Chapter 10: Aversive control Flashcards
Positive punishment
behaviour decreases due to the presentation of consequences
negative punishment
behaviour decreases due to removal of consequences
- time out
- response cost
negative reinforcement
- behaviour increases due to the removal of consequences (escape or avoid punisher)
punishment is not equal to _______
retribution
behavioural punishment should not be _____
vindictive
time out
removal of reinforcers or availability of reinforcers
- short usually better
- negative punishment
point loss experiment
lever press responding of college students reinforced on a variable interval schedule w/ points that could be exchanged for money
during baseline phase, only S^D was presented (discriminative stimulus)
During next phase, S^D present in alternation with a punishment stimulus (S^Dp), during which the VI schedule remained in effect but each response was also punished by point loss
decrease in responding during SDp
key features of aversive stimuli
most research done with shock
- easy to control amount
- simple setup
- consistently aversive w/o damage
- uncomfortable (usually not very painful)
- only used when necessary
punisher intensity
stronger punisher will produce greater decreases in behaviour
- ceiling effect
- importance of appropriate level
- punisher should STOP behaviour when it occurs
- do not start low and “ramp up”
Contingent vs. independent aversive stimulation
Aversive stimulation contingent on an instrumental response is more effective in suppressing that response than delivering aversive stimulation independent of behaviour
delayed punishment
small delays lead to huge decreases in punishment value
- contingency
- contiguity
reinforcement considerations
most behaviours occur bc they are reinforced or reinforcing
- generally need to remove reinforcer
- avoid aversives that are actually reinforcing
- allow for alternative behaviour to produce reinforcement
- reduce motivation for bad reinforcement
punishment is most effective when an _______ response is available
alternative
sensitivity to the reinforcer: cocaine addicted rats
- cocaine addicted rats sought cocaine despite punishment
- not true for sucrose
thorndike and the negative law of effect
just as reinforcement strengthens behaviour, punishment weakens behaviour
Conditioned emotional responses: theory of punishment (Estes)
- punishment suppresses behaviour
- stimuli/behaviours just before punishment = CSs
- these stimuli elicit freezing
- explains many (not all) punishment effects
Avoidance of punishment (Dinsmoor)
- punishment as a form of avoidance behaviour
- stimuli that accompany the punished response bc aversive
- animals avoid these stimuli by doing something besides the punished behaviour
Premark principle of punishment
- with total freedom, diff behaviours have diff probabilities of occurring
- premack principle:
H = high prob. response, L = low prob. response - if L allows H, reinforces L
If H forces L, punishes H
Punishment in real life
Ethical issues parenting often used incorrectly later problems used to prevent serious harm
avoidance vs. classical conditioning
study
a CR that allows an animal to escape from a punisher will be stronger than a common CR
avoidance group could avoid US by running but the Classical group could not!
escape
terminate aversive by performing response; learned 1st
avoidance
prevent aversive by performing response; learned second
Apparatus and procedure
A shuttle box, box has metal grab floor and is separated into 2 compartmets by an archway. Instrumental response consists of crossing back and forth from one side tot he other
Avoidance trial: if the subject makes the response required for avoidance during the CS but before the US is scheduled, the CS is turned off, and the US is committed during that trial
Escape trial: if the subject fails to make the required reposed during the CS-US interval, the scheduled shock is presented and remains on until the response occurs, whereupon both the CS and US are terminated
2 process theory of avoidance
2 mechanisms:
- classical
- instrumental
agoraphobia
overgeneralized CS (open spaces, crowds) Avoidance [NR] (stay inside)
OCD
Obsession [CS] (doors unlocked)
Compulsion [NR] (repeated locking)
two process they and OCD
obsessions not usually directly conditioned
- stress -> sensitization to threat
- common intrusive thoughts obsessed over
difficulties with two process theory
Fear-avoidance can be difficult to extinguish
- avoidance happens very quickly, little opportunity to extinguish
CR may no longer be present (no fear)
Extinction of avoidance behaviour
- very important in behaviour therapy
- flooding
flooding
extinction and résponse prevention
- preventing the avoidance response is key to successful extinction
- duration of exposure to CS (w/o the US) determines the # of trials to extinction
Free operant avoidance
unsignalled shocks are avoided by making responses w/n a set period from the previous response/shock
aka non discriminated avoidance
Theoretical accounts of avoidance behaviour
- positive reinforcement through conditioned safety signals
- reinforcement through reduction of shock frequency (one-process)
- species-specific defines reactions
- predatory imminence: defensive and recuperative behaviour
predatory imminence:
the perceived likelihood of being attacked by a predator
diff species-typical defence responses occur w/n diff degrees of predatory imminence
predatory imminence continuum
Status of predator - statues of prey
- predator cannot appear - non aversively motivated behaviour and recuperative behaviour due to previous attack
- predator could appear - reencounter defensive behaviour (e.g. modification of foraging patterns)
- predator detected - post encounter defensive behaviour (e.g. freezing)
- predator makes contact - strike -defensive behaviour (lean-jump, adenosine aggression)
Non-contingent punishment
very bad
- leaned helplessness - inescapable punishment
- experiemental neurosis - unpredicatable punishment
learned helplessness
Seligman and Maier (1967)
Dogs exposed to predictable but inescapable shock do not try to escape when later allowed to
model for depression
math anxiety
theories of helplessness: learned helplessness hypothesis
lack of perceived control leads to lack of motivation and contingency of future reinforcement
theories of helplessness: activity deficit
freezing leads to lack of response
theories of helplessness: attention deficit
reduces animal’s attention to own behaviour
theories of helplessness: stimulus relations
escapable shock is okay bc of safety signals
alleviating helplessness
“force” subject to escape or introduce post-shock signal
experimental neurosis
animals exposed to unpredictable (unsignalled) punishers develop neurotic-like symptoms
unpredictable punishers are stressful (hyper vigilance)
model for PTSD
Exposure therapy for PTSD
graded exposure to trauma stimuli in controlled environment (systematic desensitization)
Alternatives to punishment
response prevention extinction DRO DRI (incompatible) DLR
Problems with punishment
- does not identify alternative behevaiour
- discriminative stimuli for punishement bc stimuli for avoidance
- punishsment elicits emotional response
- modeling and imitation
- reinforcing value of the punishment
- internalizing
- psychological harm from non contingence
- habituation
benefits of punishment
“appeasement” behaviours - increase in sociality
modifies attention
distraction form motivator, improves mood
usually very rapid
effective punishment
- not delayed
- consistent contingency and intensitty
- negative punishment is preferable
- intense enough to stop behaviour
- explain punishment
- provide DRO reinforcement
- never punish out of frustration or anger
- provide safety signals/warnings
- use when necessary, avoid reliance
