Explain Thordike's Law of Effect.
Explain the basic framework for understanding instrumental conditioning.
Define in terms of operant conditioning: Response, Consequence, Reinforcement, Punishment.
Explain what distinguishes reinforcement from punishment.
Explain what distinguishes positive from negative.
Explain the problem of circular reasoning involved in defining a reinforcer and reinforcement. What is the circular reasoning? Why is it a problem?
Describe Skinner's approach to this problem, and the approach of other modern behaviorists.
Compare and contrast classical and instrumental conditioning in terms of the timing of stimuli and responses and the types of responses conditioned.
Describe the procedure for acquistion trials and extinction trials in instrumental conditioning.
Explain the results of acquisition or extinction.
Explain the factors (contingency, type of reinforcer, schedule of reinforcement) that affect the strength of an instrumentally conditioned association.
Explain the Premack principle.
Describe different types of reinforcers.
Explain discriminative stimulus and stimulus control. Include the involvement of classical conditioning.
Explain the importance of generalization and discrimination in regard to discriminative stimuli.
Explain shaping as another example of discrimination.
Describe the use of extinction and reinforcing other (especially incompatible behaviors) for eliminating undesirable behaviors.
Explain the effects of punishment and why reinforcement is often, but not always, preferable.
Describe some important differences between the earlier more radical view of operant conditioning and more contemporary approaches.
Explain why reinforcement sometimes does not seem to work in practice as it should in theory.