Behavior

Question 1

What is the best way to model effective learning behaviors?

Answer 1

Through observational learning

Question 2

How should teachers use reinforcement and punishment in the classroom?

Answer 2

through Operant Conditioning – widely used in classrooms

Question 3

Explain Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Answer 3

Reinforcement -> Behavior leads to good outcome, it strengthens the behavior

Punishment - >
If behavior leads to bad outcome, it weakens behavior…

Question 4

What is the basis of Operant Conditioning?

Answer 4

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Question 5

Reinforcement ____________ the probability that a ________ will occur.

Answer 5

Reinforcement (negative or positive) increases the probability that a behavior will occur.

Question 6

Getting an A in class is an example of what type of reinforcement?

Answer 6

Positive reinforcement

Question 7

Being excused from chores is what type of reinforcement? Why?

Answer 7

Negative, because we’re removing an undesirable stimulus.

Question 8

What’s the difference between reinforcement and punishment?

Answer 8

Reinforcement INCREASES a likelihood of behavior occurring while punishment DECREASES a likelihood of a behavior occurring.

Question 9

What type of reinforcement or punishment is the following example of?

Putting seatbelt on makes the alarm shuts off. My behavior stopped the alarm.

Answer 9

This is a negative reinforcer because I am most likely to do this behavior again because putting my seatbelt on removed the undesirable annoyance of the alarm.

Question 10

What are things to keep in mind if we want reinforcers to work effectively?

Answer 10

1. The reinforcer must be Desirable and of value to the recipient (giving lulu a bacon treat is very desirable, unlike a pat on the head).
2. The recipient must understand which specific behavior is being reinforced (lulu is relaxed, so she gets a treat).
3. The reinforcement must be immediately following the desired behavior (right when lulu lays down, we give her a treat).
4. Use of cues and prompts (when we are giving her food, by looking at her and standing there, she will be prompted to lay down and calm down).

Question 11

Suppose that Jenny is a very shy girl but does a brilliant science project and the teacher loves the effort. The teacher who is very impressed has arranged Jenny to present at the entire assembly of the class. How nice! Not! Why is this not the right way to reinforce Jenny’s good behavior?

Answer 11

By using something that Jenny would consider a punishment (being shy = not wanting all that attention) is not a Desirable reward. She will probably never do a good science project again, that poor Jenny.

Question 12

What type of reinforcer is a token economy?

Why might this work well?

What grade children might this work best with?

Answer 12

A token economy is a positive reinforcer because we’re increasing behavior by presenting something.

Works well because it’s flexible and can be redeemed for a reward of student’s CHOICE.

Works with preschool and elementary schools.

Question 13

How could token economy not work in a classroom?

Answer 13

1. Group -> If it’s done as a whole group, there may be one or two kids who become the scapegoat because they’re fucking it up for everyone else.
2. Unclear -> The kids may not clearly understand the behaviors they’re getting tokens for.

Question 14

Ms. Beigh tells Malik, “good job today!” after class. He participated in class discussions, took the trash out, and also figured out a problem - however, he also got in trouble for talking and for making noises.

What did Ms. Beigh reinforce, if anything?

What did she do wrong or right?

Answer 14

Ms. Beigh did NOT specify the behavior that Malik did right, so she didn’t reinforce anything. She should have instead said, “ good job for participating, taking the trash out, and figuring out those problems! Your comments were so wonderful”

Question 15

What type of antecedents are helpful for a loud and unruly classroom?

Answer 15

Reminders and signals such as, “1, 2, 3, all eyes on me!” and for students to reply, “1, 2, all eyes on you!”

Question 16

Trasha is a student who is very unruly and talkative. Most of the students tend to listen to her antics and even laugh at her behaviors. One day, she was actually well-behaved while Jaysean was presenting a show and tell. Ms. Chiu saw this and thought “oh em gee, trasha isn’t talking! I need to compliment her later” - after jaysean is done, she tells trasha, good job trasha!!!!

However, trasha was just carving into her desk, which is why she was quiet.

What did Ms. Chiu just do?

Answer 16

Ms. Chiu done fucked up. She just reinforced Trasha for carving into her desk because not only could she not praise her right away, but was not specific. She should have said, “great job listening to jaysean while he was presenting!”

Question 17

Explain shaping.

How would a coach or a parent use this?

Answer 17

Shaping is Reinforcement in successive steps that LEAD up to the desired behavior.

A good time to use this is for when we are trying to train our small children to wash their hands properly. “good job on turning the water on!” “good job putting your hands under that water” “wow, you’re using soap now! “rinsed off? wow!”

Coaches could use this to be specific about an athlete: “great job moving your shoulder back this time!”

Question 18

If dana eats all her vegetables, she can eat dessert.

This is an example of?

What’s the process of this method - how does it work?

Answer 18

Pre-mack principle. Doing something shit then doing something they like.

This is a method used to reinforce an undesirable stimulus by giving them a desirable and valuable stimulus after.

Question 19

Plug positive and negative reinforcements, as well as the technique used in this scenario:

Kids are nagging the teacher to play jeopardy. They promise her they will do the spelling bee after. The teacher tells kids they can play jeopardy first then spelling assignment… her behavior of letting kids play jeopardy removes the complaint of the children’s nagging.
Kids got to play jeopardy

Answer 19

Used the pre-mack principles backwards - not going to work!

Negative reinforcement - teacher tells the kids they can play jeopardy first then spelling assignment… her behavior of letting kids play jeopardy removes the complaint of the children’s nagging.

Positive reinforcement - Kids got to play jeopardy

Question 20

The Contingency contract is an example of what type of reinforcement principle?

Answer 20

Pre-mack principle.

Question 21

Turning on the TV is an example of what type of reinforcement?

Answer 21

Continuous - because we are reinforced each and every single time we turn the TV on.

Question 22

What type of reinforcement schedule is best for initial learning?

Answer 22

Continuous - reinforcing something every single time in the beginning is best.

Question 23

Mr. Jay has a great reinforcement schedule of variable- interval of pop quizzes with short essay writing. There is always a large attendance record… but what is the issue that he tends to have?

Answer 23

The quality of the work is compromised.

Question 24

What are the 2 types of punishments? Describe the difference.

Answer 24

Presentational punishment is when something UNDESIRABLE is presented, such as nagging or detention.

Removal punishment is taking away something Desirable, such as games or tv.

Question 25

Why is time-out so ineffective sometimes?

Answer 25

Because parents aren’t taking the kids out of situations they want to be in. Telling a kid they’re in time-out at a restaurant doesn’t do anything at all because they’re still where they want to be. It’s not some magical state.

Question 26

Missing school 5 times and getting dropped is an example of what type of punishment?

Answer 26

Response cost

Question 27

Using response cost along with what can increase good behavior?

Answer 27

Response cost and token economy together if a valuable stimuli is used.

Question 28

What is the Praise and Ignore system?

Answer 28

It’s Differential reinforcement and this works best in removing undesirable behaviors. By “catching” good behavior, we can use praise or something that’s good to reinforce the behavior.

Question 29

Nick frequently gets out of his seat and entertains his classmates with humorous remarks. Mr. Lincoln often scolds Nick for his behavior. However, Nick’s classmates laugh when Nick makes remarks. The scolding rarely has any impact. Nick continues with his antics.

Q.1: What is Mr. Lincoln attempting to do when he scolds Nick?

Q.2: Why does Nick continue his antics in spite of being scolded?

Q.3: What are three strategies Mr. Lincoln could try to keep Nick more on task?

Answer 29

Nick frequently gets out of his seat and entertains his classmates with humorous remarks. Mr. Lincoln often scolds Nick for his behavior. However, Nick’s classmates laugh when Nick makes remarks. The scolding rarely has any impact. Nick continues with his antics.

Q.1: What is Mr. Lincoln attempting to do when he scolds Nick?
>Presentation (Positive) Punishment

Q.2: Why does Nick continue his antics in spite of being scolded?
>Positive reinforcement by his classmates

Q.3: What are some strategies Mr. Lincoln could try to keep Nick more on task?

> Apply Pre-mack principle through Contingency contract – If he doesn’t make ppl laugh, then he can play with the class gerbil richard; or as a class, if we don’t do this AND that, then we can go 5 minutes extra recess

> Group response cost – if they laugh, get a yellow card, and if they get to red = loss of privilege >Takes away the stimulus

> Ignore him – Stop scolding him and do this in conjunction with group response cost

Question 30

Explain the power of Vicarious conditioning.

Answer 30

> More likely to do a behavior if we see someone else’s reinforcement

> Less likely to do behavior if we see someone else’s being punished.

Question 31

In order for Observational Learning to work, what are the 4 things that must be present?

Answer 31

1. ATTENTION: Students must be able to pay attention to the model (teacher or other student) and need to understand the consequences of the model’s behaviors.
2. RETENTION -> They need to remember the behaviors. They may not remember the steps if they don’t have a basis for it.
3. PRODUCTION: Can they do the behaviors of the model?
4. MOTIVATION: Reinforces, punishers, and behavior must be Valuable to the observer.

Question 32

Imagine a PE teacher starting basketball team and have Kobe do a lay-up. Why is this a bad idea?

Answer 32

Even though he’s a high status model, and kids will pay attention, they will NOT be able to do the lay-up.

A better model is a kid who just recently learned how to do this.

Question 33

The teacher has mary from the back of the class come and demonstrate how addition works to the class - but noone’s listening. Why is this?

Answer 33

The best models are “High Status” model; someone they respect and look up to. They don’t know mary, so it’s less likely that they will pay attention to her.