Same ‘Ol Extensions• All of the classical conditioning extensions apply to operant

conditioning as well• ACQUISITION

– When the organism connects the behavior with the stimulus

• EXTINCTION– When you stop pairing the stimulus

with the behavior• SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

– After a rest period, you pair the stimulus with the behavior again

• GENERALIZATION– Behavior is affected by a stimulus

similar to the original• DISCRIMINATION

– Behavior is not affected by a stimulus similar to the original

How would each of these extensions apply to training a dog

to sit through use of treat rewards?

Operant Conditioning Applications

Skinner Box• A device where an animal can press a lever

to receive a food or water reinforcer• Devices are attached to record the animal’s

rate of bar pressing

Shaping• A procedure that teaches a complex behavior

by reinforcing small steps/approximations toward completion of the behavior– Positively Reinforce each small step along the way

– How could you shape a child to walk?

“Good job” when they sit upright

Give them a candy when they start crawling toward you

Hug and a kiss when they stand up

Types of Reinforcers• Primary reinforcers are biologically reinforcing

stimuli that all people naturally desire– Food and water are perfectly examples since we need these to

survive

• Conditioned (secondary) reinforcers are those that can be exchanged for a primary reinforcer in some manner– Money, grades, power, prestige, etc. Primary Reinforcer

Conditioned (Secondary) Reinforcer

Other Examples??? Other Examples???

Latent Learning• Learning that is occurring but will not be

demonstrated by an organism until it is given a reason to do so– Rats may learn a maze, but won’t

actually go through it fast unless there’s an incentive

– This indicates they’ve developed a cognitive map (a mental representation of the layout of one’s environment)

– You may be learning right now, but I have no idea until I give you an incentive to demonstrate it (test day!)

Overjustification Effect• Giving a reward for already desired behavior

will reduce one’s aspiration to engage in that behavior– If you already enjoy a behavior, ENJOYMENT is the reward

for it– If you start getting PAID to do something you already enjoy,

you are over-rewarding (overjustifying) why you do the behavior… your brain doesn’t naturally like this

– So the enjoyment of the behavior is replaced by the payment

– So… should you really get a job “doing what you love”???

Have you ever noticed college athletes seem to be more passionate about their sport than professional athletes?

Token Economy• An individual is given a token as a reward

for performing a desired behavior; tokens can be exchanged for sought-after prizes– Basic example of Positive Reinforcement

– Used in schools, mental institutions, prisons, households, etc.

– Can you think of any examples of this at the high school?

Premack Principle• Using a desired

behavior to reinforce a non-desired behavior– Sometimes a behavior

can serve as a reward for another behavior!

– For example, telling yourself you can watch the entire season of Game of Thrones if you finish your essay first.

– Different people find different things motivating though, so the same motivators won’t work for everyone

Cognitive Processes and Biological Predispostions of Operant Conditioning

• Cognitive processes are also at work in operant learning– Animals on a time-based

reinforcement schedule respond more frequently as the time gets closer to the reinforcer

• For example, students study the most the night before a test

– This proves that their expectations play a role in learning

• Regarding biology, it is easier to reinforce animal behaviors normally associated with their natural actions– You can use food reinforcement to teach your

dog to sit, but you probably won’t be able to teach it to dance