The Operant Class
Staying close to the food cup and moving toward it are operants that have been selected by their reinforcing consequences. In other words, these responses have been reliably followed by food presentation, and as a result they increase in frequency. However, hovering around a food cup and moving toward it are operants that are difficult to measure objectively. In contrast, a lever press may be easily defined as a switch closure that makes an electrical connection. Any behavior emitted by the rat that results in a switch closure defines the
operant class. A lever press with the left or right paw produces an identical electrical connection. Another advantage of lever pressing as an operant is that it may be emitted at either high or low rates of response. This is an advantage because the primary focus of operant research is on the conditions that affect the rate (probability) of operant behavior.
Average user rating: 5 stars out of 1 votes
Post a comment