PSYCH 1F03 Lecture 5: Instrumental conditioning
12 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
A process by which organisms learn the contingencies between biologically important stimuli. Involves explicit training between voluntary behaviours and their consequences. A specific behavior leads to a specific consequence. Learning the contingency between behaviours and their consequence. A decreasing number of behaviours in relation to the number of increasing successful trials. Over several trials, random behaviours that did not lead to success decreased, leaving only the correct target behaviours. Animal followed a simple stimulus-response type process. A long trial- and -error process of discovery. Learned the contingency between the specific behaviour and the specific consequence. Any stimulus, which, when presented after a response, leads to a change in the rate of that response. Behaviour responses are changed by both positive and negative reinforcers; which each can be presented or removed. A controversial issue when applied in the real world due to the ethics of experiencing fear or pain in the recipient.
