PSYC10003 · Mind, Brain and Behaviour 1
Operant Conditioning and Social-Cognitive Learning
Week 3 covers operant conditioning — how voluntary behaviour is shaped by its consequences — and social-cognitive learning. It builds the reinforcement/punishment 2×2 (positive/negative × reinforcement/punishment), shaping by successive approximations, and the four schedules of reinforcement (fixed/variable × ratio/interval) with their response signatures, then moves to observational learning and Bandura's Bobo doll work. The examinable core, within the 25% Learning & Cognition block, is distinguishing reinforcement from punishment and matching a scenario to the right cell of the 2×2 — a classic distractor-rich MCQ.
What this chapter covers
- 01Operant conditioning: behaviour operates on the environment to produce consequences (Skinner)
- 02The 2×2: positive/negative reinforcement (behaviour increases) vs positive/negative punishment (behaviour decreases)
- 03'Positive' = something added, 'negative' = something removed — not good/bad
- 04Schedules of reinforcement: fixed/variable × ratio/interval; variable-ratio gives high, persistent responding
- 05Continuous vs partial reinforcement; the partial-reinforcement extinction effect; extinction burst
- 06Shaping: reinforcing successive approximations to a target behaviour
- 07The ABC model (Antecedent → Behaviour → Consequence) and the discriminative stimulus
- 08Social-cognitive learning: observational learning, vicarious reinforcement, Bandura's Bobo doll study
Sorting four consequences into the operant 2×2
- +1(i) An unpleasant stimulus (traffic delay) is removed and the behaviour (taking the route) increases → negative reinforcement (behaviour more likely).
- +1(ii) A pleasant stimulus (tablet time) is removed and the behaviour (grabbing) decreases → negative punishment, also called response cost (behaviour less likely).
- +1(iii) A pleasant stimulus (bonus) is added and the behaviour (working hard) increases → positive reinforcement (behaviour more likely).
- +1(iv) An unpleasant stimulus (water squirt) is added and the behaviour (jumping up) decreases → positive punishment (behaviour less likely).
Key terms
- Reinforcement vs punishment
- A reinforcer is any consequence that makes a behaviour more likely to recur; a punisher is any consequence that makes it less likely. This is defined by the effect on behaviour, not by whether the consequence feels pleasant.
- Positive vs negative
- 'Positive' means a stimulus is added; 'negative' means a stimulus is removed. Combined with reinforcement/punishment this gives the four operant cells.
- Variable-ratio schedule
- Reinforcement delivered after a varying, unpredictable average number of responses; produces high, persistent responding and is highly resistant to extinction (the pattern underlying gambling).
- Shaping
- Reinforcing successive approximations to a target behaviour — rewarding closer and closer versions — to build responses not already in the organism's repertoire.
- Discriminative stimulus
- An antecedent cue that signals which behaviour will be reinforced in a context (e.g. a green light signalling that a lever press will pay off); central to the ABC model.
- Observational learning
- Learning vicariously by watching a model, without directly experiencing the reinforcement or punishment; demonstrated by Bandura's Bobo doll study, where the model's consequences affected performance more than learning.
Operant Conditioning and Social-Cognitive Learning FAQ
What is the hardest cell to identify?
Negative reinforcement, because 'negative' sounds like punishment. Remember it removes an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behaviour — taking a painkiller to end a headache, so you keep taking painkillers. The behaviour goes up, so it must be reinforcement.
How do the four reinforcement schedules differ?
They combine ratio (based on number of responses) or interval (based on time) with fixed or variable delivery. Variable schedules — especially variable-ratio — produce the steadiest, most extinction-resistant responding, while fixed-interval schedules produce a scalloped pattern of responding just before reinforcement is due.
What did Bandura's Bobo doll study show?
Children who watched a model behave aggressively toward a doll reproduced those acts, and whether the model was rewarded or punished affected how much they spontaneously imitated. When later offered an incentive, all groups reproduced the behaviour equally — showing they had all learned it, and that the model's consequences affected performance, not learning. This challenged strict behaviourism.
Why is punishment often less effective than reinforcement?
Punishment only suppresses a behaviour rather than teaching a desirable alternative, can provoke negative emotion that impairs new learning, may model aggression, and the behaviour tends to return once the threat is removed. To work it needs contingency, contiguity and consistency; reinforcing an incompatible alternative is usually preferable.
How does operant conditioning relate to classical conditioning?
They interlock. The antecedent cue in the ABC model is often a classically conditioned CS that sets the occasion, while the voluntary behaviour it calls out is shaped operantly by its consequence. Many real scenarios contain both a classical and an operant component.
Exam move
Own the 2×2: practise sorting scenarios by deciding the direction of behaviour change first (up = reinforcement, down = punishment), then whether a stimulus was added or removed. Build a one-line signature for each of the four schedules and be able to name which gives the most persistent responding. Keep operant and classical conditioning connected through the ABC model — the antecedent is often a CS. For social-cognitive learning, remember Bandura's key dissociation: consequences to the model shaped performance, not whether the behaviour was learned. This is a distractor-heavy MCQ area, so rehearse with fresh examples through SWOTVAC rather than memorising a single set. Confirm exam details on Canvas.
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