Ch. 6 Flashcards
2 kinds of stimulus change
1) stimulus presentation
-something new added to enviro.
-if stimulus presentation increases behavior above its baseline level, then it functions as a positive reinforcer (SR+)
2) stimulus removal/reduction/prevention
-neg. reinforcer
-removal/reduction: escape (SRE-), increases behavior above baseline
-prevention: avoidance (SRA-)
negative reinforcement - avoidance (SRA-)
consequent prevention of stimulus change, the effect of which is to increase operant behavior above its no-reinforcer baseline level
pos. reinforcer examples
-food, water, electric brain stimulation
-drugs, social reinforcers
neg. reinforcer examples
SRE-: medication, addictive drugs
-SRA-: vaccinations
how are pos./neg. reinforcers similar?
1) both consequences
2) both increase behavior above a baseline (no-reinforcement level)
how are pos./neg. reinforcers different?
presentation vs. removal/reduction/prevention
-individuals usually prefer pos. > neg. reinforcement
-neg. reinforcers may influence behavior more than pos. reinforcers
2 differences of SRE- and SRA-
1) in the case of SRA-, the aversive stimulus isn’t present when the operant behavior occurs
-warning stimulus typically precedes operant response
2) operant response prevents aversive stimulus change from happening
2 theories of SRA-
1) two-factor theory
2) one-factor theory
two-factor theory
avoidance responses do produce a consequence: fear reduction
-warning stimulus evokes fear and avoidance response has consequence of terminating fear
-fear reduction is consequence that serves as SRA-
2 learning processes that 2-factor theory relies on 2 learning processes
1) Pavlovian conditioning
-explains why fear arises
–warning stimulus is CS that evokes fear
2) operant conditioning
-explains why avoidance behavior occurs
–fear reduction is consequence that functions as SRA-
one-factor theory
holds that operant conditioning alone can explain SRA-
3 reasons for distinguishing between positive and negative reinforcement
1) heuristics
-remember all options
-consequences can be presented (SR+), removed/reduced (SRE-) or prevented (SRA-)
2) loss aversion
-tendency for loss prevention (SRA-) to influence behavior more than presentation of same stimulus (SR+)
3) preference for pos. reinforcement
Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
systematic application of positive reinforcement in workplace settings
-behavior analysts consult with companies to integrate positive reinforcement in the workplace
3 objections to reinforcement
1) intrinsic motivation
2) performance-inhibiting properties of reinforcement
3) cheating
intrinsic motivation
natural drive to engage in behavior because it fosters a sense of competence
-enhanced by verbal extrinsic reinforcers
extrinsic motivation
reinforcers that are not automatically obtained by engaging in behavior; instead, they are artificially arranged
-extrinsic reinforcers do not decrease intrinsic motivation to engage in behavior
-can have a temporary negative impact, but only when they’re tangible and reinforce “high-interest behaviors”
2 forms of performance-inhibiting properties of reinforcement
1) reinforcers reduce creativity
2) reinforcers lead to “choking under pressure”
how does reinforcement work?
1) investigate neurological events that occur when reinforcers are obtained
2) investigate process at the level of the whole organism and how it interacts w/ the enviro.
-how present behavior is influenced by past events
2 contemporary whole-organism theories of reinforcement
1) response strengthening theory
2) information theory
response strengthening theory
the more frequently an operant behavior is followed by a reinforcer, the more firmly its established, and the more difficult it’ll be to disrupt
information theory
holds that reinforcers give information that allows the individual to predict when or where subsequent reinforcers may be obtained
-controlled by likely future as exemplified in the past
