04_Positive Reinforcement

Question 1

Factors That Influence Effectiveness Of Positive Reinforcement

Answer 1

Contingency

Immediacy

Schedule of reinforcement

Magnitude

Verbal clarification

Prompts

Question 2

Positive Reinforcement:

Contingencies

Answer 2

Contingent relationship between target behavior and positive reinforcer

Reinforcers should only be available when the behavior has been before performed

Question 3

Positive Reinforcement:

Immediacy

Answer 3

Reinforcer should be delivered immediately after target behavior

*Especially when establishing a new behavior

Question 4

Positive Reinforcement:

Schedule of Reinforcement

Answer 4

Establishment of new behavior is most rapid on a continuous schedule

Maintenance of behavior maximized on intermittent schedule

Question 5

Positive Reinforcement:

“Thinning”

Answer 5

Process of reducing the proportion of reinforcements

I.e. switching from continuous to intermittent schedule of reinforcement

Question 6

Positive Reinforcement:

Magnitude

Answer 6

Increased positive reinforcement, results in increased effectiveness, *Up to a certain point…

Satiation = when reinforcer loses its reinforcing value

Question 7

Which types of enforcers are more susceptible to satiation?

Answer 7

Primary reinforcers

Question 8

Which schedule of reinforcement is most susceptible to satiation?

Answer 8

Continuous schedule

Question 9

Positive Reinforcement:

Prompts

Answer 9

Prompt is a signal that a behavior will be rewarded

Facilitates acquisition of new behavior by using verbal and/or physical positive discriminative stimuli

e.g., father reminds child to clean their room and always praises the child after they do so. The reminder (prompt) becomes a discriminative stimulus that signals that praise will follow the behavior

Question 10

Positive Reinforcement:

Fading

Answer 10

The gradual removal of a prompt

Question 11

Positive Reinforcement:

Shaping

Answer 11

Reinforcement of successive approximations to the desired behavior

Used when target behavior is one that rarely or never occurs naturally

Question 12

Positive Reinforcement:

“Three-term Contingency”

Answer 12

1. Discriminative stimulus
2. Behavior
3. Consequence

= Acquisition of most complex behaviors

Question 13

Positive Reinforcement:

Behavior Chain

Answer 13

Three term contingency that consists of a number of distinct responses

Question 14

Positive Reinforcement:

Chaining

Answer 14

Establishment of behavior chain

Can be either forward or backward

Question 15

Chaining vs Shaping

Answer 15

Shaping = the final/terminal behavior is the target

Chaining = entire sequence of responses is the target

*Establishment of complex behavior may require a combination of both

Question 16

Premack Principal

Answer 16

High probability behavior is used to reinforce a low probability behavior

E.g. I am allowed to play guitar after studying for EPPP at least one hour

Question 17

When is the Premack Principal is particularly useful?

Answer 17

When it is difficult to identify a stimulus that would act as a reinforcer for particular individual

Question 18

Differential Reinforcement

Answer 18

Combination of positive reinforcement with extinction

Reinforcement of alternate behaviors while ignoring the target behavior

E.g. giving a child tokens for each two-minute period that she plays with toys instead of engaging in stereotyped hand movements:

• • play is reinforced
• • hand movements are being extinguished