OPERANT CONDITIONING

• WHAT IS OPERANT CONDITIONING?

  • Behaviour- result of learning based on the consequences of our actions
  • Consequences- may be positive / negative
  • A chance of a behaviour being repeated depends on the nature of the consequences e.g. they are reinforced
• Positive Reinforcement:

  • Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed (e.g. win a sport = medal)
  • Behaviour is more likely to be repeated (consequence is PLEASANT)
• Negative Reinforcement:

  • Removal of something UNPLEASANT e.g. unpleasant ringing -> turning off alarm -> restores restful pre-alarm state
  • Behaviour is more likely to be repeated
• Punishment:

  • Unpleasant consequence of behaviour e.g. bad behaviour = detention
  • Behaviour is less likely to be repeated (consequence is unpleasant)
• OPERANT CONDITIONING:

  • Skinner Box- used to investigate operant conditioning in rats
  • When the rat accidentally pressed the lever - food pellet dropped
  • Rat learnt that pressing the lever would give it food pellets- so it repeated the behaviour (POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT)
  • Skinner repeated this- rats receive an electric shock until they pressed the lever (accidentally at the start)
  • Rat learnt that pressing the lever would stop the electric shock -> repeated the behaviour (NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT)