Psychology 3214

Spring 2018

Study Guide for Test 3

 

0. How does Darwin's Theory of Evolution influence the approach to conditioning in this area?

1. Understand Thorndike's "Puzzle Box" experiments. Why did he do them? What did he find? How did he interpret the results? Do cats and humans solve puzzles the same way?

2. What was Watson's explanation of Thorndike's results? What are his views about the Law of Effect? What does he suggest to do to produce a change in behavior?

3. What was Guthrie's explanation of Thorndike's results? What are his views about the Law of Effect? What does he suggest to do to produce a change in behavior?

4. Understand Hull's "need-drive reduction" explanation of the Law of Effect. How does he explain how to pick a reward? Why are Harlow's mother-love experiments interpreted as contradicting Hull's approach?

5. Understand Meehl's approach to the Law of Effect and the concept of transituationality. How does he explain how to pick a reward?

6. Understand Skinner's "empirical" approach to the Law of Effect. How does he produce changes in behavior?

7. Be able to define positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment according to Skinner.

8. Be able to identify the occurrence or nonoccurrence of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment according to Skinner from descriptions of concrete situations.

9. Imagine that we wanted to increase the amount of reading done by a teenager. What advice would be given by Thorndike, Hull, Meehl, Skinner, and Guthrie?