Psyc 5055 Foundations of Behavior Analysis
Name: ______________________________
Fall 2014
Class 7 Exam
(last 5 digits of student ID#) _________________
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(1) Write your answers in the space provided under each question.
(2) Read the questions carefully and be sure to answer each as asked.
1. Explain this statement: “The fundamental distinction between operant and respondent…..is
operational”. (2 pts) Operational refers to the methods we use to define our terms. Therefore,
when we pair two stimuli and find that they now elicit functionally similar responses we call it
respondent conditioning (based on the operation of stimulus-stimulus pairing). When we note
that a behavior is maintained or changed by arranging different consequences for it we call this
operant conditioning (based on the operation of response-consequence pairings). Therefore our
operant-respondent distinction is based on the operations involved with each.
2. What do we mean by the "function of a stimulus"? (2 pts) What effects are produced by the
stimulus? What does the stimulus do? Will it evoke responses because of past associations either in S-S
pairings or as correlated antecedent stimuli in R-S relationships? Will it increase or decrease the future
probability of responses that produce it as a consequence?
a. Give an example where the same stimulus has the CS, SD and SR+ functions all at the
same time and say how we could test for each function. (4 pts) Hearing the distinctive
ringtone on a cell phone (the ringtone the person has for their lover) could have a
respondent conditioned stimulus (CS) function, and two operant functions, one as
reinforcement (SR+) and the other as a discriminative stimulus (SD). For example, when
the special ringtone is heard (the stimulus) as we approach a window, increased heart
rate is elicited (CS effect), answering the phone is evoked (SD effect) and later we see
more window approach behavior (behavior maintained by the ringtone because the
ringtone happened to be a reinforcing consequence of window approach). We could test
for each function in the following ways: CS function…present the ringtone and measure
any changes in reflexive behavior like increases in heart rate, sexual arousal, breathing
rate, etc. SD function… see what operant behavior is immediately evoked when the
ringtone sounds (approaching the phone, looking at the phone, speaking into the phone,
etc.) that is reliably followed by reinforcing consequences. Reinforcing
function…noticing a future increase in the behavior that immediately preceded the
ringtone (watching the phone, saying “ring please”, sitting in the same place where the
last call was heard, etc.).
3. What are researchers talking about when they refer to autoshaping? (2 pts) They are referring
to the effects of a procedure where a biologically relevant stimulus (like food) is presented
regularly following the onset of a localized stimulus (onset of a light on a micro switch that
can be operated by a pigeon’s peck). A response to this lighted switch is not necessary to
produce the food but over time a response occurs (the lighted switch is pecked). When the
response is made the food is delivered immediately. This response (pecking the lighted micro
switch) can be maintained by that biologically relevant stimulus (food) as a consequence in an
operant relationship. The response (pecking the lighted micro switch) was shaped
automatically (autoshaping).
Psyc 5055 Foundations of Behavior Analysis
Fall 2014
Class 7 Exam
4. Explain why autoshaping was of interest to operant researchers working with pigeons, what
the main issues were guiding the research and what were the final conclusions? (4 pts) Other
than the fact that it was an easy, automated way to teach pigeons to peck lighted response keys
operant researchers were curious about how much the respondent relationships influenced the
key pecking of pigeons in what were designed as purely operant studies of responding. They
were interested in the nature of the autoshaped key peck. They concluded that there were two
types of key pecks involved, one operantly controlled and one respondently controlled (each
with its own unique topography). Autoshaping initially produced more respondent key pecks
but as food became a more reliable consequence for a key peck, more operant key pecks
occurred.
5. Why is the raccoon example considered “instinctive drift”? (2 pts) Instinctive drift refers to
species-specific behavior patterns intruding upon trained operant behavior. Raccoons trained
to place tokens in a “piggy bank” for food reinforcement (the trained operant response) began
to “wash” the tokens instead. Raccoons instinctively “wash” their food before eating.
a. Give the respondent conditioning explanation of this change in behavior. Be sure to use
the terms US, CS, UR, CR appropriately in your explanation. (4 pts) “wash” means
rubbing the tokens together.
US (food)  UR (wash)
CS (token)  US (food)  UR (wash)
CS (token)  CR (wash)
6. From the Skinner chapter that was assigned for this class:
a. What is the pattern of classical mechanics related to cause and effect? (2 pts) In
classical mechanics the pattern is that cause comes before effect. We usually look for
some immediately prior event as the cause of something. There is usually an “initiating
agent” that is referred to as the cause of something.
b. Explain selection by consequences as a causal mode in relation to classical mechanics.
(2 pts) Selection by consequences refers to consequences as causes, there is no initiating
causal agent. This violates the accepted order of causality in classical mechanics
because it is explaining something by looking at the consequences as the cause, which
comes after the event, not before.
7. Explain what we mean by “biological context” using the motivational relationship between
eating and exercise as your example. (4 pts) Biological context refers to the effects of the
evolutionary history of the organism (its evolved biological structures, systems and capacities)
on its current behaviors and learning. There is a negative relationship between the reinforcing
effectiveness of food and amount of exercise. The less food availability the more reinforcing
the exercise. This relationship evolved as part of the biology of the organism. Under
conditions of scarce food, travel to new food patches increased survival while not traveling led
to starvation. Over time this evolved into the motivational relationship where high levels of
food deprivations increased the reinforcing effects of increased activity.
8. From the Garcia and Koelling (1966) experiment on taste aversion.
Psyc 5055 Foundations of Behavior Analysis
Fall 2014
Class 7 Exam
a. What was unusual about their results from a respondent conditioning interpretation
(three things)? (3 pts) Conditioning occurred with one stimulus-stimulus pairing trial.
Long temporal delays between the presentation of the CS and the presentation of the US
still produced conditioning. Not any neutral stimulus can develop into a conditioned
stimulus (there must be some biological relevance to the S-S pairings).
b. How do the authors of your text explain these unusual results? (4 pts) The authors
explain these as a result of natural selection of the biological context. Sickness had
more evolutionary relevance (it improved survival chances) to stimuli associated with
eating (taste and smell) rather than stimuli related to immediate danger. Immediate
danger stimuli (pain) had more evolutionary relevance to flight or fight (visual,
auditory, tactile) stimuli. The current rat is the product of its ancestral evolutionary
history that selected the mechanisms involving single pairing and long delays and
stimulus relevance that enabled survival.
************************ Bonus Points (answer with response pad) ********************
1) In taste aversion studies that condition both quails and rats to being sick after drinking salty blue
water, researchers have found that following recovery when the animals are given the option for
either salty water or normal water colored blue:
a)
b)
c)
d)
the rats choose the normal blue water and the quails choose the salty water
the rats choose the salty water and the quails choose the blue water
the rat alternates between the two waters and the quail drinks only the blue water
the quail alternates between the waters and the rat drinks only the salty water
2) Adjunctive behavior refers to:
a)
b)
c)
d)
excessive and persistent behavior patterns that occur as side effects of reinforcement delivery
behavior patterns that typically occur immediately after the consumption of a reinforcer
behavior patterns that occur immediately before the delivery of a reinforcer
behavior patterns that must occur prior to the delivery of a reinforcer
3) Activity anorexia:
a) refers to the tendency for a person with anorexia to use exercise as a way to maintain low
weight
b) is a medical term for persons who refuse to exercise enough to maintain their physical health
c) is a problem among men with body and weight issues, but is not typically observed in females
d) refers to the observation that as exercise levels increase, the amount of food consumed typically
decreases
4) Phenomena like instinctive drift, sign tracking, and autoshaping have been analyzed as:
a) behavior systems activated by the US and the physical properties of the CS only
b) both respondent conditioning AND behavior systems activated by the US and the physical
properties of the CS
c) stimulus substitution where the CS substitutes for the US
d) none of these
5) When a CS compound (color and taste) is associated with illness, different species show avoidance
Psyc 5055 Foundations of Behavior Analysis
Fall 2014
to the two parts of the compound. This phenomenon is called:
a)
b)
c)
d)
species set
species readiness
species activation
species preparedness
Class 7 Exam