Operant Conditioning PDF

Operant Conditioning Course Instructor: Chong Siew Kian  B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) Believed in radical behaviourism The most influential psychologist (20th century) All human action was the direct result of...

Operant Conditioning Course Instructor: Chong Siew Kian  B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) Believed in radical behaviourism The most influential psychologist (20th century) All human action was the direct result of conditioning (not free will). Schedules of reinforcement & Punishment – specific behaviour  Operant Conditioning Definition: OC is a method of learning where behaviours are shaped by consequences. Behaviours followed by rewards are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by punishment are less likely. Famous for the skinner box & the teaching machine. Objective: To understand how consequences can be increase or decrease behaviour frequency. Application: Useful in behaviour modification, classroom management, parenting and animal training.  Operant Conditioning (Skinner) This involves conditioning voluntary, controllable behaviours, not the automatic physiological responses in Classical Conditioning. With OC, response (R) comes before the stimulus (S) R S Concept of Operant Conditioning  Reinforcement Punishment Encourage Discourage behaviour behaviour Positive R Negative R Positive P Negative P Adding a Removing an Adding an Removing a pleasant unpleasant unpleasant pleasant stimulus stimulus stimulus stimulus (e.g. take (e.g. (e.g. (e.g. extra away gaming praise) assignment) chores time)  Reinforcement Schedules Continuous Reinforcement given every time a behaviour occurs. Intermittent Reinforcement provided only some of the time, which can lead to more durable behaviors. Primary Satisfy basic needs, like food or Reinforcers comfort. Secondary Gain value through association, such Reinforcers as praise, money, or tokens.  Primary – naturally rewarding, satisfying Type of Reinforcement basic biological needs or drives Secondary – learned, developed The strengthening of a response reinforcing properties due to through the introduction of a association with primary ones stimulus following the response The strengthening of a response through the removal of a stimulus after the response occurs  Types of Punishment The introduction of an aversive stimulus or removal of a reinforcing stimulus after a response occurs, which leads to the weakening or suppression of the response Positive Negative  Conditioning and Learning Reinforcement / Behaviour Consequences Punishment Monitoring Identification Selection Application Report the finding / observe Fading Adjusting Goal Setting the changing Reinforcement Consequences process  Conditioning and Learning: Process of behaviour change (Behaviour Modification) 1. Behavior Identification: Define the specific behavior to increase or decrease. 2. Consequence Selection: Choose reinforcers or punishers that will influence the learner. 3. Reinforcement/Punishment Application: Apply the chosen consequence following the behavior. 4. Monitoring: Track the frequency of the behavior to see if it's changing. 5. Adjusting Consequences: Modify reinforcement or punishment as needed to maintain or increase desired behavior. 6. Fading Reinforcement: Gradually reduce reinforcement once the behavior is established to encourage intrinsic motivation. 7. Goal Setting: Set clear, achievable goals that reinforce the behavior-change process. 8. Report the finding / observe the changing process  Discrimination in Operant Conditioning Discrimination: Learning to respond to specific stimuli while ignoring others. It happens when an organism responds differently to two similar stimuli. Example: 1. A student learns to raise their hand to speak in class (specific stimulus) but doesn’t do it in other settings. 2. Ali recognized that it’s appropriate to eat with hands in a casual restaurant but not in a more formal setting. Stimulus Control: Behaviors are triggered by particular cues that signal the availability of reinforcement.  Extinction in Operant Conditioning Extinction: The gradual reduction of a behavior when reinforcement is no longer provided. It happens when a conditioned response gradually disappears after a conditioned stimulus is presented repeated without being followed by the desired response. Example: 1. If a student stops receiving praise for answering questions, they may gradually stop volunteering. 2. If a parent stops giving a child a toy when the child does something to calm down, the child will eventually stop trying to get the toy. Habituation: When a conditioned response becomes a habit, reducing the chance of extinction. Spontaneous Recovery: Behavior may briefly return after extinction.  Operant Conditioning (Learning) 🞇 Learning through consequences 🞇 We can change someone’s behavior by giving them rewards or punishing them (consequences) 🞇 Learners play an active part in the changes in behavior 🞇 Laws of effect 🞇 Two ways: 🞇 Reinforcement 🞇 Punishment 🞇 Rewards & Punishment 🞇 Managing learning & behavior 🞇 Teacher/Instructor-centered 🞇 Learners = passive 🞇 Teaching = highly structured (lecture-based) 🞇 Knowledge is given & absolute 🞇 Measurable objectives 🞇 Learning outcome = observable behavior  Critiques of Behaviorism External rewards may diminish intrinsic motivation –Studies where participants work on an interesting task (ex: puzzles) - experimental group is given a reward when finished while the control group is not. – After initial period, during a non-rewarded time participants are given a choice between continuing to work on the task or switching to another activity. Typical result is that participants in the experimental group spend less time on the activity than the control group. This is taken as indicating that reward reduces intrinsic motivation. Pizza Hut used to give away free pizza to kids who read a certain number of pages. This practice was discontinued as it actually eroded students intrinsic motivation to read!  Critiques of Behaviorism Behaviorism doesn’t account for anything that isn’t an observable behavior. There has to be more going on than what is observable - doesn’t there? Behaviorism only accounts for learning through direct experience with the environment (not observational learning)  Quiz Activity 1 In the 1959, Noam Chomsky wrote the Critique of Behaviorism as part of the cognitive revolution in psychology which involved a renewal of interest in the scientific study of… a. learned behaviour b. mental process c. unconscious motives d. hereditary influences Answer: b  Quiz Activity 2 ___________________ is an action that is repeated because it is thought to cause a desired effect, even though is no actual connection between the behaviour and the effect. a. redundant behaviour b. ineffectual behaviour c. vicarious behaviour d. superstitious behaviour Answer: d  Redundant Behavior Behavior that serves no additional purpose or effect within a given context because another behavior already fulfills the intended function. Example : A student may raise their hand and also repeatedly say "I know the answer" to get the teacher's attention. Here, raising the hand alone would suffice, so the extra verbalization is redundant. In Operant Conditioning: Redundant behaviors sometimes emerge when multiple cues or actions are reinforced for a single outcome, often cluttering efficient responses.  Ineffectual Behavior A behavior that fails to produce the desired outcome or effect, making it essentially ineffective in achieving the goal. Example : If a student repeatedly guesses answers without understanding the material, this behavior may be considered ineffectual, as it doesn't lead to actual learning or correct responses. In Operant Conditioning: Ineffectual behaviors are often unreinforced over time. If a behavior consistently fails to achieve the desired outcome, it is likely to undergo extinction, meaning it will gradually decrease or stop as it lacks reinforcement.  Vicarious Behavior Behavior influenced by observing the consequences of others' actions rather than experiencing the reinforcement or punishment directly. Example : A student might see a peer receive praise for helping others and, as a result, begins to do the same, hoping for similar positive reinforcement. This learning process is often called vicarious reinforcement. In Operant Conditioning: Vicarious learning is significant because it shows that individuals can learn behaviors by watching others, without direct experience. This concept is particularly emphasized in social learning theory (e.g., Albert Bandura's work with observational learning).  Superstitious Behavior Behavior that arises when an individual mistakenly believes a certain action causes a specific outcome, even when there is no true causal relationship. Example : A student might believe that tapping their pencil three times before a test brings good luck, even though it has no real impact on test performance. In Operant Conditioning: Superstitious behaviors often develop when a behavior coincidentally occurs just before a positive outcome, leading to a false association. B.F. Skinner observed this in experiments with pigeons, where random actions were "reinforced" by food delivery, leading pigeons to repeat meaningless behaviors.