Learning and Conditioning - Schedules of Reinforcement

schedule of reinforcement

a rule that determines when a behaviour is going to be reinforced

continuous

a type of schedule of reinforcement where a behaviour of interest is reinforced every time it occurs (ex. every time I eat my favourite food it tastes the same)

intermittent

a type of schedule of reinforcement where a behaviour of interest is reinforced occasionally (ex. you smile at everyone but not everyone will smile back at you)

extinction

a schedule of reinforcement where the behaviour is not reinforced and this is continued consistently, the behaviour slowly fades away and may not reoccur

non-contingent

a schedule of reinforcement where a behaviour does not have to be performed to receive reinforcement (i.e., the reinforcer is free) (ex. allowing yourself a 5 minute break after studying for 30 minutes, no matter how much you’ve completed)

ratio schedules

to be reinforced, a specific number of responses must occur; reinforcement depends on effort, not time

fixed ratio schedules (FR)

a type of ratio schedule where we must perform a very specific number of responses before receiving reinforcement (i.e., reward after __ number of responses)

FR10

an example of an abbreviation of fixed ratio schedule that requires 10 responses

FR1

stands for continuous reinforcement

ratio run

a characteristic of fixed ratio; a steady and high level of responding that occurs until we are reinforced

post-reinforcement pause (pre-ratio pause; in-between ratio pause)

a characteristic of fixed ratio; the tendency to take a break once a behaviour is reinforced

ratio strain

a characteristic of fixed ratio; happens when we push the subject too far (i.e., ask for too many responses) and they get overwhelmed and don’t do it

variable ratio (VR)

a type of ratio schedule where the number of responses we must produce to receive reinforcement differ and vary (ex. gambling addictions)

VR10

an abbreviation that states that this is a variable ratio and we are reinforced, on average, every 10 responses

interval schedules

a type of reinforcement schedule that relies on the passage of time to determine reinforcement

fixed interval schedule (FI)

a type of interval schedule where a specific amount of time must pass before the reinforcer is available (ex. if you want to eat a cake, you must bake it for a certain amount of time)

FI10

an abbreviation that implies a fixed interval schedule where reinforcement occurs every 10 minutes

variable interval schedule (VI)

a type of interval schedule where the amount of time that must passed before receiving reinforcement differ and vary (ex. when you own a business, some days sales are high and some days sales are low)

VI10

an abbreviation that implies a variable interval is happening where reinforcement occurs on average every 10 minutes

duration schedules

the behaviour must be done continuously to be reinforced

variable duration (VD)

a type of duration schedule where behaviour must occur continuously and for a variable amount of time before it is reinforced (ex. a prof. makes jokes and random points throughout a lecture)

fixed duration (FD)

a type of duration ratio where a behaviour must be performed continuously for a specific amount of time before it is reinforced (ex. pomodoro method)

response-rate schedules

a type of schedule of reinforcement where both time and rate of responding determine reinforcement

DIfferential Reinforcement of High Rates (DRH)

a response-rate schedule where the goal is to increase the number of responses within a period of time (i.e., do more in a certain amount of time) - ex. typing faster

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates (DRL)

a response-rate schedule that is used to decrease the number of responses within a certain period of time - ex.

Differential Reinforcement of Pace responding (DRP)

a response-rate schedule with a purpose of keeping the number of responses steady within a specific period of time

superstitious behaviour

a type of behaviour that develops due to accidental reinforcement, typically due to non-contingent schedules of reinforcement (ex. a bird is supposed to receive food every 15 seconds but he coincidentally jumps right when he receives food… he then believes that jumping will bring him food so this behaviour becomes ritualistic and when he receives food again after jumping, the behaviour is further reinforced and strengthened)

complex schedules of reinforcement

schedules that combine two or more simple schedules of reinforcement

conjunctive schedules

a complex schedule of reinforcement where you must meet all the requirements of all the schedules in it to be reinforced (ex. to go out, you must study for one hour, practice guitar for 30 minutes, and make your bed)

adjusting schedules

a complex schedule of reinforcement where we start with one simple schedule, implement it, and observe the behaviour of the subject while under the schedule — the schedule is adapted based on the observations and performance

chaining schedules

a complex schedule of reinforcement where two or more schedules must be completed in a specific order to be reinforced; each schedule has its own SD (antecedent) and the last SD results in a terminal reinforcer (ex. food)

S-R learning (Thorndike)

a learned association between a contextual stimulus and a response (ex. cat is trapped in box A (S) - to get out of box A it must press a lever (R))

need reduction theory (Hull)

we have biological needs that must be met in order to survive and when those needs are not met, it disturbs homeostasis which creates a state of tension to drive action to get out needs met

drive reduction theory

in the presence of a strong stimulation, regardless of its source, it can be aversive and we are motivated to reduce it so anything that helps us reduce it is a strong reinforcer

Premack principle

for a behaviour to be reinforced, it must be a high probability activity that is highly preferable and these high probability behaviours can be used to motivate/reinforce low probability activity

response deprivation hypothesis

any behaviour that the subject does can be used to reinforce another behaviour; it does not have to be highly preferential or be high probability

behavioural bliss point approach

structuring the day to maximize meaning and pleasure for ourselves; we try to stay as close as possible to ____ within our limitations/constraints (i.e., minimize cost, maximize reward)