Lecture Punishment and Aversive Control

Escape

Learns to terminate an ongoing aversive stimulus

Avoidance

Learns to prevent the occurence of the aversive stimulus all together

What is the signalled shock procedure?

First, rat learns to escape from shock. Later, learns to avoid.

What reinforces avoidance response?

Moving to the other side of the chamber is reinforced by the absence of shock

how can a non-event (shock not happening) be a reinforcer???

2-Process Theory proposed as a better explanation

What is the two-process (2 factor) theory?

Avoidance response is reinforced by the termination of the signal

1. Pavlovian Factor: signal for shock becomes aversive

2. Operant Factor termination of signal is reinforcing

Problems with 2-process theory

over time, signal loses aversiveness, but avoidance behavior doesn’t go away

even bigger problem: new experiment showing avoidance can still happen even w/o a signal

New (no signal) experiment…

shocks occur unpredictably (no signal)

response reduces shock rate (doesn’t eliminate shocks)

rats learned to respond to avoid some of the shocks

2-process theory cannot be used as an explanation

Revised one process theory

Operant Factor = avoidance response is reinforced by lower rate of aversive stimulation

Guidelines for Using Punishment

intensity of punisher affects duration of effect

don’t use (too) weak punishers

don’t gradually increase strength

don’t delay punisher

do punish every response

Drawbacks of using punishers

emotional byproducts

doesn’t teach correct behavior

behavior likely to return

elicits aggression & countercontrol

dangerous behaviors

long- standing problems resistant to treatment

When to use punishment?

it reinforcers the punisher

Why do we use punishment so oftten?

Response prevention

environment is altered to prevent response

drawbacks:

1. doesn’t teach control or correct responding

2. sometimes difficult to implement

Extinction

Drawbacks: slow, emotional responses, may not be able to control reinforcer

Differential Reinforcement Schedules

DRI (incompatible)

DRO (other)

DRL (low rate)

• but havent eliminated reinforcer for undesirable behavior

Termination of removal of signal for shock  

According to two process theory, what is the negative reinforcer?