Today’s Objectives1. Distinguish Operant Conditioning

from Classical Conditioning

2. Distinguish the work of Ivan Pavlov from the work of E. L. Thorndike

3. Identify and apply the 2 types of reinforcement

4. Apply “learned helplessness” to your life

2. Operant Conditioning• Teaches voluntary behaviors based on positive or

negative results of that behavior.

– A dog will come to you, if you reward it for coming

– Teachers who offer pizza parties to the class w/ the best grades

– If you put money into a soda machine, you’ll get a drink

– If you drive while drunk, you will get your license suspended

– If you punch your teacher, you will get expelled

Big Bang Theory and OC

2. E. L. Thorndike

• The father of Operant Conditioning–Tested cats by seeing if they could

find their way out of a box to get to food

–Based his theory on the Law of Effect: if an action is followed by something you like, you’ll do it more often

2. Two Types of Reinforcement

• Positive

–Praise, food, rewards

• Negative

–Spanking, yelling, ASD, ISS, OSS, etc…

2. Learned Helplessness• Occurs when someone does not take steps

to avoid an unpleasant stimulus–EX: A kid who is is abused for no

reason at home, will act out at school and will not mind punishment.•This is because they think punishment is something they cannot control due to their previous experiences.

•They will not make an attempt to seek rewards or avoid punishment

Operant Conditioning and Superstition

WRITE THIS INFO DOWN

How would Operant Conditioning work as an explanation for superstitions???

Exit Ticket1. How is OC different from CC?

2. Summarize Thorndike’s experiment.

3. Provide an example of a time each type of reinforcement has been used on or by you.

4. Diagnose someone you know with learned helplessness. What led you to this diagnosis?