Concept: Studies show that reinforcement is better in encouraging

behavior than punishment.

Directions: Choose the letter for the situation that is more likely to

encourage behavior.

A. Your parents offer you $100 for each “A” you receive on your

report card.

B. Your parents make you pay them $100 for each time you don’t make an “A” on your report card.

A- This situation uses positive reinforcement instead of the punishment used in situation B.

A. You receive a painful shock each time you watch more than 2 hours of

TV a night.

B. You earn an extra 10 minutes added to your curfew for watching

less than 2 hours of TV a night.

B- Getting a reward in this situation is likely to decrease TV watching.

A type of learning in which the frequency of a behavior depends on the consequence that follows that behavior

The frequency will increase if the consequence is reinforcing to the subject.

The frequency will decrease if the consequence is not reinforcing to the subject.

Reinforcement - Any consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

Punishment - Any consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows

The subject determines if a consequence is reinforcing or punishing

Anything that increases the likelihood of a

behavior by following it with a desirable

event or state

The subject receives something they want

Will strengthen the behavior

Anything that increases the likelihood of a

behavior by following it with the removal of an

undesirable event or state

Note: the behavior is a means of either ESCAPING or AVOIDING an

undesirable situation

Something the subject doesn’t like is removed

Will strengthen the behavior

Yelling at student to wear their uniform

Something that is naturally reinforcing

Examples: food, warmth, water, etc.

The item is reinforcing in and of itself

Something that a person has learned to value or finds rewarding because it is paired with a primary

reinforcerMoney is a good example

An undesirable event following a behavior

A desirable state or event ends following a behavior

Doesn’t prevent the undesirable behavior when away from the punisher

Can lead to fear, anxiety, and lower self-esteem

Children who are punished physically may learn to use aggression as a means to solve problems.

May explain why abusive parents tend to come from abusive families.

Punishment can effectively control certain behaviors.

Especially useful if teaching a child not to do a dangerous behavior

Most still suggest reinforcing an incompatible behavior rather than using punishment

Technique used to establish a new behavior, that otherwise probably wouldn’t happen

Reinforcement of behaviors that are more and more similar to the one you want to occur

Example: Learning to ride a bike without training wheels. Although you fall off, your parents keep telling you “Good Job!” This helps encourage you to go further alone.

Operant Conditioning

The goal of operant conditioning is to change behavior

Steps to Completing Scenarios

1. Identify the behavior in the scenario

2. Identify the reward OR punishment in the scenario

3. Determine whether the scenario is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, or extinction

4. Justify your answer

1.Ruby has learned that if she leaves early for work, she can avoid heavy traffic.

1.Ruby has learned that if she leaves early for work, she can avoid heavy traffic.

1.Ruby has learned that if she leaves early for work, she can avoid heavy traffic.

1.This is ____________ because the behavior (leaving early for work) __________ as heavy traffic is ___________.

1.This is negative reinforcement because the behavior (leaving early for work) __________ as heavy traffic is ___________.

1.This is negative reinforcement because the behavior (leaving early for work) increases as heavy traffic is ___________.

1.This is negative reinforcement because the behavior (leaving early for work) increases as heavy traffic is removed.

Goal: Wear a Uniform!

Positive ReinforcementPerson receives extra credit

for wearing a uniform

Goal: Wear a Uniform!

Negative Reinforcement Person wears uniform to

avoid lecture

Goal: decrease uniform misbehavior (punishment)

Giving detention for being out of uniform to decrease uniform misbehavior

Goal: decrease uniform misbehavior (punishment)

Removing person from class (and going to in-school) to decrease uniform misbehavior

A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows every correct response

Most useful way to establish a behavior

The behavior will extinguish quickly once the reinforcement stops.

Example: Vending machines. Example: A teacher giving

extra credit to students who participate in class.

A schedule of reinforcement in which a reward follows only some correct responses

When our behavior is reinforced intermittently (only some of the time), hope springs eternal and we are reluctant to give up.

Example: Lottery tickets- People don’t expect to win every time they buy a ticket. Therefore they continue to buy tickets even if they don’t win.

Partial reinforcement schedules produce responding that is hard to extinguish.

Includes the following types: Fixed-interval and variable interval Fixed-ratio and variable-ratio

A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards only the first correct response after some defined period of time

Example: A researcher always reinforces a rat’s first bar press after 60 seconds. After receiving a food pellet (reinforcement) for that response, the rat has to wait 60 seconds before it will be reinforced for another correct response.

The interval (60 seconds) is fixed, and there is no way the rat can get reinforced during the interval

A partial reinforcement that rewards the first correct response after an unpredictable amount of time

Rat learns to respond at a moderate, steady rate

Fast responses don’t get extra rewards, so speed is not important

Example: “pop” quiz in a class

A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards a response only after some defined number of correct responses

The faster the subject responds, the more reinforcements they will receive.

Speed matters-The faster the rat makes the required amount of responses, the faster it will be fed.

Example: Stores that run “Buy 5, Get 1 free” specials.

A partial reinforcement schedule that rewards an unpredictable number of correct responses

Rats tend to respond fast and to continue responding after receiving a reinforcement. After all, the next response could always be the response that pays off, and the only way to find out is to make that response!

This schedule is very resistant to extinction.

Sometimes called the “gambler’s schedule”; similar to a slot machine