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All 10 Flashcards — Operant conditioning
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Question
What is operant conditioning?
Answer
Learning in which the consequences of a behaviour make it more or less likely to be repeated.
Question
What is positive reinforcement?
Answer
Adding something pleasant after a behaviour, which increases it.
Question
What is negative reinforcement?
Answer
Removing something unpleasant after a behaviour, which increases it.
Question
What is positive punishment?
Answer
Adding something unpleasant after a behaviour, which decreases it.
Question
What is negative punishment?
Answer
Removing something pleasant after a behaviour, which decreases it.
Question
Reinforcement vs punishment?
Answer
Reinforcement increases behaviour; punishment decreases it.
Question
Why does reinforcement often beat punishment?
Answer
Punishment suppresses behaviour but doesn't teach a better one, and can cause fear or resentment.
Question
Operant vs classical conditioning?
Answer
Operant = learning from consequences of behaviour; classical = linking two stimuli.
Question
One limitation of operant conditioning?
Answer
It ignores thoughts, emotions and social meaning, and much evidence is from animals.
Question
Which concept does it link to?
Answer
Causality — a consequence causes future behaviour to change.
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