Operant Conditioning: Reinforcement and Extinction

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of a Skinner Box?

To observe cognitive learning

To measure human behavior

To study classical conditioning

To conduct response or operant conditioning research (correct)

According to operant conditioning, what happens to behavior that is not reinforced?

It is forgotten

It becomes more frequent

It remains unchanged

It becomes extinct (correct)

According to Skinner's concepts, what determines the tendency to repeat a behavior in the future?

The individual's personality

The nature of the behavior itself

The type of reinforcement used

The nature of the consequence that follows the behavior (correct)

What is the term for a stimulus that follows a behavior and increases the probability of the behavior occurring in the future?

Reinforcing stimulus Signup and view all the answers

What is the underlying principle behind operant conditioning?

The law of effect Signup and view all the answers

What is the common thread between operant conditioning and other learning theories?

The role of consequences in shaping behavior Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of the work of Edward Thorndike?

Behaviorism and learning Signup and view all the answers

According to the Law of Effect, what is the result of a response followed by a positive consequence?

The response is more likely to be repeated Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of learning theory?

Social Learning Signup and view all the answers

Who introduced the term 'reinforcement' into the Law of Effect?

B.F. Skinner Signup and view all the answers

What is the common goal of the Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Schools, and Healthy Environment strategies?

Health promotion Signup and view all the answers

What is a fundamental concept of the Behavioral Learning Theory?

Reinforcement and punishment Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of behavioral change through stimulus response or conditioning?

To become more efficient and realistic as defined by the environment Signup and view all the answers

What type of learning occurs unconsciously, pairing an automatic conditioned response with a specific stimulus?

Classical conditioning Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response?

Unconditioned stimulus Signup and view all the answers

What is the outcome of appropriate responses being rewarded in behavioral learning?

Creation of habits Signup and view all the answers

What is the process by which bonds, connections, and associations are formed in learning?

Conditioning Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of classical conditioning?

Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of a bell Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Behavior that is reinforced tends to be repeated and strengthened, while behavior that is not reinforced tends to be extinguished or weakened.
A Skinner Box is a small chamber used to conduct response or operant conditioning research with animals, typically featuring a lever or key that an individual animal can operate to obtain a food or water reward.
A reinforcing stimulus, or reinforcer, is a special kind of stimulus that, when encountered after performing a behavior, modifies the tendency to repeat the behavior in the future.
If a behavior is followed by a reinforcing stimulus, it may result in an increased probability of that behavior occurring in the future, while a behavior that lacks a reinforcing stimulus may result in a decreased probability of that behavior occurring in the future.
Learning theories are logical frameworks that describe, explain, or predict how people learn, and include types such as Behavioral, Cognitive, and Humanistic.
Behavioral Theorists include John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, Edward Thorndike, and Albert Bandura.
B.F. Skinner was influenced by the work of Edward Thorndike, who developed the Law of Effect, which states that a response followed by a positive or pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated, while a response followed by an unpleasant or negative consequence is more likely to be diminished.
The Law of Effect is directly a function of the interactions between positive and negative reinforcements and punishments.
Skinner introduced the concept of Reinforcement, a behavioral change accomplished through stimulus response or conditioning.
The goal of Behavioral Learning Theory is to become more efficient and realistic as defined by the environment, by creating learning through the formation of bonds, connections, and associations.
Classical Conditioning is a type of learning that happens unconsciously, where an automatic conditioned response is paired with a specific stimulus, creating a behavior.
In Classical Conditioning, the conditioned stimulus is paired with and precedes the unconditioned stimulus until the conditioned stimulus alone is sufficient to elicit the response.
The unconditioned stimulus is one that unconditionally, naturally, and automatically triggers a response, while the unconditioned response is the unlearned response that occurs naturally in response to the unconditioned stimulus.

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Description

Learn about the fundamental principles of operant conditioning, including reinforcement, extinction, and the use of Skinner Boxes in research. Understand how behavior is strengthened or weakened based on reinforcement and the role of instrumental learning.