A01 OC

• What is operant conditioning?

  Learning through consequences
• State the three types of consequences

  Positive and negative reinforcement and punishment
• Which two consequences increase the likelihood of behaviour?

  Positive and negative reinforcement
• Which consequences decrease the likelihood of behaviour?

  Punishment
• Name the psychologist who investigated operant conditioning

  B.F. Skinner (1953)
• What was the punishment in Skinner's box?

  Receiving an electric shock if the rat pressed the lever
• What was the positive reinforcement in Skinner's box?

  Receiving a food pellet when the rat pressed the lever
• What was the negative reinforcement in Skinner's box?

  Pressing the lever to stop the electric shock
• What did Skinner find?

  - Positive reinforcement: rat learnt to press lever if repeatedly given

  food pellet when they press it

  - Negative reinforcement: rat learnt to press lever if repeatedly the

  electric shock stops when they press it

  - Punishment: the rat learnt to stop pressing the lever if repeatedly

  given an electric shock when they press it
• State one real-life example of operant conditioning

  Gambling, video game addiction
• What is positive reinforcement?

  Receiving a reward when a certain behaviour is performed
• What is negative reinforcement?

  Carrying out a behaviour in order to avoid an unpleasant consequence
• What is punishment?

  Receiving an unpleasant consequence after performing a behaviour