Unlearned Reinforcers and
Aversive Conditions
Chapters 9
Unlearned Reinforcers
• A stimulus, event, or condition that is a
reinforcer, though not as a result of pairing
with another reinforcer
Unlearned Aversive Condition
• A stimulus, event, of condition that is
aversive, though not as a result of pairing
with other aversive conditions
Deprivation & Satiation
• Most common examples of establishing
operations
Deprivation
• Withholding a reinforcer increases relevant
learning and performance
Satiation
• Consuming a substantial amount of
reinforcer temporarily decreases relevant
learning and performance
WATER DEPRIVATION? DOES IT MAKE
A DIFFERENCE?
Before:
Rudolph
has no
water
Deprivation:
Rudolph has
not had water
for 12 hours
Behavior:
Rudolph
presses the
lever
After:
Rudolph
has
water
WATER SATIATION? DOES IT MAKE A
DIFFERENCE?
Before:
Rudolph
has no
water
Satiation:
Rudolph has
had free
access to
water
Behavior:
Rudolph
presses the
lever
After:
Rudolph
has
water
Establishing Operation
• A procedure that affects learning and
performance with respect to a particular
reinforcer or aversive condition
“Please pass the salt.”
Assume salt is an unlearned
reinforcer
• When will I ask for salt?
• If I am reinforced by receiving salt when I
ask for it, why don’t I ask for salt all the
time?
SALT DEPRIVATION? DOES IT MAKE A
DIFFERENCE?
Before:
Behavior:
After:
Jane has
bland
eggs
Jane asks
for salt on
eggs
Jane has
no bland
eggs
Deprivation:
Jane has not
had salt
How do satiation & deprivation
effect learning?
• Deprivation at the time of reinforcement in
creases the impact the delivery of a single
reinforcer has on the subsequent frequency
of the reinforced response.
How do satiation and deprivation
effect performance?
• Deprivation at the time to perform that
response increases the frequency of that
previously reinforced and thus previously
learned response.
SEX & RABBITS?
Copulation is frequent, initially, but slows
Before:
Behavior:
After:
Rabbit has
no sexual
stimulation
Rabbit
copulates
Rabbit has
sexual
stimulation
Satiation:
Rabbit has
recently had
sexual stim
Fill this in for Rudolph the Rat
Before:
Behavior:
Rudolph has
no sexual
stimulation
Rudolph
copulates
Deprivation:
After:
Premack Principal
• If one activity occurs more often than
another, the opportunity to do the most
frequent activity will reinforce the less
frequent activity.
• Premack’s idea was to observe what an
organism does
No Contingent Relationship Between Bar
Pressing & Eating
Premack’s idea was to take
what an organism does to be important
Test
• Suppose a water deprived rat spends more
time drinking water than pressing a lever in
a test chamber.
• How could the Premack Principle be
applied in this case?
Answer?
1. Make drinking water contingent on lever
pressing or
2. Make lever pressing contingent on
drinking water