L&B Ch 7: Schedules and Theories of Reinforcement

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Chapter 7 and review topics, including simple and complex schedules of reinforcement, theories of reinforcement, operant contingencies, and classical conditioning concepts.

Schedule of Reinforcement

The response requirement that must be met to obtain a reinforcer.

Steady-State Behaviors

Stable response patterns that emerge after considerable exposure to a schedule of reinforcement.

Continuous Reinforcement Schedule (CRF)

A schedule in which each specified response is reinforced; it is ideal for strengthening a newly learned behavior.

Intermittent (Partial) Reinforcement Schedule

A schedule in which only some responses are reinforced; it is useful for teaching persistence.

Fixed Ratio (FR) Schedule

A reinforcement schedule contingent upon a fixed number of responses, typically producing a high rate of response with a post-reinforcement pause.

Post-Reinforcement Pause

A brief cessation in responding that occurs immediately following the delivery of a reinforcer, characteristic of fixed schedules.

Rich (Dense) Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that has a very low response requirement, allowing a reinforcer to be obtained quickly and easily.

Lean Schedule

A reinforcement schedule that has a very high response requirement to obtain a reinforcer.

Ratio Strain

A disruption in responding for reinforcement ("burn out") caused by an overly demanding response requirement.

Fixed Interval (FI) Schedule

A reinforcement schedule contingent upon the first response after a fixed, predictable period of time, typically producing a scalloped pattern of responding.

Variable Ratio (VR) Schedule

A reinforcement schedule contingent upon a varying, unpredictable number of responses, producing a high, steady rate of response with little or no post-reinforcement pause.

Variable Interval (VI) Schedule

A reinforcement schedule contingent upon the first response after a varying, unpredictable time period, producing a moderate, steady rate of response with little or no post-reinforcement pause.

Fixed Duration (FD) Schedule

A schedule where the behavior must be performed continuously for a fixed, predictable period of time to obtain reinforcement.

Variable Duration (VD) Schedule

A schedule where the behavior must be performed continuously for a varying, unpredictable period of time to obtain reinforcement.

Differential Reinforcement of High Rates (DRH)

A response-rate schedule in which reinforcement is contingent upon emitting at least a certain number of responses in a certain period of time (responding at a high rate).

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates (DRL)

A response-rate schedule in which a minimum amount of time must pass between each response before a reinforcer is delivered (responding at a slow rate).

Differential Reinforcement of Paced Responding (DRP)

A response-rate schedule in which reinforcement is contingent upon emitting a series of responses at a set steady rate, neither too fast nor too slow.

Noncontingent Schedule (Response-Independent Schedule)

A schedule where the reinforcer is delivered independently of a response, meaning a response is not required for the reinforcer to be obtained.

Fixed Time (FT) Schedule

A noncontingent schedule where a reinforcer is delivered after a fixed, predictable period of time, regardless of the organism's behavior.

Variable Time (VT) Schedule

A noncontingent schedule where a reinforcer is delivered following a varying, unpredictable period of time, regardless of behavior; it may account for superstitious behaviors.

Hull's Neobehaviorism

A behavioral approach that operationalizes internal physiological processes (such as hunger and fatigue) as intervening variables between environmental causes and observable behavior.

Drive Reduction Theory

A theory proposing that an event is reinforcing to the extent that it is associated with a reduction in a physiological drive.

Incentive Motivation

Motivation that is derived from properties of the reinforcer itself rather than from an internal physiological drive state.

Premack Principle

The principle that a high-probability (or frequency) behavior (HPB) can be used to reinforce a low-probability behavior (LPB), treating reinforcers as behaviors rather than stimuli.

Response Deprivation Hypothesis

The hypothesis that a behavior can serve as a reinforcer when access to it is restricted and its frequency falls below its preferred level of occurrence.

Behavioral Bliss Point Approach

The theory that an organism with free access to alternative activities will distribute its behavior in such a way as to maximize overall reinforcement.

Discriminative Stimulus ($S^D$)

A stimulus in the presence of which responses are reinforced and in the absence of which responses are not reinforced, setting the occasion for operant responding.

Primary Reinforcer (Unconditioned Reinforcer)

An event that is innately reinforcing, or an unlearned reinforcer, such as food or water.

Secondary Reinforcer (Conditioned Reinforcer)

An event that is reinforcing because it has been associated with some other reinforcer, such as good grades.

Generalized Secondary Reinforcer

A type of secondary reinforcer that has been paired or associated with several other reinforcers (e.g., money).

Natural Reinforcer

A reinforcer that is typically provided for a certain behavior and is an expected consequence of the behavior within that setting.

Contrived (Artificial) Reinforcer

A reinforcer deliberately arranged to modify a behavior that is not a typical consequence of that behavior within that setting.

Operant Conditioning Contingencies Grid

The four-way classification matrix of operant behavior based on stimulus presentation ($+$, positive) versus removal ($-$, negative) and behavior increase (reinforcement, $R$) versus decrease (punishment, $P$).

Positive Punishment

An operant contingency where an aversive stimulus is added following a behavior, resulting in a decrease in the future occurrence of that behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

An operant contingency where an aversive stimulus is removed following a behavior, resulting in an increase in the future occurrence of that behavior.

Operant Chamber (Skinner Box)

A laboratory apparatus used to study operant conditioning, equipped with a response device, stimulus cues, and reinforcement or punishment delivery mechanisms.

Schedules of Reinforcement Comparison

A comparative summary of intermittent schedules based on response rates (high, increasing, or moderate) and the presence or absence of a post-reinforcement pause.

Rescorla-Wagner Theory

A theory of classical conditioning proposing that the US can support only so much associative value and that stronger stimuli support more conditioning than weaker stimuli.

Stimulus Substitution Theory

A theory of classical conditioning proposing that the conditioned stimulus (CS) acts as a substitute for the unconditioned stimulus (US).

Preparatory Response Theory

A theory of classical conditioning proposing that the purpose of the conditioned response (CR) is to prepare the organism for the presentation of the unconditioned stimulus (US).

Temperament

An individual's level of emotional reactivity, including how quickly and strongly they react to external stimulation, which influences phobic conditioning.

Preparedness

The innate evolutionary tendency to learn certain types of behaviors or form certain types of associations more easily than others.

Incubation

The strengthening of a conditioned fear response resulting from brief, repeated exposures to an aversive conditioned stimulus.

Selective Sensitization

An increase in an individual's reactivity to a potentially fearful stimulus following exposure to an unrelated stressful event.

Aversion Therapy

A treatment procedure that reduces the attractiveness of a desired event by associating it with an aversive stimulus.