Assignment #2
 Deadline changed to JUNE 4th
 Will mostly focus on Ch 7
 Talk about that after the midterm on Monday
 Topics will be announced on Monday
Operant Punishment
Contingencies
Response Rate:
Removed
Response Causes
Stimulus to Be:
Increases
Decreases
Positive Reinforcement
Positive Punishment
Lever press --> Food
Lever press --> Shock
Negative Reinforcement
Negative Punishment
Lever press --> Shock off Lever press --> Food removed
Examples
 Positive
 Aversive stimulus is ADDED
 Spanking, shock
 Negative
 Appetitive stimulus is REMOVED
 Time-outs, grounding, no dessert, food taken away
 Fines??
Contingency
 Correlation between behaviour & outcome
 Strong contingency --> better learning
 Random contingency --> no learning
 Both reinforcement and punishment
Contiguity
 Time between behaviour & outcome
 Shorter = better learning
 More important for punishment
 Distraction more likely in punishment than
reinforcement
 Common violations
Punisher Characteristics
 Qualitative differences in punishers
 Species & individual differences
 Intensity of punisher
 Introductory level of punishment
 Similar (but opposite) to learned helplessness
Reinforcement of punished
behaviour
 How rewarding is the behaviour itself?
 Related to deprivation levels
 Alternative sources of reinforcement
 Real applications
Disruption Theory
 Incompatible behaviour
 Punished behaviour is suppressed
 Problems
 Intensity of punisher
 Contingency
Two-Process Theory (revisited)
 Same theory we talked about for escape/avoidance
 Classical & Operant
 Same problems as before
 Proximity to punished stimulus
One-Process Theory (revisited)
 Symmetry with reinforcement
 Premack principle
 Low-probability behaviour punishes high-probability
behaviour
Benefits
 Short-term effectiveness
 Reinforcing
 Powerful & Fast
 Rapid and substantial reduction in behaviour
 Beneficial?
Problems
 Application of punishers
 Punishment generally not used correctly
 Tolerance
 Start with strong punisher
 Gradually reduce
 General reluctance to administer
Possible Consequences of
Punishment
 Escape
 Aggression
 At punisher, self, other
 Apathy
 General suppression of other behaviours
 Abuse
 Permanent damage
 Imitation
Response Prevention
 Make it impossible to do punishable behaviour
 Subject can circumvent this
 Best with younger children
Extinction
 Identify reinforcer of behaviour
 Withhold reinforcer … extinction of behaviour
 Often difficult to identify the reinforcer
 Extinction bursts problematic
 Not a rapid solution
Differential Reinforcement
 Four Types:
 DRL: Differential reinforcement of low responses
 DRO: Differential reinforcement of zero responses
 DRI: Differential reinforcement of incompatible
behaviour
 DRA: Differential reinforcement of alternative
behaviour
DRL
 Differential reinforcement of low responses
 Only reinforce behaviour when response occurs at low
frequency
 Good for reducing RATE of behaviour
 e.g. pigeon pecking at key light
 Reinforce ONLY if at least 2 seconds in between pecks
 e.g. too many compliments
DRO
 Differential reinforcement of zero responses
 or DR of Omission of behaviour
 Reinforcement contingent on not performing
behaviour at all (in some time period)
 Very similar to DRL, but goal is to eliminate behaviour
DRI
 Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviour
 Reinforce behaviour incompatible with undesired
response
 e.g. riding bike vs playing video game
DRA
 Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviour
 Reinforcer gained from undesired behaviour now only
available when some alternative behaviour done
 Alternate source of reinforcement
 Used more in cases where DRI is not an option
Noncontingent Reinforcement
 Provide desired reinforcer on regular basis regardless
of what is being done
 No correlation between response and outcome
 May work because subject gets reinforcer for “free”
 Problems if reinforcer comes after some other
undesired behaviour (new acquisition)
 Chivalrous Charlie example (p. 87 of workbook)
Negative Punishment
 Removal of pleasant stimulus
 Time-out
 Popular in human behaviour modification
Other Techniques for Behavioural
Deceleration
 Overcorrection
 Repetitions of alternate, desired behaviour


Restitution
Positive practice
 Technically, punishment
 Stimulus satiation
Latent Learning
 Motivation
 Learning behaviour
 Performing behaviour
Average Errors
Tolman & Honzig (1930)
No food
day 11
Food reward
Days
No food reward until day 11
Maze blockages
Goal
Start Box