Operant conditioning
differences
• Classical conditioning involves:
Involuntary, reflexive behavior
• Operant conditioning involves:
Voluntary behavior
• Classical conditioning is:
Stimulus—response
• Operant conditioning is:
Response—stimulus
Relevant concepts
• Reinforcer:
– Anything that increases the probability of a
response
• Punisher:
– Anything that decreases the probability of a
response
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direction of the reinforcer
• Positive reinforcement
– Applying a stimulus to increase the probability
of a response
• Negative reinforcement
– Removing a stimulus to increase the probability
of a response
examples
• Giving a dog a bone when she sits
• Stop nagging when the child cleans her/his
room
• Taking an aspirin to get rid of a headache
• The loud buzzer stops when the pigeon
pecks the lever
• A food pellet drops when the pigeon pecks
the lever
Schedule of reinforcements
• Ratio: reinforcement is applied based on
numbers of responses
– Continuous reinforcement: a ratio schedule of
reinforcement in which every response is
reinforced
– Fixed ratio
– Variable ratio
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Schedules of reinforcement
• Interval: reinforcement is applied based on
elapsed time
• Fixed interval
• Variable interval
More relevant concepts
• Shaping:
– uses the method of successive approximations
• Premack principle:
– reinforcing a low probability behavior with a high
probability behavior
• Time out:
– a form of extinction
• Response cost:
– a form of negative punishment
punishment
• In order to be effective, punishment
– Must be applied immediately
– Must be applied at maximum intensity
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