Lcog read ch 4
1. Key concepts:
behavior modification: refers to applying the principles of operant conditioning to
residential settings (mental health, classrooms, etc.) in order to control or change behavior.
contingency management: see above; it is the controlling of the consequences of behavior in
order to make a change in the frequency of that behavior.
continuous reinforcement: the schedule of reinforcement that reinforces the organism every
time it produces the desired response. Produces the fastest learning, but also the most easily
extinguishable behaviors. Also, decline in responses due to satiation.
cumulative recorder: machine used by Skinner and Skinner-box users. (I know this one)
depression effect: refers to the phenomenon present in contrast studies where organisms
usually reinforced w/ large amounts are then reinforced with small amounts. Their rate of
responding goes below that of the normal rate for organisms reinforced at the small amount.
The converse is true: see elation effect. Also, this is not only true for the amount/size of the
reinforcer, but also for the time delay. Note, in all cases, the depression effect wears off and
organisms then operate at the baseline for the level of reinforcement.
deprivation: the act of removing any contact with the reinforcer (e.g., not feeding a rat
before training). This is to increase "motivation".
discriminative stimulus: the stimulus that suggests to an organism that certain RS
contingencies are currently in effect. (e.g., a green light may signal to a rat that bar presses
will be reinforced, and the absence of the light signals that they will not be reinforced).
elation effect: see depression effect. Where organisms reinforced at a small level are then
reinforced at a large amount, thus increasing their rate of responding to above that of the
organisms' baseline rates on the large amount. This effect gradually wears off and the
organisms return to the baseline rate proportional to the amount of reinforcement.
fixed interval: a schedule of reinforcement where a fixed period of time needs to pass after a
target behavior before that behavior will be reinforced again. Produces a "scallop" pattern on
a cumulative recorder as a result of organisms learning they will not be reinforced unless x
minutes pass; thus they only bother responding when that time is close. Also, slow rate of
responding.
fixed ratio: a schedule of reinforcement where an organism needs to perform a fixed amount
of behaviors in order to achieve reinforcement. Produces the post-reinforcement pause. Fast
rates of responding.
instrumental conditioning: refers to discrete trial learning procedures (e.g., running a maze,
the puzzle box); the organism is removed from the situation once the response occurs.
law of effect: stated by Thorndike; simply that when a pleasurable experience follows a
behavior, it is more likely that that behavior will occur.
maintenance: following behavioral acquisition-the process of keeping a trained responder
responding.
matching law: proposed by Herrnstein (1961); the phenomenon that occurs when using
concurrent schedules. An organism trained on concurrent schedules will respond in
proportion to the ratio of reinforcement.
negative reinforcement: the type of reinforcement where an aversive stimulus is removed as
a result of a behavior, thus increasing the likelihood of the behavior.
operant conditioning: the process of learning a relationship between a voluntary behavior
and it's consequences (rewards or punishments), as opposed to respondent conditioning
which functions solely with reflexes.
partial reinforcement expectation effect: refers to the phenomenon where an organism that
has been trained on a partial reinforcement schedule is more resistant to extinction than one
trained on a continuous schedule. There are many explanations for this effect: frustration
tolerance, the most accepted (Capaldi, 1966) is the sequential theory: a non-reinforced trial
followed by a reinforced trial teaches the subject to keep responding despite not getting
reinforced.
positive reinforcement: increasing the likelihood of a behavior by presenting an appetitive
stimulus after its occurance.
post-reinforcement pause: occurs in fixed ratio schedules; the organism stops responding for
a brief moment of time after being reinforced. This pause increases as the number of
responses necessary for reinforcement increases.
punisher: any consequence of a behavior intended to decrease that behavior (either
presenting an aversive stimulus or removing a appetitive stimulus).
punishment: see above
rate of response: the measure of most operant conditioning experiments (# of responses per
unit of time)
satiation: when an organism no longer desires the reinforcer; the organism is "full"
schedule:
shaping: the process of reinforcing successively accurate approximations of the target
behavior.
trial-and-error learning: what Thorndike called the learning exhibited by his cats and his
maze animals. They exhibit a wide variety of behaviors the first time in the situation, then,
through "trial-and-error" learn which behavior allows them to receive reinforcement.
variable interval: a reinforcement schedule where the amount of time necessary to pass in
between behaviors in order to receive reinforcement varies randomly around a given
average. This schedule produces a steady rate of slow responses, very persistent.
variable ratio: reinforcement schedule where the number of necessary behaviors to achieve
reinforcement varies randomly around a given average. This schedule produces rapid, stable
responses.
2. Identify the scenario: Response: Cutting in line Reinforcer: great seat Type of reinforcement:
positive reinforcement Schedule: continuous SD: public event w/ a queue.
3. Analyze: Response: book open on desk Reinforcer: no nag Type of reinforcement: negative
reinforcement Schedule: continuous SD: school night.
4. Analyze: Response: Friday night partying Reinforcer: sit out quarter Type of reinforcement:
punishment type II Schedule: fixed interval SD: Friday night.