Psych Chapter 5: Book

What does reinforcement do?

It is reponsible for the acquistion (learning) and maintenance of operant behavior (behavior that is shaped by consequences)

Extinction

The gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned behavior when it is no longer reinforced or paired with an unconditioned stimulus

When does extinction occur?

Extinction occurs when:

1. A behavior that was previously reinforced

2. No longer results in reinforcing consequences

3. Therefore, the behavior stops occuring in the future

What does it mean when a behavior stops occuring and is no longer reinforced?

The behavior has gone through extinction

Examples of extinction

• When the pigeon no longer recieved food as a reinforcer for pecking the key, the pigeon’s pecking behavior stopped

• When the child hit his head and receives no attention from adults, the child is less likely to hit himself in the head because the behavior is no longer reinforced by adult attention

What is the correct terminology to use when talking about extincition or the efffects of extinction?

The proper terminology is:

• Correct to say you extinguished a behavior

• Correct to say you put a behavior on extinction

• Correct to say a behavior is extinguished

Extinction Burst

A temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or duration of a behavior when the reward or reinforcement that used to maintain it is suddenly removed

• Happens once the behavior is no longer reinforced

Example of Extinction burst

When Rae puts money in the coffee machine, coffee comes out

• When coffee doesn’t come out, she pushes the button on the coffee machine repeatedly (increase in frequency) and harder (increase in intensity)

• Over time, doesn’t put money in the coffee machine to get coffee

What is another characteristic of an extinction burst with novel behaviors?

Novel behaviors (behaviors that do not typically occur in a particular situation) may occur for a brief period when a behavior is no longer reinforced

• Ex. Screaming, shaking something

What are the three things that may happen in relation to an extinction burst, when behavior is no longer reinforced?

When behavior is no longer reinforced, three things may happen:

• The behavior may briefly increase in frequency, duration, or intensity

• Novel (new) behaviors may occur

• Emotional or aggressive behavior may occur

Spontaneous Recovery

A sudden, unexpected reappearance of a previously extinguished conditioned response after a rest period

• If extinction still exisits when spontaneous recovery occurs, the behavior will not continue for long, if the behavior is reinforced, the effect of extinction will be lost

Positive Reinforcement

Reinforcement that occurs when a behavior is followed by a stimulus that strengthens the behavior

• Makes the behavior more likely to occur in the future

Negative Reinforcement

Reinforcement that occurs when a behavior is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus, which strengthens the behavior

What kind of behaviors can undergo extinction?

A behavior may undergo extinction regardless of whether it was maintained by positive or negative reinforcement

• Outcome of extinction is the same: behavior decreases and stops occuring

How does extinction work with positive reinforcement?

If a behavior is positively reinforced, the consequence is applied after the behavior

• Extinction of a positively reinforced behavior requires withholding the consequence that was previously delivered after the behavior

• Behavior doesn’t result in the consequence, so it no longer occurs

How does extinction work with negative reinforcement?

If behavior is negatively reinforced, the behavior results in the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus

• Extinction of a negatively reinforced behavior involves eliminating the escape or avoidance that was reinforcing the behavior

• When the behavior no longer results in ecape from or avoidance from the stimulus, it stops

What are the two ways extinction can occur?

Exinction can occur by:

• The positive reinforcer is no longer delivered after the behavior

• The aversive stimulus is no longer removed after the behavior

What is a common misconception about extinction?

A common misconception about extinction is that using extinction means ignoring the behavior

• Extinction means withholding the reinforcer for a behavior, ignoring the problem behavior functions only as extinction if attention is the reinforcer

• Ex. Shoplifting is reinforced by getting things from the store, if the salespeople ignore shoplifting behavior, that will not cause the behavior to stop

What are the two important factors that influence the extinction process?

The two important factors that influence the extinction process are:

• The reinforcement schedule before extinction

• Occurence of reinforcement after extinction

How does the extinction process differ for behaviors that are continuously vs intermittently reinforced?

The extinction process differs for behaviors depending on how they are reinforced:

• When a behavior is continuously reinforced, it decreases rapidly once the reinforcement is terminated

• When a behavior is intermittently reinforced, it decreases greadually once reinforcement ends

The change from reinforcement to extinction has a larger contrast when a behavior is reinforced every time than when only some occurences of the behavior result in reinforcement

What does intermittent reinforcement before extinction produce?

Intermittent reinforcement before extinction produces resistance to extinction

• Behavior persists once extinction is implemented

What happens if reinforcement happens in the course of extinction?

If reinforcement occurs in the course of extinction, it takes longer for the behavior to decrease

• Reinforcement of the behavior once extinction has started, leads to intermittent reinforcement, which makes the behavior more resistant to extinction

What is the basic behavioral principle of extinction?

Extinction is when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced and as a result, the behavior decreases and stops occuring

What is extinction often characterized by?

Extinction is often characterized by an extinction burst

• An extinction burst is when the unreinforced behavior temporarily increases in frequency, intensity, or duration and novel behaviors or emotional responses are exhibited temporarily

When does the behavior decreases more rapidly during extinction?

If the behavior was reinforced on a continuous schedule before extinction, the behavior would decrease more rapidly

• If behavior is never reinforced during the extinction process, it will also decrease more rapidly