Psychology 1400 Final Exam

Antecedent Stimulus

An observable stimulus that is present before the behavior occurs.

Discriminated Operant Behavior

Operant behavior that is systematically influenced by antecedent stimuli.

Discriminative Stimulus SD

An antecedent stimulus that can evoke a specific operant response because the individual has learned that when the discriminative stimulus is present, that response will be reinforced.

Example: The bell rings at school, students pack up their bags, they get to leave class. (The students are more likely to pack up when they hear the bell ring)

The S-Delta (SΔ)

An antecedent stimulus that decreases a specific operant response because the individual has learned that when the S-delta is present, that response will not be reinforced.

Example: The dark house. (Trick-or-treaters are less likely to go to the house with the light on, their behavior is discriminated.

Discriminative Stimulus for Punishment (SDP)

The antecedent stimulus that decreases a specific operant response because the individual has learned that when the SDP is present, that response will be punished.

Example: A “no parking” sign is up in a parking lot. This signals that parking there might lead to punishment, so you avoid the behavior.

The Three-term Contingency

The functional relation between antecedent, behavior, and consequence.

Discrimination Training

A procedure where an operant response is reinforced in the presence of the discriminative stimulus and extinguished in the presence of an S-delta.

Generalization

When a novel stimulus resembling the discriminative stimulus evokes the response, despite that response never having been reinforced in the presence of that novel stimulus.

Example: A child is taught to say “thank you” when their parent gives them a snack. Later, the child also starts saying thank you in other situations. Even though the situation has changed, the child has generalized the behavior of saying “thank you.”

Promoting Generalization

Tactic 1: Teach behaviors that will contact natural contingencies of reinforcement.

Tactic 2: Train Diversely

Tactic 3: Arrange antecedent stimuli that will cue generalization

Stimulus-Response Chain

Task Analysis: Breaks down a complex behavior into smaller, teachable tasks.

Backward Chaining: Teach the last step first, and work backwards.

Forward Chaining: You teach the first step first, and work forward.

Prompting: Helping the learner perform a step.

Fading: Gradually removing that help so the learner does it independently.

Choice

May be defined as voluntary behavior occurring in a context in which alternative behaviors are possible.

4 Variables Affecting Choice

1.) Reinforcement vs. no consequence

2.) Reinforcer size/quality

3.) Effort

4.) Reinforcer Delay

Matching Law

The matching law says that people will allocate their behavior in proportion to the amount of reinforcement they receive.

Example: A student yells out in class and the teacher responds, while hand-raising is ignored. The student will start to shout out more and raise their hand less.

Substitute Reinforcer

A reinforcer that is increasingly consumed when access to another reinforcer is constrained.

Delay Discounting Curve

A Hyperbola

Rachlin and Green

First studied commitment strategies in pigeons and watched them commit themselves to self-control.

B.F Skinners Analysis of Verbal Behavior

Mand: A request

Tact: A Label

Echoic: A repeat

Intraverbal: A conversational response

Symmetric Relational Responding

The behavior of relating two arbitrary stimuli as, in many ways, the same.

Multiple-Exemplar Training

Teaching an individual to symmetrically relate arbitrary stimuli, over and over again, with multiple examples.

Stimulus Equivalence

When different stimuli become interchangeable in a persons behavior, even if only some of the relationships were directly taught.

Psychological Function of Verbal Stimuli

The emotion evoking function as verbal stimuli, despite those stimuli having never acquired Pavlovian Conditioned Stimulus.

Rule-Governed Behavior

Behavior is influenced by a verbal description of the operative three-term contingency.

Contingency-Shaped Behavior

Behavior acquired and maintained by interacting with the contingencies of reinforcement alone.

Pliance

Rule governed behavior occurring because of socially meditated positive or negative reinforcers.

Tracking

Rule following occurring because the instructions appear to correctly describe operant contingencies that operate the world.

ACT

Acceptance Commitment Therapy