PSYCH 210 EXAM 2

CHAPTER 6: AVERSIVE CONTROL

Negative punishment

contingent removal of a stimulus that results in a decrease in the future p of that response

Negative reinforcement

when the removal, prevention, or attenuation of some stimulus results in an increase in the future of p of the response

Positive punishment

contingent presentation of a stimulus that results in a decrease in the future p of that response

GOLDEN NUGGET

We define punishers functionally. That is, by their effect on behavior

Positive reinforcement

any event that increases operant behavior by its removal, prevention, or attention

Discriminated avoidance

A warning signal precedes the aversive stimulus

Aversive Stimulus: Getting a ticket

• Result: a car flashes its headlights at you. You slow down and avoid a ticket

Aversive Stimulus: Car engine failure

• Result: Take it to a shop or mechanic; why? Because there was a signal given

Non discriminated avoidance

No warning signals that precede the aversive stimulus

EXAMPLES

Aversive Stimulus: Getting sick or being sick

The goal is to AVOID that, so we take vitamin C (THE AVOIDANCE), but it’s usually taken when sick, that’s the ESCAPE

Aversive stimulus: computer freeze

• Result: avoiding future crashes by repeatedly saving the file

Escape

when an aversive stimulus is present, and a response terminates that stimulus. The difference between the conditions with and without the aversive stimulus is an immediate one.

EXAMPLE: car stereo playing loud music, alarm clock

Be able to identify which cells from the contingency matrix define “aversive control”

Be able to identify examples of escape, avoidance, and non discriminated avoidance

know the variables relating to the effectiveness of punishment

understand the Sloman and how it might explain why parents continue to deliver reprimands

Parents continue to reprimand their kids’ behavior even though they shouldn’t

• Children tend to stop problematic behavior after a parent reprimands them

• BUT, delivering reprimands starts a vicious cycle of behavior. PARENTS can make behavior stop, but have to keep delivering reprimands

• It’s preferred that parents use other means to address problematic behavior and get it to stop.

Be able to distinguish between reinforcement and punishment. Noting that we must look to future  behavior to make this determination. Be able to distinguish between extinction and punishment.

Understand how the potty training example illustrates the importance of contrived reinforcers to  establish behavior and the transfer of control to “other” reinforcers, once the behavior has been  established. 

When a child (or parent) decided to try big kid underpants, we might begin simply: Just let the child wear them.  We will call this baseline (BL). 

Certain reinforcers for going: potty sticker chart, iPad, treasure box, high fives/praises

1. Very few correct voids. This means we have to do something to establish use of the toilet. 
   

Only used reinforcement tactics when necessary 

2. We deliver reinforcers correct voids and being on the toilet. Doing these things increases the number of correct voids. It worked! Affects of reinforcement are temporary 

3. We remove all those reinforcers for correct voids. Notice what happens to correct voids. They do not decrease; they stay the same. 

Does someone wait outside the bathroom to give you a gold star? 

All of our reinforcers were necessary to get the behavior going. 

Those reinforcers were necessary, AND worked! 

But now (in #3), others take control. For example, it’s more comfortable to be in dry, rather than wet, underpants. 

Understand the Sidman Avoidance procedure and how to interpret the likelihood of esatablishing  avoidance given specific RS and SS values

AN EXAMPLE OF NON DISCRIMINATED AVOIDANCE

2 independent timing cycle:

The shock-shock SS interval: determines the time between successive shocks if a response does not occur

The response-shock RS interval: determines the time between a response and a shock

PT 2 OF SS AND RS INTERVALS

In a Sidman avoidance procedure, ALL can be avoided

When the response delays the aversive stimulus (RS interval) for a period of time that is longer than the time between scheduled shocks (SS interval), conditioning is enhanced

If the R-S interval is 30 s, when you make a response, you delay the next shock by 30 s. If the S-S interval is 20 s, then making a response (R-S interval) buys you more time than  NOT making a response.  

In the schematic below, note that the SS interval is 20 and the RS interval is 7 s. Based on what we have  discussed, this type of arrangement will be very challenging for establishing non-discriminated avoidance  responding. The reason: A lever press makes a shock occur sooner relative to taking a shock. 

GOLDEN NUGGET

Punishment is the decrease in behavior that we observe with the contingent presentation of a punisher, or the removal of a reinforcer

We don’t punish (or reinforce) people

We always need to state the response explicitly. That is, state what was punished

CHAPTER 7: SHAPING

shaping

the method of successive terminal response

Play doh or clay

Skinner Video about pigeons

• shaping permits us to start with a small requirement that we can “build” (shape) into a very (very) large requirement

Shaping is an ontogenic parallel to phylogenic selection.

SHAPING CAN OCCUR NATURALLY OR ARTIFICIALLY

differential reinforcement

the process by which responses that fall within a specific class are reinforced, and other are not

Ex. Ways to greet the Professor

Reinforced- professor, dr. Borerro

Extinguished- Sup! Ayo! My man, Johnny B

What we consider “acceptable”. If it’s “acceptable” we’ll reinforce it

DRO

differential reinforcement of other behavior

A reinforcer is delivered if t seconds have passed without the specified target response

• particularly useful when we don’t want to use punishment, but we do want to eliminate a response (completely)

DRL

differential reinforcement of low rates

a response is reinforced only if some minimum amount of time has passed since the last response

• can be very useful when the goas is to reduce the rate of behavior without completely eliminating it

GOLDEN NUGGET

For both DRL and the DRH, a target must occur, to receive a reinforcer

DRH

differential reinforcement of high rates

a response is reinforced if at least n responses were emitted during the last t seconds.

• can be very useful when the goal is to improve both speed and accuracy

Descriptive operant

The behavior that is reinforced

• What the experimenter defines as the “rules” for earning reinforcers

functional operant

The behavior generated by delivery of reinforcers

• What the organism actually does

operant class

A group of responses that are affected by the way in which they operate on the environment

induction

The spread of the effect of reinforcement to other responses not included in the reinforced class

differentiation

responses closely conform to the boundaries of the class of reinforced responses

understand the importance of variability to the shaping process

understand the relation between shaping and ontogeny and selection and phylogeny

be able to provide examples of natural and artificial shaping

be able to describe the real world application of shaping

be able to provide examples and interpret the examples of DRO, DRL, DRH

be able to describe the types of responses that appropriate for using DRO,DRH, DRL

CHAPTER 8: STIMULUS CONTROL

discriminative stimulus (S^D)

sets the occasion for the reinforcement of operant behavior

(Example: Come in were open sign)

s delta (S∆)

is an extinction stimulus and tell us that reinforcers will not be delivered

(EX. do not breathe underwater sign)

controlling stimulus

one that changes the probability of an operant across subsequent occasions

(EX: LIGHT)

correlated stimulus

aspects of responding that are correlated with reinforcement or EXT. 

contextual stimulus

features that remain relatively constant throughout an experiment

discrimination

specifying the conditions under which organisms come to behave one way in the presence of some stimuli, and a different way in the presence of others.

stimulus control

the discriminative control of behavior, or, a change in behavior that occurs when either an S^D or an S^∆ is presented. 

discrimination index

positive behavioral contrast

generalization

that behavior will occur under a variety of conditions. its a “looser” form of stimulus control

stimulus generalization

behavior that is emitted in the presence of the S^D is also emitted in the presence of  other stimuli. 

generalization gradient

describes the relationship between the probability of a response and a stimulus

EDT

• Errorless discrimination training

 the S^∆ and S^D are initially very different, and then differences between the stimuli are  gradually as training progresses. 

be a calculate discrimination index and interpret the value of the calculation (in terms of what it means for interpreting stimulus control)

understand the experiment by terrace (1963)

Remember how we tested whether a rat could tell the difference between green and red. 

If you just throw the rat in the chamber and let it figure it out, this could take a while—and the rat will make  many mistakes, at first.