Lecture 2 - Respondent & Operant Conditioning

Reinforcement:

• Is a basic principle of behavior

• Was established by B.F. Skinner in laboratory research and over 40 years of human research

• Is a component of many (most) Behavior Modification procedures

Defining Reinforcement

1. The occurrence of a behavior

2. Results immediately in a consequence

3. The behavior is strengthened (more likely to occur again in the future in similar circumstances)

** Functional definition of reinforcement

• Present: Behavior is followed by a consequence

• Future: Behavior is more likely to occur

Effects of Reinforcement on Behavior

• Increase in frequency

• Increase in duration

• Increase in intensity

• Increase in quickness (decrease in latency)

• You get more of whatever the reinforcer is contingent on

example of reinforcement in your everyday life

Reinforcement or not: 1. Guy taunts girl and get slapped, guy keeps taunting girl in future.

Reinforcement or not: 2. Kid answers question correctly and gets praise

Reinforcement or not: 3. Mom asks kid nicely to make bed, kid makes bed, mom continues to ask kid nicely to make bed

Reinforcement or not: 4. Mom nags kid to make bed, kid complies, mom less likely to nag

Reinforcement or not: 5. Man chooses lottery ticket from a specific gas station, wins lottery, continues to buy lottery tickets from same gas station

Reinforcement or not: 6. Boy sticks fork in toaster and gets shock, and is more likely to stick fork in toaster

Reinforcement or not: 7. Teenager plays music loud, mom comes into his room and sits by him and asks him how his day was, kid less likely to play music loud

Reinforcement or not: 8. Alarm goes off, you slap the off button, and aversive alarm sound is terminated

What is Operant Behavior?

• Behavior that is strengthened through the process of reinforcement - behavior that is controlled by its consequences

What is a Reinforcer in the context of operant behaviour?

• The consequence (stimulus or event) that follows operant behavior and strengthens operant behavior

• Reward vs. reinforcers

Two types of reinforcement

Positive reinforcement

Negative reinforcement

Both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement strengthen behavior - they make the behavior more likely to occur in the future

What is Positive Reinforcement?

(addition of a stimulus or consequence)

Behavior is followed by the presentation of a stimulus (a reinforcer) and the behavior is strengthened

Positive Reinforcement example

What is Negative Reinforcement?

Behavior is followed by the removal of a stimulus (a punisher / aversive stimulus) and the behavior is strengthened

(removal of a stimulus or consequence)

Negative Reinforcement example

Escape/avoidance behaviours are involved in _______

negative reinforcement

Escape

the behavior results in the termination of (escape from) the aversive stimulus and the behavior is strengthened.

Aversive stimulus starts → behaviour stops it

Avoidance

the behavior results in the prevention of (avoidance of) the aversive stimulus and the behavior is strengthened.

Aversive stimulus hasn't started → behaviour prevents i

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Push the power button on the TV remote to turn on the TV

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Put on a coat on a cold day

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Use an umbrella

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Slap a mosquito

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Turn up the volume on your i-pod

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Close the window when it rains

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Wear earplugs on a noisy job

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Click on the “Explorer” icon and get to the internet

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Turn off the alarm buzzer

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Give in to a screaming kid

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Screaming kid gets an treat in a store

Negative or Positive Reinforcement: Tell someone to be quiet in a movie

Positive and Negative Reinforcement in the Same Situation

Tantrum in a grocery store

• Child’s tantrum behavior is strengthened by getting candy from a parent (positive reinforcement)

• Parent’s behavior of giving candy to child is strengthened by termination of the tantrum (negative reinforcement)

Unconditioned Reinforcers

• Biologically determined - survival value for the individual

• Food, water, human contact (warmth), oxygen, sexual contact, escape from cold, heat, pain, etc.

Conditioned Reinforcers

• A previously neutral stimulus

• repeatedly paired with an established reinforcer (an unconditioned or conditioned reinforcer)

• will function as a reinforcer

Examples of Conditioned Reinforcers

• Sight, sound, and scent of parents

• Parents’ smile, tone of voice, attention, praise

• Types of toys, TV shows, music, clothes, activities

• Grades, positive evaluations

• Accomplishments (social, physical)

• Money

• Others

Conditioned Generalized Reinforcers

• Paired with a wide variety of other reinforcers

• Ex: Money, praise, tokens

Factors that Influence Reinforcement

• Immediacy

• Consistency (contingency)

• Motivating operations (EO and AO)

• Individual differences

• Intensity/magnitude of the stimulus

• Concurrent schedule of reinforcement or punishment

Immediacy

Consistency (contingency)

Motivating operations (EO and AO)

Individual differences

Intensity/magnitude of the stimulus

Concurrent schedule of reinforcement or punishment

Respondent Conditioning aka

(also known as: Classical Conditioning or Pavlovian Conditioning)

Unconditioned Reflexes

• US → UR

• Unconditioned stimulus elicits an unconditioned response

Respondent Conditioning

• Initially:

US → UR

• Process:

NS → US → UR

*neutral stimulus (NS) paired with US

• Outcome:

CS →CR

After pairing with the US, the NS becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) that now elicits a conditioned response (CR)

Examples of Respondent Conditioning

• Pavlov’s dog

• Eye blink example

• Tone (NS) + Blowing air (US) in eye and eliciting eye blink response (UR)

• Fear/phobia

Respondent Extinction

• Present the CS repeatedly without the US

• The CS will no longer elicit a CR

Respondent Extinction examples

Spontaneous Recovery

• After respondent extinction has occurred

• The CS may once again elicit a CR

Spontaneous Recovery example

Higher Order Conditioning

• Intially:

CS1→ CR

• Process:

NS (soon to be CS2) paired with CS1

• Outcome:

CS2 → CR

Factors Influencing Respondent Conditioning

• The nature of the NS and US

• Timing of the NS and the US

- Trace conditioning

- Delay conditioning

- Simultaneous conditioning

- Backward conditioning

• Consistent pairing of the NS and US

• The number of pairings

> more pairings = stronger learning

• Previous exposure to the NS can diminish learning

Trace conditioning

Delay conditioning

Simultaneous conditioning

Backward conditioning

Conditioned Emotional Responses (CER)

• Negative (unpleasant) CERs (Involves autonomic nervous system arousal)→ Fear, Anxiety, Anger

• Positive (pleasant) CERs → Love, Happiness, Pleasure

Discrimination and Respondent Behavior

• A single CS or narrow range of CSs elicit a CR

• Example: Fear of one specific dog

Generalization of Respondent Behavior

• A number of similar CSs elicit the same CR

• Example: Fear of all dogs

Contrasting Respondent and Operant Conditioning

Operant and Respondent Behavior Together

Example:

Running from the crow (operant)

Autonomic arousal elicited by the crow (respondent)

Operant or respondent behavior: 1. Worker dog gets up when audience applauds

Operant or respondent behavior: 2. Woman experiences shortness of breath when seeing a spider

Operant or respondent behavior: 3. Dad gags when he smells his kid’s vomit

Operant or respondent behavior: 4. Dad holds his breath when he sees vomit

Operant or respondent behavior: 5. Kid is startled when urine alarm sounds at night

Operant or respondent behavior: 6. Kid gets out of bed when urine alarm sounds

Operant or respondent behavior: 7. Kid screams for dad when startled by a snake

Respondent Conditioning and Behavior Modification

• Relaxation training

• Exposure therapy

• Treatment for fears/phobias

• Aversion therapy