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PSYC 210 > 9- Basic SR Schedules Guided Notes > Flashcards

9- Basic SR Schedules Guided Notes Flashcards

1
Q

What are schedules of reinforcement?

A

Study of intermittent (INT) relations between behavior and its consequences

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2
Q

Interest in schedules of reinforcement can be traced to the work of which psychologist?

A

B.F. Skinner in the mid-1930’s
- Before Skinner, only extremes o/ the schedules were studied (every response was reinforced or no responses were reinforced)

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3
Q

Why did Skinner become interested in INT reinforcement?

A
  • Today, you can hop on line and order a supply a food for your rats (or pigeons).
  • But in the early 1930’s (when Skinner was conducting his research), this was not the case.
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4
Q

How did Skinner get food for his rats?

A
  • Baked food for his pellets
  • Had to give rats pellets for EVERY response
  • Baking pellets himself was not practical
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5
Q

What was Skinner’s solution to his food pellet problem? What did he figure out from his solution?

A

1) Mash the dough into these molds, ensures food pellets are the exact SAME SIZE

Solution- INT scheduling o/ reinforcers could organize & sustain behavior over periods o/ time

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6
Q

What are the two jobs of science?

A
  1. To find the like in the apparently unlike.
  2. To find ___order_________________in nature.
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7
Q

From a purely scientific perspective…the utility of schedules lies in their ability to produce orderly and ________________ patterns of behavior across a variety of conditions.

A

Predictable

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8
Q

From a practical perspective…understanding the behavior produced by reinforcement schedules can be used for particular ____________________problems.

A

Applied

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9
Q

How do reinforcement schedules occur in a lab? (Hint: Explain the drug example)

A
  • You have a drug that is designed to reduce locomotor activity (e.g., movements fidgeting)
  • Before you administer drug, would you want behavior to occur at a HIGH rate so you can determine the EFFECT o/ the drug
  • Because behavior was occurring at a high rate without the drug, and lower rate with the drug, we might conclude that the drug has had its intended effect
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10
Q

Give examples of reinforcement schedules occurring outside of the lab.

A

a. Lottery (any form o/ gambling)
b. When you decide to take course quizzes
c. Texting w/ a friend (and their responses)
d. Posts on Facebook (and “likes”)

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11
Q

How can basic reinforcement schedules can be used to describe “procrastination” by members of the US Congress?

A

Congress meets 2x/year
Objective: Pass bills
- Bills can be passed at any time
- Researchers studied 52 yrs o/ Congressional bill enactment to determine when work (passing of bills) was completed
- Most of the work gets done, reliably, right before one of the two sessions/year

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12
Q

What are schedules of reinforcement, and what are the categories of operant behavior?

A

Prescriptions for arranging reinforcing consequences w/ respect to operant behavior (i.e., rules for how to earn reinforcers)
1. Descriptive operant
2. Functional operant

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13
Q

What is a descriptive operant?

A

Class o/ responses to be reinforced

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14
Q

What is a functional operant?

A

Description o/ the behavior produced by contact w/ the prescribed schedule

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15
Q

Explain “Interval” in schedule of reinforcement.

A

Arrange for responses to be reinforced after the passage of time
- Required:
1) Passage of time
2) Response

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16
Q

Explain “Time” in schedule of reinforcement.

A

Arrange for stimulus presentation (reinforcer) after the passage of time alone
- Responses are NOT required

17
Q

Explain “Ratio” in schedule of reinforcement.

A

Arrange for responses to be reinforced after some number of responses
- Time is NOT important
- The more behavior you engage in, the more reinforcers you’ll earn

18
Q

Explain “Fixed” in schedule of reinforcement.

A

Reinforcer delivery is ALWAYS the SAME
- Follows identical units o/ time (interval and time schedules) or identical # of responses (ratio schedules)

19
Q

Explain “Variable” in schedule of reinforcement.

A

Reinforcer delivery VARIES
- Follows different passages o/ time (interval and time schedules) or diff. # o/ responses (ratio schedules)

20
Q

What is the most common measure of behavior?

A

Frequency o/ its occurence

21
Q

Explain the concept of fixed ratio (FR).

A

Last of a specified # o/ responses is reinforced (the number is always the same)
- Emit 20 lever presses, get one food pellet: FR 20
- Sell 1000 boxes of cookies, get one iPad: FR 1000
- Move 50 boxes from the garage, earn $20: FR 50

22
Q

FR patterning produces what kind of rate of responding?

A

High rate o/ responding

23
Q

What are the key features of FR patterning?

A

1) PRP
- Pre-ratio pause OR Post-reinforcement pause

2) Size o/ PRP is determined by size o/ FR (larger FR🡪 longer PRP)
- e.g. Hiking a trail with a number of overlooks. How long would you pause if there were 1 mile to the next overlook? What if the next overlook was 10 miles away?

24
Q

Explain the concept of variable ratio (VR).

A

The last of a specified # o/ responses is reinforced, the number varies from one reinforcer to the next, but revolves around some mean value
- Payoff is going to happen after some # o/ responses, not time passing
- # o/ responses will vary

25
Q

Examples of variable ratio

A

a. Gambling
b. Shooting basketballs

26
Q

What are the key features of VR patterning?

A
  1. Highest rate o/ responding o/ all the simple schedules
  2. High slope on graph
  3. No PRP
  4. Reinforcers are NOT equidistant from one another
    - Tells us that reinforcer distributions is VARIABLE, not fixed
27
Q

The last of a specified number of responses is reinforced, the number varies from one reinforcer to the next, but revolves around some mean value. What does this mean?

A

You would like to program a VR 6 schedule. On average, every 6th math problem will produce a reinforcer
- Before experimental session, develop a list of numbers whose mean = 6, when averaged
- Can view this list on paper, or on a computer, next to you

28
Q

What can we conclude from ratio schedules?

A

1) Rate of responding determines rate o/ REINFORCEMENT
2) Or, you can earn MORE reinforcers by making more responses

29
Q

Explain the concept of a fixed interval (FI).

A
  • 1st response that occurs after x (fixed) period o/ time is reinforced
  • Conditionalities:
    1. Passage of a min. amt. o/ time
    2. The emission o/ a response
30
Q

What are the key features of FI patterning?

A

1) Early responses before the time value have no effect, so these ↓ in frequency, w/ practice
2. Produces a “scallop” pattern on graph

31
Q

Examples of FI patterning.

A

FI 30-s schedule
- A response is reinforced given the passage of x (30 s in this case), and a response

a. Does this subject earn a reinforcer? NO
b. How many reinforcers does this subject earn? NONE
c. When in time is the reinforcer earned?- 1st response after 30 sec

32
Q

Explain the concept of variable interval (VI)

A
  • 1st response that occurs after x period o/ time, is reinforced, but time value revolves around some mean.
  • We determine the values as we did w/ the VR. The unit for a VI is seconds—this is key.
  • Payoff is going to happen after you responds after the passage of some amount of time
  • Duration o/ time will vary
33
Q

Examples of VI

A

a. Checking your mailbox
b. Fishing

34
Q

What are the key features of VI patterning?

A
  1. Generates a low & STEADY rate o/ responding
    - Responding tends to occur steadily throughout the interval, no PRP
35
Q

What can we conclude from interval schedules?

A

1) Rate o/ responding does NOT determine rate o/ reinforcement
2) Responding very fast does NOT mean you’ll get more reinforcers

Why- Some min. amt. o/ time has to pass before a response is reinforced

PSYC 210 (8 decks)

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