Chapter 2: Basic Concepts Flashcards
Antecedent
Whatever occurs right before a behavior.
Automatic Reinforcement
Engaging in the behavior is what produces the reinforcement; these behaviors are not socially mediated.
“I don’t need you”
Automaticity of Reinforcement
Behavior is reinforced or punished without the individual knowing that reinforcement or punishment is occurring.
Example: Putting on a jacket when it’s cold without thinking about it.
Aversive Stimulus
An unpleasant event that is intended to decrease the probability of a behavior when it is presented as a consequence.
Example: A chore as a consequence to breaking curfue.
Behavior
Any activity that a living organism does.
Dead Man’s Test
Behavior Change Tactic
A technologically consistent method for changing behavior derived from one or more principles of behavior.
Example: Response cost is derived from the principle of negative reinforcement.
Conditioned Punisher
Learned punisher.
Conditioned Reflex/Response
A response or reflex that occurs because of one’s learning history and results due to and in the presence of a particular stimulus.
Example: Blinking before the “puff” of air comes at the eye doctor.
Conditioned Reinforcer
Learned reinforcer; secondary reinforcer
Conditioned Stimulus
A stimulus that was once neutral but is now conditioned and elicits a response.
Example: Needle at doctor
Consequence
Whatever occurs right after a behavior.
Example: Receiving a token for answering a question correctly.
Contingency
Refers to dependent and/or temporal relations between operant behavior and its controlling variables.
Contingency Shaped Behavior
Behavior that changes based on a learning history.
Example: Not speeding because you got a speeding ticket.
Contingent
Describes reinforcement or punishment that is delivered only after the target behavior has occurred.
Deprivation
Withholding access to reinforcement for a specified period of time to increase the effectiveness of the reinforcer.
Discriminated Operant
An operant that occurs more frequently under some antecedent conditions than under others.
Discriminative Stimulus (SD)
Signals availability of a reinforcer.
Example: “OPEN” Sign
Elicit
A behavior that is unlearned and occurs when a particular stimulus is present.
Emit
Used to describe behavior occurring due to the consequence being the major controlling variable.
Evoke
Used to describe behavior occurring due to the MOs occurring with the antecedent events being the major controlling variable.
Environment
Anywhere the behavior happens.
Extinction
No longer reinforce a behavior that has been previously reinforced.
Example: No longer using a token system to reinforce hand raising.
Extinction AKA
Operant Extinction
Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer
A learned reinforcer that has been generalized across subjects, behaviors, and environments.
Generalized Conditioned Punisher
A learned punisher that has been generalized across subjects, behaviors, and environments.
Habituation
When the stimulus is repeatedly presented, the subject “gets used to it”, and the response will slowly fade and eventually not occur at all.
Example: Squinting because of light in eyes diminishes over time because of constant light in the eyes.
Higher-Order Conditioning
A reflex can occur through repeated presentation of additional neutral stimuli that is presented during stimulus-stimulus pairing.
History of Reinforcement
All of a person’s learning experiences with past conditioning with respect to particular response classes or aspects of a person’s repertoire.
Joint Control
A phenomenon in which two separate, but interrelated forms of a person’s own verbal behavior, combine to acquire stimulus control of a response that would not have occurred in the absence of either.
Motivating Operation
Enhance or reduces reinforcement value.
Example: Needing to study, bad headache
Negative Punishment
Something removed that decreases the future frequency of the behavior.
Example: Time out, response cost
Negative Reinforcement
Removing something that increases the future frequency of the behavior.
Example: Escape, avoidance
Neutral Stimulus
A stimulus that has zero control over a behavior that the individual elicits.
Example: Bell before being paired with food.
Operant Behavior
Behavior that occurs due to one’s prior learning history with punishment and reinforcement.
Example: Putting on an ovan mitt to pick up a hot pan.
Operant Conditioning
S-R-S (A-B-C)
Positive Punishment
Something added that decreases future frequency of behavior.
Example: Spank, reprimand
Positive Reinforcement
Something added that increases the future frequency of behavior.
Example: Praise, tokens, high five, something you like
Principles of Behavior
Extinction, Reinforcement, Punishment
Punisher
Anything designed to eliminate or decrease a behavior.
Example: A chore to decrease breaking curfue.
Punishment
Decrease to behavior.
Example: Decrease in head banging.
Reflex
An unconditioned stimulus elicits an unconditioned response.
Example: Blinking when air is blown in eyes.
Reinforcement
Increase in behavior.
Example: Increase time doing homework.
Reinforcer
Anything designed to increase a behavior.
Example: iPad time to increase cleaning room.
Repertoire
Thing things someone can do.
Example: Reading, writing name, sitting.
Respondent Behavior
Reflexive behaviors that have no learning history.
Example: Sleep
Respondent Conditioning
US + NS = CS = CR
Example: Bell paired with food.
Respondent Extinction
If conditioned stimulus is presented over and over without presenting unconditioned stimulus, it results in unpairing.
Example: Bell unpaired with food.
Response
One occurrence of a behavior.
Response Class
A group of responses that serve the same function.
Example: All the ways you can get attention.
Rule Governed Behavior
Behavior based on a set of rules.
Example: Not drinking and driving because it is the law.
Skill
Any task or action that one has mastered.
Socially Mediated Contingency
When other people deliver the consequence for the behavior or are presenting the antecedent stimuli in some way.
Example: You get together with friends who ask you to tell a joke. You tell a joke and they laugh.
Stimulus
Anything in our environment that we contact through our five senses.
Example: Food
Three Receptor Systems Impacted by Stimuli
Exteroreceptors, Interoceptors, Proprioceptors
Exteroreceptors
Your five senses.
Interoceptors
The internal receptors that allow you to feel pain or internal discomfort.
Proprioceptors
The receptors that respond to movement.
Stimulus Class
Set of stimulus: formal, temporal, arbitrary, feature, functional
Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing
A neutral stimulus is paired with a conditioned or unconditioned stimulus, and following the repeated presentation, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that will elicit a response on its own.
Example: Coughing when you have a tickle in your throat.
Three-Term Contingency
ABC (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence).
Unconditioned Punisher
Unlearned punisher
Example: Pain
Unconditioned Reinforcer
Unlearned reinforcer; primary reinforcer
Example: Eating when hungry
Unconditioned stimulus
A stimulus that leads to an automatic response. AKA Reflex.
Sun and squinting
Unconditioned Response
A response that occurs without any prior learning history as a result of the presence of a particular stimulus.
Formal Stimulus Class
Share physical features with one another.
Example: Size, shape, weight, color, magnitude, etc.
Temporal Stimulus Class
Exist in a similar temporal space as one another. Refers to time in relation to the behavior of interest.
Arbitrary Stimulus Class
Stimuli that evoke or abate similar responses but do not share common features
Example: Meat and vegetables
Feature Stimulus Class
Stimulus generalization. Generalizing one response to multiple stimuli in this class.
Functional Stimulus Class
Share a similar effect on behavior.
Example: When you hear music, you start to dance, regardless of what type of music you hear.
Stimulus Control
A certian behavior is more likely to occur in the presence of a certain stimulus and the beahvior does not occur in the absence of the stimulus.
Example: A child says “dog” in the presence of a chihuahua but does not say “dog” when in the presence of a cat.
