| When does an antecedent become a discriminative stimulus? | When it signals which of two or more potential behaviours is appropriate in a context, e.g. swearing.
Discriminant stimulus-reward is based on a classically conditioned association. |
| Who said “Behaviour operates on the environment to generate consequences.”? | Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990) |
| What is the principle behind operant conditioning? | Behaviour is shaped by the learner's history of experiencing rewards and punishments for their actions. |
| What is the Skinner Box? | A "microworld" which Skinner developed in which he could control the animal's experience of reinforcement and punishment. |
| What is a reinforcer? | Any consequence of a behaviour that makes that behaviour more likely to reoccur in the future.
They can be positive or negative. |
| What is positive reinforcement? | A stimulus or event, which, when presented as a consequence of a behaviour, increases the likelihood of the behaviour reoccuring in the future. |
| What is negative reinforcement? | A stimulus or event, when reduced or terminated, increases the likelihood that an associated behaviour will reoccur. |
| What is a positive reinforcer? | Something pleasant that is added to increase behaviour. |
| What is a negative reinforcer? | Something unpleasant that is removed to increase behaviour. |
| What is continuous reinforcement? | When each response is reinforced.
Rarely happens in natural environments.
Leads to rapid extinction once the reinforcer is withheld. |
| What is partial reinforcement? | Reinforcement does not follow each response.
Leads to more persistent learning because the leaner is used to the fact that reinforcement occurs in some occasions and not others (a.k.a harder to extinguish than continual). |
| What is an extinction burst? | A brief increase in responding followed by a decrease in trained behaviour (applicable to reinforced behaviours). |
| What is punishment? | Use of aversive consequences to reduce(suppress) an undesirable behaviour. |
| What is a punisher? | Any event which decreases the likelihood of an ongoing behaviour reoccuring.
Can be positive or negative. |
| What is positive punishment? | The behaviour is followed by the presentation of an aversive stimulus.
Stimulus added to situation, e.g. electric shock. |
| What is negative punishment (response cost)? | Behaviour is followed by withdrawal of rewarding stimulus.
Stimulus is taken away, e.g. remove food. |
| What is a positive punisher? | An unpleasant stimulus that weakens behaviour when added as a consequence of the behaviour. |
| What is a negative punisher? | A pleasant stimulus that weakens behaviour when removed as a consequence of the behaviour. |
| When is punishment effective? | 1. Contingency - the relationship between the behaviour and the punisher must be clear.
2. Contiguity - the punisher must follow the behaviour swiftly.
3. Consistency - the punisher needs to occur for every occurrence of the behaviour |
| What are the drawbacks of punishment? | Rarely works for long-term behaviour change as it tends to only suppress behaviour.
Does not teach a more desirable behaviour.
If the threat of punishment is removed, the behaviour returns.
Produces negative feelings in the learner, which does not promote new learning.
Harsh punishment may teach the learner to use such behaviour towards others (social learning). |
| What are the alternatives to punishment? | Stop reinforcing the problem behaviour (extinction).
Reinforce an alternative behaviour that is both constructive and incompatible with the undesirable behaviour.
Reinforce the non-occurrence of the undesirable behaviour. |
| What is an antecedent? | A 'cue' that signals the availability of a reinforcer.
Antecedent-reinforcer relationship is based on a classically conditioned association.
An antecedent is a stimulus that cues an organism to perform a learned behavior. When an organism perceives an antecedent stimulus, it behaves in a way that maximizes reinforcing consequences and minimizes punishing consequences. |
| What is the "ABC model" of operant conditioning? | Antecedent -> Behaviour -> Consequence |
| When does an antecedent become a discriminative stimulus? | When it signals which of two or more potential behaviours is appropriate in a context, e.g. swearing.
Discriminant stimulus-reward is based on a classically conditioned association. |
