PSYC 2330 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Operant Conditioning Chamber, Classical Conditioning, Reinforcement

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2330
• Professor: Francesco Leri

Document Summary

Classical conditioning reflects how organisms adjust to events in their environment that they cannot directly control. Instrumental behavior: behavior that occurs because it was previously instrumental (aka- influential) in producing certain consequences. Law of effect: if a response in the presence of a stimulus is followed by a satisfying event, the association between the stimulus (s) and the response (r) is strengthened. If the response is followed by an annoying event, the s-r association is weakened. Thorndike"s proposal is the basis for the compulsive nature of drug abuse. Discrete-trial procedure: a method of instrumental conditioning in which the participant can perform the instrumental response only during specified periods, usually determined by either placement of the participant in an experiment chamber, or by the presentation of a stimulus. Often conducted in a type of maze. Free-operant procedures: a method of instrumental conditioning that permits repeated performance of the instrumental response without intervention from the experimenter.