Mechanism of operant conditioning

Mechanism of Operant Conditioning:

Operant conditioning is correlated with operant behaviour. Operant is a set of acts that constitutes some action of an organism.

Process of operant conditioning response natural as well as random.

Desired response reinforced through a suitable reinforcer in primary or secondary, positive or negative.

1.      Shaping:

      It Provides guidance and direction for behaviour change program & help in assessing effectiveness. It assist in setting goals for the behaviour of a certain student. Complex behaviour is shaped and helps in learning difficult skills.

      Example: Pigeon to dance in a particular manner.

            Child learning foreign language

            Child learning table manners

      For desired responses efforts are directed at eliciting the appropriate responses. Building a chain of responses through a step by step process is called shaping.

      Shaping used as a successful technique for training individuals to learn difficult and complex behaviuors. Introducing desirable modifications in their behaviour.

2.      Chaining:

      Chaining is the process in shaping of behaviuor broken down into small steps for effective learning of a given task by providing subsequent reinforcement.

      It is a sort of chain reaction. One object sparks the other object and so on. Chaining starts when one response brings the organism into contact with stimuli that both reward the last response and cause the next response, causes the organism to experience stimuli that both reward the response and cause the next response and so on. The new behaviour you want to build may be a series or chain of behaviour. A behaviuor chain is a series of related behaviours each of which provide the use for the next and last that produces a reinforcers

3.      Discrimination & cueing:

      It is a process of using cues and signals. Information to determine when behaviour is likely to be reinforces or punished. cues or signals may reinforce behaviour or may behaviour may puinished.

      Example:

1.   Animal press the lever when the light is on and not to press it when the light is off. Light is a cue or signal for the operant behaviour (lever press respone).

      Pick up your telephone. Hear the dial tone. Certain responses to the dial tone. Makes you advance to pushing the buttons for dialing a number or stop making use of the telephone. Responses to the dial tone is a cues or signals for the operant behaviour (performed or omitted).

4.      Generalization:

      Generalization is ability of an organism dealing with the perception. Response to similar stimuli. Example: child successfully subtracts four apples from nine apples after learning to subtract four oranges from nine oranges.