|
Operant Conditioning I
Name: _______________________________ In classical conditioning (or Pavlovian conditioning), stimuli take on new meaning when they are closely associated with some type of INVOLUNTARY behavior. In operant conditioning (or respondent conditioning), the consequences that FOLLOW a VOLUNTARY behavior will have an effect on future VOLUNTARY behavior. Any time consequences reinforce a behavior, that behavior will be strengthened. Additionally, a reinforced behavior is more likely to occur in the future. When you see the term reinforcement, whether it is POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT, expect that the target behavior will get stronger. It will increase in intensity and/or frequency. Positive reinforcement is relatively straightforward. When an appetitive (pleasant) consequence follows a behavior, the organism (animal or human) is more likely to repeat that behavior. For example: if you study hard for a test and earn an "A", you are more likely to continue to study for tests. Negative reinforcement is a bit trickier. Negative reinforcement is often confused with punishment. THEY ARE NOT, I REPEAT NOT, NOT, NOT, THE SAME THING!!!!!!! Remember that any form of reinforcement (positive or negative) strengthens the behavior it follows. In a negative reinforcement situation, the target behavior is exhibited by the animal or person in order to AVOID or ESCAPE an aversive (unpleasant) circumstance. For example: if you live in a rainy climate, you may routinely carry an umbrella with you in order to AVOID or ESCAPE the aversive situation of getting soaked. Your habit of carrying an umbrella is a negatively reinforced behavior. Each time it rains, you can avoid getting wet by carrying the umbrella. Thus, you are more likely to continue to keep the umbrella with you at all times. Punishment (as you would expect) tends to REDUCE the frequency and/or intensity of the behavior it follows. Punishment occurs when an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus follows a behavior. For example: if you are grounded for two weeks because you stayed out past your curfew, you may think twice about staying out late next time. However, in order for punishment to be effective, it must be swift, consistent, and sufficient. Punishment can also have several undesirable side effects. For example: if a child is spanked following an inappropriate behavior, the child may learn to fear (and thus avoid) the punisher. Extinction is also a process that REDUCES the occurrence of the behavior it follows. Extinction occurs when NO CONSEQUENCE follows a behavior. For example: if your new puppy jumps on you when you come home from school (and you want to stop that behavior), you can simply ignore it. Eventually, your puppy will stop engaging in the behavior because he is getting no attention from you. While extinction can be very powerful in reducing the frequency of inappropriate behaviors, it typically results in the behavior getting worse before it gets better. Here are some clues that should help you determine which of the four principles of operant conditioning are at work.
The following scenarios describe some behaviors and their consequences. Your task is to apply the principles of operant conditioning to predict whether the targeting behavior (the underlined one) will occur in the future. Read each scenario, focusing on the underlined behavior, and identify whether the consequence (in bold) for the person performing the behavior was appetative (+), aversive (-), or neither (0). Then specify whether the targeted behavior is likely to increase ( ) or decrease (¯ ). Finally, identify the principle as positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, or extinction.
|
|
|