Warm-Up You eat a new food and then get sick

because of the flu. However, you develop a dislike for the food and feel nauseated whenever you smell it.

This is an example of what type of classical conditioning?

What is the US? UR? CS? CR?

Warm-up Answer You eat a new food and then get sick

because of the flu. However, you develop a dislike for the food and feel nauseated whenever you smell it.

This is an example of Taste Aversion. US – Flu Sickness UR – Nausea CS – New food CR – Nausea to the new food

Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning In operant conditioning, people and

animals learn to do certain things – and not to do others – because of the results of what they do.

Reinforcement is the process by which a stimulus increases the chances that the preceding behavior will occur again.

B.F. Skinner Who was Skinner?

What was his study of psychology called?

Behaviorism

Skinner’s Project Pigeon Skinner proposed training pigeons to

guide missiles to targets during WWII. The pigeons would be given food pellets

for pecking at targets on a screen. Once they had learned to peck targets

they would be placed in missiles where pecking at similar targets would adjust the missile’s flight path.

Skinner’s Box Skinner then began to

study behavior and devised an animal cage ideal for laboratory experimentation.

Skinner would place a rat deprived of food inside the box and waited to see if it would press a lever to get food.

The rat at first just sniffed around, but soon began pressing the lever with more frequency.

Argument Against Skinner One major objection to the Skinnerian

approach to psychology is that it does not take into account internal thoughts and feelings.

Video of Skinner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ctJqjlrHA

Types of Reinforcers Reinforcers that function due to

the biological makeup of the organism are called primary reinforcers.

Examples are food, water, and adequate warmth.

Types of Reinforcers Secondary Reinforcers must be

learned. Secondary reinforcers initially acquire

their value through being paired with established reinforcers.

Examples are money, attention, and social approval.

Types of Reinforcers Positive Reinforcers increase the

frequency of the behavior they follow when they are applied.

Food, fun activities, and social approval are usually examples of positive reinforcers.

Types of Reinforcers Negative Reinforcers are when a

behavior is reinforced because something unwanted stops happening or is removed following the behavior.

Discomfort, fear, and social disapproval are negative reinforcers.

Rewards and Punishments Rewards are used interchangeably with

positive reinforcements. Punishments are unwanted events that

decrease the frequency of the behavior they follow.

Activity Reinforcement and Punishment sheet.

Warm-up What are Primary Reinforcers? Give

Examples. What are Secondary Reinforcers? Give

Examples. What are Positive Reinforcers? Give

Examples. What are Negative Reinforcers? Give

Examples. How does punishment differ from

negative reinforcement?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euINCrDbbD4&feature=related

Schedules of Reinforcement Continuous Reinforcement is

reinforcement everytime the behavior occurs.

Example is the rats in Skinners box received food every time they pressed the lever.

Schedules of Reinforcement In partial reinforcement, a behavior is

not reinforced every time it occurs. Example: People who go to the movies

may not enjoy every movie they see, but they continue to go to the movies because they enjoy some of the movies.

Behavior learned through partial reinforcement tends to last longer after being reinforced.

Interval Schedules A fixed-interval schedule is when a

fixed amount of time before reinforcement is given for that behavior.

Farmers are familiar with a fixed-interval schedule, for example, because fruits only ripen in the spring.

Interval Schedules In a variable-interval schedule,

varying amounts of time go by between reinforcements.

For example a reinforcement may occur at 10:00, but not again until 10:08, but then at 10:09, and not again until 10:23.

The response rate is steadier because due to the timing being unpredictable.

Ratio Schedules In a fixed-ratio schedule,

reinforcement is provided after a fixed number of correct responses have been made.

With a variable-ratio schedule, reinforcement is provided after a variable number of correct responses have been made. An example of this is a slot machine.

Activity Schedules of Reinforcement

Shaping Shaping is a way of teaching complex

behaviors in which one first reinforces small steps in the right direction.

Learning to ride a bicycle is an example of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAtDw87bhcw

Activity Shaping game