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Theories and Research on Operant Conditioning (HOW CAN WE PREDICT WHAT…
Theories and Research on Operant Conditioning
THE ROLE OF THE RESPONSE
Thorndike and Tolman
disagreed wether active responding was essential for learning. Tolman was correct in saying that it was not, and that passive learning allowed for the acquisition of an operant behavior
THE ROLE OF THE REINFROCER
Learning and performance have subtle discrepancies
Is Reinforcement Necessary for Operant Conditioning?
Tolman and Honzik
(1930) gave rats maze trials for 17 days. Group 1 received no food, group 2 did, and group 3 received food 11 days into testing. Group 1 performed poorly, group 2 as expected, and group 3 match 1 up tp day 11 at which point they out performed group 2. Tolman asserted reinforcement is not necessary for learning, it is necessary for performing.
Latent learning
is knowledge that only becomes clear when the subject has incentive to present it.
Expectations About the Reinforcer
An experiment by
Tinklepaugh
(1928) had a monkey do a task to receive a banana slice. When it's reward was swapped with lettuce, the monkey became very upset and refused to do the action any more. This is evidence showing the reinforcer as a critical part of the S-R association
Thorndike and Hull
concluded the function of the reinforcer is to act as a catalyst increasing the rate of which S-R association is formed
Can Reinforcement Control Visceral Responses?
Two factor theorists believe that classical conditioning may impact visceral responses but operant conditioning may only influence skeletal muscles. One factor theorists disagree with this limitation
Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)
is a method of delivering shocks to specific brain regions which acts as a powerful reinforcer.
N.E. Miller
(1960) gave rats ESB while all their skeletal muscles were numbed when their heart rate increased by 2% and gradually increased this precipice. By the end some mice went from baseline 400 to 500.
Biofeedback
Using electromyograms, patients are able to hear their muscle tension based on the frequency of clicks coming from the machine. Lots of clicks meant high tension. This instant feedback allowed subjects to understand what relaxing and tensing muscles felt like and showed promising results
Neruofeedback
is biofeedback of the brain. When students alpha or beta waves frequency increased they were reinforced. After multiple sessions they showed better test results than before due to increased beta and alpha waves.
HOW CAN WE PREDICT WHAT WILL BE A REINFORCER?
Reinforcers can be defined circularly because they are given after an action and then coined as reinforcers. If we can predict when a reinforcer will actually reinforce then we may escape this circular definition
Need Reduction
The
need reduction theory
states that all primary reinforcers are stimuli that satisfy a biological need. However, sexual stimulation is not a biological need and neither are artificial sweeteners
Drive Reduction
Monkeys learned complex responses to open windows to increase stimulation was their reinforcer
Two major problems: (1) not all reductions in stimulations act as reinforcers (from 100 degrees to 75 degrees is but 25 to 0 is not) and (2) reduction does not always occur when reinforcement does (rats running to female rats in heat and removed before ejaculation)
Trans-Situationality
Transsituationality
states that a reinforcer in one scenario is certain to be a reinforcer in another.
Premack's Principle
After a baseline to set up the probability of behaviors, it was determined that more probable behaviors reinforced less probable behaviors.
This was not a steadfast rule so
reinforcement relativity
states that there is no absolute category of reinforcers and reinforceable responses, and which role it plays depends on its relative location on the probability scale
--clear boundary?
To complement his reinforcement principle, he states that less probable behaviors will punish more probable behaviors.
To get a subject to do something they don't like, reward it with something they do. (Be quiet and listen then you can run around and scream)
Response Deprivation Theory
The
response deprivation theory
states that when a contingency restricts a behavior compared to baseline, the restricted behavior will serve as a reinforcer. (Study for 60 minutes play games for 60 minutes. For every 10 minutes of studying 5 minutes of gaming. Now you'll do more studying to play video games)
The Functional Analysis of Behaviors and Reinforcers
Functional analysis
is a method to determine what reinforcer(s) are maintaining unwanted behaviors.
Automatic reinforcement
is when sensory stimulation from the behavior is reinforcement in itself. The environment is systematically changed to rule out possible reinforcers.
Functional analysis does not reveal universal reinforcers. It must be conducted on a case-by-case basis.
BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS
Because of similarities between operant conditioning and microeconomics
behavioral economics
has been formed to intermingle theoretical ideas and research techniques
Optimization: Theory and Research
An individual will spend their money in a way that maximizes their satisfaction per dollar. It is near impossible to determine how it will be spent beforehand on a general basis
This can be seen by animals in nature. Depending on the size of prey available, they will optimize their time spent chasing
Elasticity and Inelasticity of Demand
When drinks are cheap and reinforcers require less responses, more are bought or earned. When drinks are expensive and reinforcers require exhausting responses then less are bought or earned.
If a product is elastic, then changing the price will change the demand. If the product is inelastic, then changing the price will not change the demand.
Behavior Economics and Drug Use
Addictive drugs were found to have a much more elastic demand than that of food.
Other Applications
It is likely that as research in this area increases, more economic principles will be analyzed using behavior principles