4. Reinforcement and Punishment

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we take a closer look at the mechanisms of reinforcement and punishment in operant conditioning, focusing in particular on: (i) two different types of reinforcement, positive and negative; (ii) how they can lead to a certain behaviour being performed again; (iii) positive and negative punishment; (iv) how this can lead to a behaviour being reduced.

Course

In this course, Mr Martyn Quigley (University of Nottingham) discusses some classic psychological theories of learning. In the first lecture, we think about the research of Ivan Pavlov and his theory of classical conditioning as a form of associative learning. In the second lecture, we take a closer look at factors affecting classical conditioning, focusing in particular on the processes of extinction and generalisation. In the third lecture, we move on to discuss operant or instrumental conditioning and the research of Edward Thorndike. Next, we think about the mechanisms of reinforcement and punishment in operant conditioning. In the fifth lecture, we take a closer look at how the rate at which reinforcement occurs can influence learning. In the sixth and final lecture, we conclude the course with a discussion of social learning theory as an alternative to the behaviourist approach to learning.

Lecturer

Martyn Quigley is a Teaching Associate in the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham. His research interests include the mechanisms which underpin learning in a whole manner of circumstances, and how these can be linked to applied settings (e.g. educational and medical settings). He is also interested in the philosophy of science and how this relates to psychology and the replication crisis.