Chapter 10 Flashcards
avoidance experiment by Vladimir Bechterev (1913)
subjects placed fingers on metal plate and began without instructions:
warning stimulus (light) signaled shock
subjects quickly learned to lift finger when light turned on (AVOIDANCE)
US exposure depends upon subject’s behavior, an instrumental process, where the ________ is important
response
discriminated avoidance procedure
trials begin with a CS (warning stim)
subject has 2 options:
- respond (R) correctly before US (shock)
- CS is turned off
- US is omitted- this is AVOIDANCE
- fail to respond to CS before US
- CS remains on
- US remains on until R- this is ESCAPE
is escape or avoidance seen early in training?
escape as organism is still learning
goal is to (usually) maintain avoidance
what does the two-process theory of avoidance explain in terms of reinforcement?
how avoidance doesn’t involve getting something and how it can still be reinforcing
two-process theory of avoidance
process 1: classical conditioning
- CS + US in escape trials –> fear of the CS
process 2: instrumental conditioning (depends on process 1)
- response terminates CS (fear) in avoidance trials –> decrease CS by CR
thus, responding is reinforced by a tangible event, FEAR
does learning need to happen in the first process of the two-process theory of avoidance?
NO, they have to learn fear of the CS but that’s it
what part of the brain plays a central role in fear
the amygdala
stimulating the amygdala _______ fear responding (and 3 examples)
increases; freezing, enhanced startle, and heart rate increase
lesioning the amygdala _____ fear responding (and 3 examples)
decreases; approach predators, loss of conditioned fear, and inability to condition fear
acquired drive experiment is an attempt to understand how…
original CS-US experience acquires drive for organism to respond; ultimately CS establishes fear
brown and jacobs 1949 acquired drive experiment
training: shuttle door blocked
- experimental: 22 CS (tone) - US (shock) pairings
- control: CS, no shock
test: shuttle door opened
- CS presented w/o US (40 trials)
results:
- previous training reduced latency to shuttle to the CS alone
- ending a fear-conditioned CS s enough to reinforce avoidance
acquired drive suggests the opposite of ________, as it shows how responding increases after no more US
extinction
______ stimuli can maintain strength overtime (behavioral momentum theory)
aversive
Kamin et al 1963 results
increased suppression in rats avoiding 1-9 consecutive shocks
with more training, suppression decreased (27)
fear decreased with more training independent of avoidance
spot check:
in escape and avoidance, what drives responding?
fear! (of the CS)
what happens when we go below the shock threshold?
this is when we get sloppy/stop paying attention and experience the US again
also know as REINSTATEMENT
strength of avoidance may also ______
fluctuate
can avoidance persist without reintroduction of the aversive event?
yes!
persistence in avoidance
avoidance may continue after US is discontinued, as long as the response turns off the CS+
what is the persistence in avoidance explained by?
conservation of fear
conservation of fear
after learning avoidance, later parts of the CS are protected/maintain fear-provoking behavior from extinction even when US is removed
what is the most effective procedure to confront maladaptive avoidance?
flooding
can avoidance become maladaptive?
yes! examples: anxiety, phobias and commitment issues
flooding procedure
CS is presented
no US is presented (sounds like extinction!)
subject is prevented from making avoidance response
most important variable of floodng?
duration of forced CS exposure!
the ______ the CS, the _____ trials to extinction
longer; fewer
free operant avoidance
avoidance learned without an explicit CS+
main difference of free operant vs. discriminative avoidance
free: implicit CS+
dis: explicit CS+
free operant avoidance procedure
2 time intervals:
- S-S (shock-shock): time between shocks in absence of response
- R-S (response-shock): time of safety after a response
responding can occur @ anytime
over repeated exposure, time becomes an implicit CS+
safety signal hypothesis
response feedback stimuli in the environment signal the absence of aversive stimulation
these “safety signals” may become positive reinforcers
ex. a “rough neighborhood” elicits fear, but elm st. may become positive reinforcer because it is safe!
shock frequency hypothesis
avoidance of aversive stimuli is the critical determinant of responding
subjects distribute behaviors to maximally decrease aversive stimuli (sounds like behavioral regulation theory/bliss point!)
example of shock frequency hypothesis
having 4 classes at varying levels of difficulty and workload and need to choose the distribution of studying that decrease failing
species-specific defense reactions (SSDR)
aversive stimuli elicit strong unconditioned responses (instincts)
environment determines the response
subjects cycle through SSDRs and are punished by choosing incorrectly (this is the learning portion!)
predator imminence theory
the likelihood of predator appearance, detection and contact determine avoidance behavior
like SSDR, US are determinants of responding
does not postulate a role for punishment like SSDR (no learning required)
punishment vs. avoidance
p - attention-provoking to decrease responding
a - limited awareness to increase responding
t/f: punishment is the most studied out of the 4 approaches in the golden square
False; least well studied
punishment procedure
presentation of an aversive stimulus after a specified response
is a time-out punishment or omission training?
omission training!
characteristics of the _______ stimulus in punishment determine its effectiveness
aversive
______ intensity = increase suppression of behavior
increase
increase duration = __________ suppression of behavior
increase
t/f: the order of the stimulus exposure in punishment is important
true!
most effective order of presentation for stimulus exposure in punishment (and what does this suggest)
high intensity before low intensity most effectively suppresses behavior
suggests that our penal system is doing it wrong!
what are the definitions of contingency and contiguity in relation to punishment?
contingency: instrumental responses are more easily modifies by punishment
contiguity: delays in punishment may render it ineffective
availability of _________ determines punishment effectiveness (example)
alternatives; if a dog gets punished for chewing on shoes but has nothing else to chew on the punishment won’t be effective
offering alternative responses with punishment _______ suppression of the targeted behavior (example)
hastens; punishing a dog for chewing on a shoe while also providing a new dog toy to chew on
discriminative punishment and example
responding is punished in the presence of a discriminative stimulus, but not when that stimulus is absent (know when/times you will/won’t be punished)
ex) speed traps, you speed but know when to slow down where a cop usually sits so you avoid a speeding ticket
we are built to ________ when punishment (Sdp) is likely to occur
discriminate
attention can serve as a strong ________ reinforcement
positive
if a child tends to seek attention, ________ may serve as the attention they are seeking
punishment
conditioned emotional response theory (give an example)
punishment suppresses behavior by conditioning pre-response cues with fear reactions incompatible with the targeted response
ex) electric dog fence: cues in the yard will elicit fear and freezing incompatible with escape
avoidance theory of punishment (give an example)
organisms learn to find a way around punishment by responding with avoidance behaviors that are incompatible with the punished response
punishment actually strengthens avoidance responding
ex) punish under-aged drinking AND provide the “lockdown” prom night
5 misuses of punishment
- first punishment is low intensity
- often intermittent (not applied every time)
- usually delayed (lack contiguity)
- clear discriminative stimuli are present (know when to get away with things)
- punishment may be a source of attention
