Gambling Operant Conditioning

• Operant Conditioning Gambling Example
• Operant Conditioning And Gambling
• Gambling Operant Conditioning Units
• Gambling Operant Conditioning

After the retirement of John B. Watson from the world of Academic psychology, psychologists and behaviorists were eager to propose new forms of learning other than the classical conditioning. The most important among these theories was Operant Conditioningproposed by Burrhus Frederic Skinner, commonly known as B.F. Skinner.

Skinner based his theory in the simple fact that the study of observable behavior is much simpler than trying to study internal mental events. Skinner’s works concluded a study far less extreme than those of Watson (1913), and it deemed classical conditioning as too simplistic of a theory to be a complete explanation of complex human behavior.

B.F. Skinner is famous for his pioneering research in the field of learning and behavior. He proposed the theory to study complex human behavior by studying the voluntary responses shown by an organism when placed in the certain environment. He named these behaviors or responses as operant. He is also called the father of Operant Conditioning Learning, but he based his theory known as “Law of Effect”, discovered by Edward Thorndike in 1905.

Operant Conditioning Learning

B.F. Skinner proposed his theory on operant conditioning by conducting various experiments on animals. He used a special box known as “Skinner Box” for his experiment on rats.

Operant Conditioning is when behavior is strengthened or weakened by positive or negative reinforcements (Goldstein p. As a parent I deal with my children’s bad behaviors, as well as their good behaviors. Operant Conditioning shows how behavior is influenced by three different types of responses or operant that affects behavior.

Similar to classical conditioning, operant conditioning can be applied in animal training. Moreover, this type of conditioning is applicable in the design of video games and gambling devices. There are three types of operant conditionin g and they are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment. A tactic of operant conditioning within gaming that is worth mentioning. Is the rate at which the rewards and progression are slowed. The aim of these developers will be to inundate the player with. Negative Reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is an additional stimulus that encourages certain behavior. This is a type of operant conditioning. For example, parents use positive reinforcement when they a child for completing their chores with a piece of candy. The child starts associating chores with candy, and as a.

As the first step to his experiment, he placed a hungry rat inside the Skinner box. The rat was initially inactive inside the box, but gradually as it began to adapt to the environment of the box, it began to explore around. Eventually, the rat discovered a lever, upon pressing which; food was released inside the box. After it filled its hunger, it started exploring the box again, and after a while it pressed the lever for the second time as it grew hungry again. This phenomenon continued for the third, fourth and the fifth time, and after a while, the hungry rat immediately pressed the lever once it was placed in the box. Then the conditioning was deemed to be complete.

Operant Conditioning Gambling Example

Here, the action of pressing the lever is an operant response/behavior, and the food released inside the chamber is the reward. The experiment is also known as Instrumental Conditioning Learning as the response is instrumental in getting food.

This experiment also deals with and explains the effects of positive reinforcement. Upon pressing the lever, the hungry rat was served with food, which filled its hunger; hence, it’s a positive reinforcement.

B.F. Skinner’s Second Experiment

B.F. Skinner also conducted an experiment that explained negative reinforcement. Skinner placed a rat in a chamber in the similar manner, but instead of keeping it hungry, he subjected the chamber to an unpleasant electric current. The rat having experienced the discomfort started to desperately move around the box and accidentally knocked the lever. Pressing of the lever immediately seized the flow of unpleasant current. After a few times, the rat had smartened enough to go directly to the lever in order to prevent itself from the discomfort.

The electric current reacted as the negative reinforcement, and the consequence of escaping the electric current made sure that the rat repeated the action again and again. Here too, the pressing of the lever is an operant response, and the complete stop of the electric current flow is its reward.

Conclusion

Both the experiment clearly explains the working of operant conditioning. The important part in any operant conditioning learning is to recognize the operant behavior and the consequence resulted in that particular environment.

Operant conditioning is the second learning principle. This type of learning occurs due to the cause-and-effect relationship between a behavior and its consequences. Operant conditioning has a common sense element. When we reward a behavior, it increases. When we punish a behavior, it decreases. However, research has further refined our understanding beyond simple common sense:

Operant Conditioning And Gambling

1) When is the best time to administer a reward or punishment?
2) How much of a reward or punishment is needed?
3) How often should we deliver a reward or punishment?
4) What type of reward or punishment works best, and under which conditions?

A substance or activity can only become addictive if it is rewarding; i.e., if it is pleasurable or enjoyable (at least initially). Individuals who dislike particular substances or activities have little risk for developing an addiction to those substances or activities. Such dislikes are not uncommon. Some people do not enjoy certain substances or activities. This protects them from developing an addiction simply because those substances or activities are not enjoyable. They are not rewarding.

Addiction is a learned behavior because the initial pleasure or enjoyment was rewarding. According to the principles of operant conditioning, rewarded behaviors will increase. Of particular concern is that most addictive substances and activities are immediately rewarding. Research has taught us that when we immediately reward a behavior people (and animals) learn it more quickly. This also explains why the addictive substance or activity tends to replace other, more healthy sources of reward. These other types of rewards are frequently delayed (such as the return of good health). An unfortunate cycle also develops. As addiction progresses, the availability of natural, healthy pleasures (rewards) decline due to the addiction. Friendships are strained. Loved ones become bitter. Meaningful jobs or hobbies are lost or abandoned. When this happens, addicted people become more and more dependent on their addiction as their sole source of reward. This creates an unfortunate but powerful addictive cycle.

Punishment also plays an important role in the development of addiction. If there is an early and significant punishment (perhaps a DUI, or a medical problem) then the addiction might not develop. In many cases, punishments for addiction occur much later, when the addiction is already firmly in place. At this point, many chemical and physiological changes have already occurred in the brain. This makes it more difficult to discontinue the addiction. Simultaneously, unhealthy cognitive and emotional patterns have become well-established. This too makes it more difficult to change addictive behavior. Therefore, in these later stages of addiction punishment alone is usually insufficient to create a lasting change. The most successful approach is to increase rewards for healthy behavioral choices while eliminating rewards for addictive behavior.

Operant conditioning has resulted in several effective treatments. The basic idea is to reward addicted people for making healthier, recovery-oriented choices. However, research has made it very clear: The rewards must have some value, and the reward must be substantial. Again, this has a common sense ring to it. It's unlikely an addicted person would give up their addiction for a piece of chocolate. However, they might give it up for a car!

It follows that what might be rewarding to one person, would be meaningless to the next. For a very hungry person food might be very rewarding. However, if someone just finished a Thanksgiving feast, food is unlikely to be rewarding. Addictions research has demonstrated that by rewarding some people with inexpensive but desired items they can increase the number of abstinent days. This is particularly true for people with limited financial means. These same inexpensive items would not likely serve to change the behavior of someone with greater financial means.

CRAFT is a therapy that relies on operant conditioning (Community Reinforcement and Family Training; Meyers & Wolfe, 2004). The social portionof the Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual model stresses the importance of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, addiction treatment often needs to include family members or other people who have a close personal relationship with the addict.

CRAFT teaches concerned significant others (CSO's) to reward the addicted person's positive, healthy behaviors. These behaviors oppose addiction. The CSO's also learn to remove rewards for unhealthy behaviors. These behaviors support addiction. For instance, a wife may plan a pleasant evening for her husband when he comes home from work, without stopping at a bar. However, if he comes home drunk, her kind attention is withdrawn. In this case, she would excuse herself from his company for the rest of the evening. By rewarding healthy behavior, and withdrawing rewards for unhealthy behavior, the wife is applying the principles of operant conditioning. This approach will increase the husband's healthy behaviors but only if quality time with his wife is rewarding. Another husband might find time alone to be more rewarding. Once again, we must target the rewards to each person.

Gambling Operant Conditioning Units

CRAFT teaches family members to allow the negative consequences of addiction to affect the addicted person directly. This is often difficult for family members. Out of care and concern for their loved one, they have prevented these consequences from occurring. Moreover, these negative consequences often affect the entire family, not just the addict. For example, suppose a spouse loses his/her job because of irregular work attendance due to addiction. This loss of income has a huge impact on the entire family! Therefore, it is quite natural for the healthy spouse to try to prevent these sorts of problems.

Gambling Operant Conditioning

Regardless of the loving motives of family members, removing the negative consequences serves to prolong addiction. In contrast, allowing these consequences to occur serves as a deterrent (punishment). For instance, if a wife misses work on Monday morning because she has a hangover, her husband does not call in to work for her. Instead, he lets her make the call herself. In some severe situations, CSO's may even apply negative consequences of their own (such as moving out of the house). However, these sorts of drastic negative consequences (punishments) are the last resort, not the first. Research has made it clear: People maintain positive behavior much longer when they expect a reward, rather than a punishment.