and this later increases the frequency of this operant Ex. Opening an umbrella when it is raining to prevent you from getting wet Did good on a test, parents say you no longer have to do dishes tonight When you go the car and turn the key, the car beeps, so you put on the seat belt and consequence is that the beeping stops. You go to the car and immediately put the seat belt on now and it takes away the beeping sound

Examples of operant behavior?

Driving Sports (Shooting a basketball, throwing a football) Brushing teeth

How would you implement a Premack contingency to modify your behavior?

You can eat whatever you want only if you exercise

Operant class

Group of responses that result in the same consequence May be of different topographies Example: Can answer your phone by saying, "Hey Alex, answer phone," or you can pick it up and press the green button. Both have the same consequence of talking to someone on the phone A door can be opened by kicking it open or by turning the door knob, both produce the same consequences of the door being opened

Quality

Higher quality works better How tasty are the pellets I gave the rats?

Schedules of reinforcement

How often do I give the rat a pellet for pressing the lever? Different schedules of reinforcement produce different patterns of behavior

Operant conditioning procedures - Free operant method

How often will the behavior occur without any external contingencies Organism can emit many responses or none at all

If:Then relations exampe

IF the lever is pressed THEN food is presented IF the doorknob is turned, THEN the door opens IF I go to class, THEN I will get a good grade

What do "reinforcement," "punishment," "positive," and "negative" mean

If behavior increases, it is called a reinforcement If behavior decreases, it is called a punishment Positive means presentation of stimulus after a behavior Negative means stimulus was removed after a behavior

Operant conditioning

Increase or decrease in operant behavior as a function of a contingency of reinforcement Law of effect Measured latency

Successive approximations

Means we are constantly changing our criterion for reinforcement At any given point in time, some but not all responses are reinforced

Quantity

More is better to a certain extent The rat presses the lever more when I give him 5 pellets than 1 pellet

Operant conditioning procedures (4) What is Operant Rate

Operant rate Free operant method Deprivation Magazine Train Operant Rate - Probability of behavior

Shaping is used to produce responses that might not...

Otherwise be emitted or might be emitted only after a considerable time

Limits to what can be shaped

Physiological constraints Phylogenetic constraints

Uses of positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement can be used to: Produce new behaviors Modify established behaviors in 1. Topography 2. Frequency 3. Duration

Magazine Train

Rat placed in operant chamber Food delivery preceded by "click" of feeder Rat stays close to feeder

Differential reinforcement

Refers to the simultaneous operation of reinforcement and extinction We set a criterion for reinforcement. Any response that meets our criterion is reinforced, and all other responses are extinguished

Reward does not equal...

Reinforcement

Successive approximatons

Reinforcing closer and closer approximations to the final performance As the organism's behavior becomes closer to the target, more distant responses are extinguished

Contingency of Reinforcement examples

You are at a party (A) --> You tell your friend a joke (B) --> He laughs (C) You are at school (A) --> You get a problem correct (B) --> Everyone claps (C)

Delay

Shorter delay works better I give the rats a pellet immediately after they press the lever Ex. Punishing a child, mother says "Just wait until your dad gets home," dad does not get home until late that night, the punishment will not be effective behavior there was a long delay

Skinner used the method of...

Successive approximations to train rats to press levers Presented rats with food pellets for moving toward lever Then for putting paw on wall near lever Then for putting paw on lever Then for pressing lever

Shaping

The method of successive approximation Used to teach an organism new behavior

Positive reinforcement Examples?

The process by which a stimulus is presented after a response, and that response increases in the future Common positive reinforcers include attention, money or food

Reinforcement

The process by which behavior increases when it is followed by a particular consequence

Operant conditioning

The process by which behavior is modified by its consequences If-then relationships

Allen & Iwata

Wanted to increase exercise in developmentally disabled adults Participation in games was contingent on exercise Premack contingency increases exercise participation Games were an effective reinforcer for exercising Make game participant contingent on exercise, then exercise increases

The Premack Principle

We can use ongoing behavior to change the frequency of other behavior We do not have to use extra stimuli For any pair of responses, the more probable one may serve as a reinforcer for the less probable one Measure frequency of both behaviors under baseline conditions Given free access to activities such as solving math problems and kicking a ball, how does the child allocate her behavior? Now make access to the more probable activity dependent on engaging in the less probably activity