Operant Conditioning

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Operant Conditioning
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Whats in a name?

• Classical Conditioning
• Pavlovian Conditioning
• Respondent Conditioning

• Instrumental Conditioning
• Skinnerian Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning

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Classical Conditioning vs. Operant Conditioning

• Sd -- R --gt SR
• or
• Sd -- R --gt SP

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Thorndikes Law of Effect

• Of several responses made to the same situation,
  those which are accompanied or closely followed
  by satisfaction to the animal will, other things
  being equal, be more firmly connected with the
  situation, so that, when it recurs, they will be
  more likely to recur those which are
  accompanied or closely followed by discomfort to
  the animal will, other things being equal, have
  their connections with that situation weakened,
  so that, when it recurs, they will be less likely
  to occur. The greater the satisfaction or
  discomfort, the greater the strengthening or
  weakening of the bond. (1911)

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Law of Effect Definitions (1911)

• By a satisfying state of affairs is meant one
  which the animal does nothing to avoid, often
  doing such things as attain and preserve it. By
  a discomforting or annoying state of affairs is
  meant one which the animal commonly avoids and
  abandons.
• The satisfying and annoying are not synonymous
  with favorable and unfavorable to the life of
  either the individual or the species.

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B.F. Skinner

• Respondent Conditioning
• Conditioning of behaviors that are more
  involuntary and reflex-like
• Elicited responses
• Less important to Skinner

• Operant Conditioning
• Conditioning of behaviors that are more
  voluntary, skeletal- muscle-type
• Selection by Consequences
• Of most interest to Skinner

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Skinners Definition

• Reinforcer
• If it follows a behavior AND
• The future probability of the behavior INCREASES
• Punisher (Aversive Consequence)
• If it follows a behavior AND
• The future probability of the behavior DECREASES

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Contingency Table
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Rate of Behavior

• Procedure Acquisition Extinction
• Reinforcement Increases Decreases
• Negative Increases Decreases
• Reinforcement
• Punishment Decreases Increases
• Penalty (Negative Decreases Increases
• Punishment)

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Factors Affecting Reinforcement

• In order to be optimally effective, a consequence
  should be immediate
• Immediate vs. Delayed Reinforcement

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Factors Affecting Reinforcement

• Primary Reinforcer
• An unconditioned reinforcer
• A reinforcer that is innately reinforcing (no
  training/learning required)
• e.g., Food
• Secondary Reinforcer
• A conditioned reinforcer
• A stimulus that is reinforcing because it has
  been associated with some other reinforcer
• e.g., Money is a generalized secondary reinforcer

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Factors Affecting Reinforcement

• Intrinsic Reinforcement
• Reinforcement that derives from the activity
  itself, rather than from any consequences that
  might follow
• Extrinsic Reinforcement
• Reinforcement that derives from the external
  consequences of performing the behavior

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Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

• Extrinsic reinforcement for a behavior has been
  shown to decrease intrinsic motivation to engage
  in that behavior in some studies
• Other studies have found that reinforcing
  behavior (extrinsically) may actually increase
  intrinsic motivation
• Why is this important?

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Factors Affecting Intrinsic Motivation

• Dont reinforce a behavior if intrinsic
  motivation is already high if interest in
  behavior is low, using extrinsic reinforcement
  may increase interest
• Expected rewards can undermine intrinsic
  motivation
• Avoid use of tangible reinforcements use the
  smallest reward that is still effective, e.g.,
  praise
• Never reinforce completion only reinforce the
  quality of the behavior
• Avoid the appearance of trying to control the
  persons behavior

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Shaping

• A technique for training responses that are
  initially unlikely to occur
• Begin by reinforcing whatever aspect of the
  organisms behavior is closest to the desired
  response
• As the behavior occurs more often, withhold
  reinforcement until some closer approximation to
  the desired response occurs
• Continue doing this until the desired response
  occurs then only provide reinforcement for it