Behaviorism: Part 2

Alana Snow

14 Oct 201505:05

Summary

TLDRThis video discusses behaviorism, focusing on B.F. Skinner's experiments with animals, such as rats and pigeons. Skinner used positive reinforcement to encourage behavior, as seen when rats learned to press a lever for food. The video also explains negative reinforcement, punishment, shaping, and schedules of reinforcement, including fixed and variable intervals and ratios. These concepts illustrate how behavior can be modified through reinforcement and punishment, with examples like vending machines and gambling. The video emphasizes the role of environment in shaping behavior and the foundational contributions of behaviorists like Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner.

Takeaways

🐀 B.F. Skinner used animals, primarily rats and pigeons, to study behavior through experiments.
🍽️ Skinner trained rats using positive reinforcement by providing food whenever they pressed a lever, which increased the behavior.
⚡ Negative reinforcement involves removing a negative stimulus to increase behavior, like stopping an electric shock when a lever is pressed.
🚫 Punishment decreases behavior: positive punishment adds a consequence, while negative punishment removes something desirable.
🛠️ Shaping involves rewarding successive approximations toward a desired behavior, like rewarding rats for getting closer to the lever.
🔄 Schedules of reinforcement can be based on ratio (number of responses) or interval (time between rewards).
🍫 Continuous reinforcement provides a reward every time the desired behavior occurs, like getting candy from a vending machine with each payment.
🔢 Fixed ratio schedules provide rewards after a set number of responses, while variable ratio schedules are unpredictable.
⏳ Fixed interval schedules provide rewards after a specific amount of time, while variable interval schedules are unpredictable and vary in time.
🎲 Activities like gambling and fishing operate on variable reinforcement schedules, contributing to their popularity.

Q & A

What method did Skinner use to train rats in his experiment?
-Skinner used positive reinforcement by giving the rats food every time they pressed a lever, which increased the likelihood of the behavior.
What is negative reinforcement, according to Skinner?
-Negative reinforcement involves the removal of a negative consequence to increase the likelihood of a behavior. For example, Skinner could have used electric shocks and stopped them when the rat pressed the lever.
What is the difference between positive and negative punishment?
-Positive punishment adds an undesirable consequence (like chores for not doing homework), while negative punishment takes away something desirable (like taking away a phone) to decrease a behavior.
How did Skinner use shaping in his experiments with rats?
-Skinner used shaping by rewarding the rats each time they got closer to the lever. This gradual reinforcement led the rats to eventually press the lever for food.
What is the difference between ratio and interval schedules of reinforcement?
-Ratio schedules depend on the number of responses for reinforcement, while interval schedules depend on the amount of time that must pass before reinforcement is given.
What is continuous reinforcement, and how does it differ from fixed ratio reinforcement?
-Continuous reinforcement provides a reward every time the behavior is shown (like putting money into a vending machine), while fixed ratio reinforcement rewards behavior after a set number of responses.
What is variable ratio reinforcement, and how does it differ from fixed ratio reinforcement?
-Variable ratio reinforcement provides a reward after an unpredictable number of responses, unlike fixed ratio reinforcement where the reward comes after a set number of responses.
What are examples of variable interval reinforcement in real life?
-Variable interval reinforcement is seen in activities like fishing or gambling, where the time between rewards is unpredictable, making the activity highly engaging.
How does behaviorism view human and animal learning?
-Behaviorism sees learning in humans and animals as similar, where behavior is shaped by the environment through processes like classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
How has behaviorism influenced psychology?
-Behaviorism, through concepts like conditioning, shaped psychology by promoting the study of observable behavior and emphasizing the role of the environment in shaping actions.

Outlines

00:00

🐁 Introduction to Skinner's Experiments and Positive Reinforcement

The first paragraph introduces B.F. Skinner's experiments with animals, primarily rats and pigeons, in which he demonstrated operant conditioning. Skinner placed rats in a box with a lever that dispensed food. Over time, the rats learned to press the lever to receive food. This behavior was shaped using positive reinforcement, where the reward (food) increased the likelihood of the rats repeating the action. The paragraph highlights the basic principles of positive reinforcement and mentions that other methods, such as negative reinforcement and punishment, can also affect behavior.

05:00

⚡ Understanding Negative Reinforcement and Punishment

This paragraph explains how negative reinforcement and punishment work in behavior modification. Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, as exemplified by Skinner potentially sending an electric shock until the rat presses the lever. Punishment, on the other hand, is used to decrease behavior. Positive punishment involves adding something undesirable (like chores when not doing homework), while negative punishment involves taking away something desirable (like taking away a phone for not finishing homework).

🛠 Shaping Behavior and Successive Approximation

This section explores the concept of shaping or successive approximation in operant conditioning. Skinner did not expect the rats to immediately press the lever. Instead, he rewarded the rats as they progressively got closer to the desired behavior. By reinforcing each small step toward pressing the lever, Skinner was able to guide the rats to eventually complete the action. This method of shaping gradually leads individuals to perform complex behaviors by reinforcing smaller actions leading up to the final desired behavior.

🔄 Schedules of Reinforcement: Ratios and Intervals

The concept of schedules of reinforcement is discussed in this paragraph. Skinner introduced different reinforcement schedules to understand how often or after how much time reinforcement should occur. 'Ratio' refers to the number of behaviors required for reinforcement, while 'interval' refers to the amount of time between reinforcements. Continuous reinforcement provides a reward every time a behavior is performed, while fixed ratio and fixed interval schedules reward after a specific number of behaviors or after a set period of time, respectively. Variable ratio and variable interval schedules, on the other hand, provide reinforcement unpredictably, which can make behaviors harder to extinguish.

🎲 Variable Schedules and Real-World Examples

This paragraph elaborates on variable ratio and variable interval schedules of reinforcement. In these schedules, the number of responses or the amount of time before reinforcement is unpredictable. Real-world examples include gambling, where the reward (winning) comes at random intervals, and fishing, where a catch is not guaranteed at any specific time. These unpredictable reinforcement schedules tend to make behaviors more persistent. Examples like mixtape sales, where income can fluctuate dramatically, are given as real-life illustrations of variable reinforcement.

📜 Behaviorism and Its Key Figures: Pavlov, Watson, and Skinner

The final paragraph recaps the influence of behaviorism and its key proponents: Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner. These men laid the foundation for understanding behavior through observation and empirical evidence, positioning behaviorism as a scientific approach. It emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping behavior and asserts that both humans and animals learn in similar ways through processes like classical conditioning and operant conditioning. The paragraph concludes by reminding us that while behaviorism is a theory, it has significantly shaped psychological research and practices.

🃏 Closing Note

The final brief paragraph ends the script with the word 'pun,' likely referencing the use of humor or wordplay to conclude the presentation. It seems to serve as a playful or light-hearted conclusion.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement refers to the process of encouraging a behavior by offering a reward when that behavior is performed. In the video, Skinner used food as a reward for the rats when they pressed a lever, thus increasing the likelihood of the behavior. This concept is central to behaviorism as it explains how desirable behaviors can be strengthened through rewards.

💡Negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement involves increasing the likelihood of a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus. In the video, the example of an electric shock that stops when the rat presses the lever illustrates this concept. Although ethically questionable, negative reinforcement demonstrates how individuals or animals act to avoid negative outcomes.

💡Punishment

Punishment is used to decrease the likelihood of an unwanted behavior by applying an adverse consequence. In the video, the example of a mother making a child do chores for not completing homework is an instance of positive punishment. Another example is taking away a phone (negative punishment) to discourage undesirable behavior. Both types aim to reduce the occurrence of certain actions.

💡Shaping

Shaping refers to the gradual training of a desired behavior through successive approximations. In the video, Skinner rewarded rats at every step closer to pressing the lever. This process of shaping is essential in behaviorism for teaching complex behaviors by reinforcing incremental progress towards the final goal.

💡Schedules of reinforcement

Schedules of reinforcement describe how often a reward is given in response to a behavior. The video introduces fixed ratio, fixed interval, variable ratio, and variable interval reinforcement schedules, which define when and how often rewards are provided. These schedules affect the strength and persistence of behavior, such as in gambling or vending machines.

💡Fixed ratio reinforcement

Fixed ratio reinforcement involves delivering a reward after a set number of responses. The video uses the example of a vending machine that dispenses a candy bar every five times a quarter is inserted. This type of reinforcement leads to high response rates, as individuals can predict when they will be rewarded.

💡Fixed interval reinforcement

Fixed interval reinforcement provides a reward after a specific amount of time, regardless of how many responses occur. In the video, a vending machine that gives candy bars every minute is an example of this schedule. Fixed interval schedules tend to result in behaviors increasing as the time for the reward approaches.

💡Variable ratio reinforcement

Variable ratio reinforcement involves delivering a reward after an unpredictable number of responses. The video explains that a vending machine may give candy after three quarters one time, and eight quarters the next, leading to unpredictable rewards. This type of reinforcement is seen in gambling and tends to create high and persistent response rates.

💡Variable interval reinforcement

Variable interval reinforcement provides a reward after varying amounts of time. The video illustrates this with a vending machine that dispenses candy at different intervals, such as 20 seconds or 5 hours, regardless of how often the lever is pressed. This unpredictability can maintain a consistent response rate over time.

💡Operant conditioning

Operant conditioning is the process by which behaviors are learned and modified based on the consequences they produce. The video focuses on Skinner's experiments, where rats learned to press a lever for food (positive reinforcement) or to stop an electric shock (negative reinforcement). Operant conditioning is central to behaviorism, explaining how both animals and humans can be trained to perform desired actions.

Highlights

Skinner conducted experiments using rats and pigeons to study behavior.

Positive reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior by providing rewards, as demonstrated with the rats pressing the lever to receive food.

Negative reinforcement increases behavior by removing a negative consequence, like stopping an electric shock once the rat presses the lever.

Punishment decreases behavior, such as positive punishment when a punishment is added or negative punishment when something is taken away.

Skinner introduced the concept of shaping, where behavior is gradually taught by rewarding successive approximations toward the desired behavior.

Schedules of reinforcement influence how often a behavior is rewarded, and can be based on ratio (number of responses) or interval (time between rewards).

Continuous reinforcement occurs when a behavior is rewarded every time, as in a vending machine that gives a snack after each payment.

Fixed ratio reinforcement rewards behavior after a set number of responses, like giving a reward every five times the behavior is performed.

Fixed interval reinforcement rewards behavior after a set amount of time, regardless of how many responses occur, such as dispensing a candy bar after one minute.

Variable ratio reinforcement occurs when the number of responses needed for a reward changes unpredictably, which is common in gambling and other chance-based activities.

Variable interval reinforcement happens when the amount of time between rewards is unpredictable, such as waiting different amounts of time for a candy bar to be dispensed.

Gambling and fishing are popular activities due to the variable ratio schedules that make the rewards unpredictable and enticing.

Behaviorism views psychology as a science that relies on observation and empirical evidence.

Behaviorism emphasizes that human and animal behavior is shaped by the environment and learned through conditioning processes.

Skinner, along with Pavlov and Watson, were influential figures in behaviorism, demonstrating that behavior could be manipulated through conditioning techniques.