V&F Ch 5: Learning and Unlearning

What type of conditioning is this:

1. begins with 2 things naturally associated

2. neural stimulus is added

3. after repeated association, previously neutral stimulus elicits response

classical conditioning

What type of conditioning involves a

• conditioned response

• conditioned stimulus

• unconditioned response

• unconditioned stimulus

classical

what is the first stage of classical conditioning and stuttering

disfluencies become noticeable to child or parent and child is consciously or unconsciously “threatened” by them

what is the 2nd stage of classical conditioning and stuttering

child tries to stop disfluencies—>increases tension in laryngeal and/or articulatory muscles

what is the third stage of classical conditioning and stuttering

over time disfluencies become a CS that elicits the tension response which is the CR

CC and Stuttering

• as child begins to react to her stuttering and her mothers alarm, her tension ____

• the ______ of her _____ elicits more and more tension

• as child begins to react to her stuttering and her mothers alarm, her tension increases

• the stimulus of her disfluency elicits more and more tension

What is the CS and CR in this progression of stuttering and CC

• A listener who previously associated with only easy stuttering, later becomes associated with struggle and tension because stutters themselves become cues for tension response

aka: behaviors that were easy stutters now become hard stutters because all stutters have been conditioned to elicit tension and struggle

the stutters (CS) become cues for tension response (CR)

What is the CS and the CR in this situation

• stuttering elicits feelings of threat and tightening of speech muscles

CS + CR

What type of conditioning does this sound like

• stuttering (with accompanying dread and muscle tension) occurs repeatedly on the phone

• phone now elicits dread and muscle tension (spread of conditioning)

classical

What kind of conditioning deals with a behavior and its consequences

operant

what is a positive reinforcer

praise/candy; follows a behavior and increases its frequency

what is a negative reinforcer

stops a negative experience; will also cause behavior to increase in frequency

what is a punishment

electric shock; following behavior will cause behavior to decrease in frequency

If a child is stuck in a stutter and nods his head or blinks his eyes to release the stutter, the head nod or eye blink will ________ in frequency when child is stuck in the stutter

• what kind of reinforcer is that?

increase

• negative reinforcer-→ unpleasantness of being stuck in stutter is TERMINATED by nod or eye blink-→nods and eye blinks increase bc unpleasantness of being stuck is gone

If a behavior reduces NEGATIVE stimulation it is “_______” reinforcement or escape and it ________ the behavior

negative reinforcement—> increases behavior

which conditioning can be understood as a combo of classical and operant conditioning

avoidance

People who stutter learn to avoid the threat and fear associated with moments of stuttering by using _______ behaviors

avoidance

What is an example of avoidance behaviors with stuttering

putting in extra sounds just before saying a word they anticipate stuttering on

• give person feeling that they will be able to say feared word after few repetitions of the extra sound

When a person puts in extra sounds that stops a stutter what kind of behavior and reinforcer is it

avoidance behavior; negative reinforcer

• reduces fear experience when a stutter may be coming up

what kind of behavior is this

“ I went to um… um… um… New York”

anticipating a stutter—>avoidance

To unlearn/deal with classical conditioning you need to _____ or ______

decondition (associate behavior with neutral stimulus)

counter condition (associate behavior with positive behavior)

how do you decondition stuttering

• have client keep ____ until ____ is ____ ( no ____ stimulus)

have client keep stuttering until fear is gone (no negative stimulus)

how would you counter condition a stutter

• have client stutter and receive ___ for keeping stutter ___ and ending it ___ (_____ stimulus)

• client is also rewarded by the feeling of “___ in ___ ” when he ends the stutter ____ and easily with good ___ contact

• have client stutter and receive praise for keeping stutter going and ending it easily (positive stimulus)

• client is also rewarded by the feeling of “being in control” when he ends the stutter loosely and easily with good eye contact

What type of unlearning conditioning is this:

When the clinician asks client to stay in the stutter and she praises him as he holds onto the stutter, counterconditioning results in a reduction of fear, which makes the stutter relax and feel to the client that it’s under control

classical conditioning

How do you unlearn operant conditioning:

• 2 ways

1. stop reward for unwanted behavior

2. start reward for wanted behavior

What kind of unlearning conditioning deals with stuttering by not rewarding unwanted behavior? How does this work?

• have client not….

  • not a positive loop bc….

operant

• have client not release (reward denied) word immediately after tense squeeze, head nod, eye blink, or other escape behavior

  • not a positive loop bc doesn’t make them feel like they can escape stutter in that way

what type of conditioning are you unlearning by having them reward wanted behavior? How does this work?

• have client stutter to….

• operant

• have client stutter to…. easy prolongation before release

to deal with unlearning avoidance conditioning you need to:

• 2 ways

• decrease fear of stuttering

• reward nonavoidance

what kind of conditioning are you unlearning when decreasing fear of stuttering? How in this example?

• If client avoids by using “um” as in “My name is um…um…umm Barry” have client…

operant/avoidance

practice STAYING IN STUTTER on “barry” (reward this) and also learn to let tension reduce and release word slowly and easily

what kind of conditioning are you unlearning when you reward nonavoidance? How in this example?

• If client avoids by using “um” as in “My name is um…um…umm Barry” have client…

operant

• have client practice saying “My name is Barry” without the “um” but with an easier stutter on “Barry” (reward this emphatically)