Operant
Conditioning
Unit 3- Module 15 notes
Operant Conditioning
 Definition:

A type of learning in which the frequency of
a behavior depends on the consequence
that follows that behavior
 Developed
from an idea known as the
Law of Effect


Behaviors with favorable consequences will
occur more frequently
Behaviors with unfavorable consequences
will occur less frequently
Operant Conditioning
 Reinforcement

Any consequence that increases the future
likelihood of a behavior
 Punishment

Any consequence that decreases the
future likelihood of a behavior
 The
LEARNER determines if a
consequences is a reinforcement or a
punishment!
Operant Conditioning
A
student skips
class because she
doesn’t really like
school. As a result,
she is suspended.
 Is this a punishment
or a
reinforcement?
Operant Conditioning
 Reinforcement
two types
Positive reinforcement
 Anything
that increased the likelihood of a
behavior by following it with a desirable event
or state
 Example: pay for grades
Operant Conditioning
 Negative



Reinforcement
Anything that increases the likelihood of a
behavior by following it with the removal of
an undesirable event or state
Negative DOES NOT mean “bad”- it means
that something is being “subtracted”
Example- taking aspirin for a headache
 Since
the headache goes away, then the
behavior of taking aspirin is negatively
enforced
Operant Conditioning


A child throws a
tantrum in a store
because he wants
some candy. Mom
buys the child candy
and the tantrum
stops
The end of the
tantrum negatively
reinforced the
mother’s behavior of
buying candy.
Operant Conditioning
 Immediate
vs Delayed Reinforcement
 Taking Meth produces a high in the short
term (immediate reinforcement)- the long
term effects include loss of pleasure,
insomnia, paranoia, aged skin, loss of
teeth, and increases the likelihood of
stroke, brain damage, and death
(delayed reinforcement)
 Immediate Reinforcement can be more
powerful, but delayed reinforcement can
be more gratifying in the long run
Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
 Primary

vs Secondary Reinforcement
Primary
 Something
that is naturally reinforcing (food if
you are hungry, for example)

Secondary
 Something

that you have learned to value
Is money a primary or secondary reinforcer?
 Secondary-
by itself, it has no value. But we
have learned that we can spend it for things
that we desire
Operant Conditioning
 Punishment

2 forms
Positive punishment: behavior leads to
something undesirable
Example: touching a hot stove burn your
hand, decreases likelihood that you’ll touch
the stove again
Operant Conditioning
 Negative
Punishment: the behavior ends
something desirable
 Example: Getting caught sneaking out of
the house and having cell phone taken
away
Operant Conditioning
 Problems

with punishment
May not end the desire to engage in the
behavior
 If
you get caught cussing in the hallway and
are given a detention, will you never cuss
again?

May lead to fear and anxiety
 Overly
aways
harsh parenting may lead to run-
Operant Conditioning
 What

makes punishment effective?
Usually most effective when used as little as
possible
Operant Conditioning
 Shaping


Reinforcing behaviors that are similar to a
behavior that you want to teach
Example: learning to ride a bike
Operant Conditioning
 Just
like in Classical Conditioning, we can
observe discrimination and extinction in
Operant Conditioning
 Discrimination- getting up to leave a
classroom when the bell rings, but not
getting up to leave when the intercom
tones go off
 Extinction- if the mother of the tantrum
throwing toddler does NOT give the child
candy, then the child will eventually stop
throwing tantrums
Operant Conditioning
 Schedules

of reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement- reward follows
every correct response (example: child gets
$1 every morning he makes his bed)
 Most
useful for teaching new behaviors
 Behavior can be extinguished quickly- why?

Constant rewards are needed and EXPECTED
Operant Conditioning
 Partial



Reinforcement
Reward only follows some correct
responses- not all
Example: lottery
2 categories (4 types)
 Interval
schedules- focus on time that elapses
 Ration schedules- focus on number of
responses
Operant Conditioning
 Fixed-Interval


Schedule
Rewards only the 1st correct response after
some defined period of time has passed
Example: Mr Wood’s Monday quizzes!
 Reinforced
(grade), behavior (studying),
fixed-interval (once a week)
Operant Conditioning
 Variable-Interval


Schedule
Rewards the first correct response after an
unpredictable amount of time has passed
Example- attendance quizzes in college
courses
Operant Conditioning
 Fixed-Ratio


Schedule
Reward only after a certain number of
correct responses
Example: Qdoba, Rainsing Canes rewards
cards
Operant Conditioning
 Variable

Ratio Schedule
Rewards an unpredictable number of
correct responses
Example: Lottery, Slot machines, gambling