Chapter 5, Exam #2

Question 1

positive punishment

Answer 1

behavior leads to a consequence, you add a stimulus to decrease the probability of behavior happening again (yelling, hitting, more chores) (getting a ticket for bad driving)

Question 2

negative punishment

Answer 2

take away a desirable stimulus to decrease probability of behavior happening again (removal of attention desired toy, previous rewards) (going to jail for bad driving- freedom gets taken away)

Question 3

displaced aggression

Answer 3

a defense mechanism in which anger is redirected toward a person or object other than the one who provided the anger originally (bad day at work = yelling at family when you get home)

Question 4

elicited aggression

Answer 4

people who are in a punitive environment (people want to escape/ avoid situation) start to aggress against themselves (prisoners fighting each other)

Question 5

learned helplessness

Answer 5

condition of a human being or an animal in which it has learned to behave helplessly, even when the opportunity is restored for it to help itself by avoiding an unpleasant or harmful circumstance to which it has been subjected

Question 6

punishment as retribution

Answer 6

Punishment that is considered morally right and fully deserved (people going to jail)

Question 7

punishment as deterrence

Answer 7

the use of punishment as a threat to prevent a behavior

Question 8

How are punishment and negative reinforcement different?

Answer 8

punishment always suppresses future responses. negative reinforcements increate future behavior

Question 9

How are negative punishment and extinction related?

Answer 9

They are related in the sense that they both deal with the taking away of something to decrease behavior. Extinction to take away reinforcer to decrease behavior, negative punishment is taking away of a appetite reinforcer to decrease behavior

Question 10

effect on punishment: R-S contingency

Answer 10

When the response is reliably associated with the punishing event, the effectiveness of punishment is high

Question 11

effect on punishment: R-S delay

Answer 11

It is best to administer the punisher immediately after the undesired behavior
Other behaviors occur during the delay interval and they may get suppressed rather than the target behavior

Question 12

effect on punishment: intensity of punisher

Answer 12

stronger punishment, the more effective

Question 13

effect on punishment: progressive punishment

Answer 13

the progression from mild to harsh punishment each time the behavior happens not effective. In most cases, the progressive punishment was never as effective as using the more intense punisher from the start

Question 14

effect on punishment: reinforced and punished

Answer 14

for punishment to be effective it has to be out-compete the sources of reward, so reward alternate behaviors. Punish kid for standing up on chair but reward him when he sits still in a chair. Effective when the alternative behavior is incompatible with the unwanted behavior

Question 15

effect on punishment: presence of alternative behaviors

Answer 15

people punished for unwanted behaviors suppress those behaviors more completely when reinforced for engaging in alternative behaviors than just receiving punishment alone, sometimes punishment is the reward

Question 16

effect on punishment: behaviors that are highly motivated

Answer 16

when the motivation to engage in a behavior is strong, punishment is less effective

Question 17

How do the one-process and two-process theories of punishment differ

Answer 17

One-process believes the only component of punishment is operant conditioning. Two-process believes there are two components, classical and operant

Question 18

seven major problems with using punishing: Temporary effects

Answer 18

1. -Unless punishment is really severe, aversive consequences usual have only a temporary effect. Punishment works in short not in long run

Question 19

seven major problems with using punishing: Escape and avoidance

Answer 19

2. • Natural reaction is to run away

Question 20

seven major problems with using punishing: Aggression

Answer 20

3.- Leads to aggression

Question 21

seven major problems with using punishing: Apathy

Answer 21

4.- Generalized suppression- effects of not only suppressing the target behavior, but also other behaviors in the same context

Question 22

seven major problems with using punishing: Fixation

Answer 22

5.- Limits the range of behaviors that the organism is willing to perform

Question 23

seven major problems with using punishing: Progressive punishment

Answer 23

6. -Starts with yelling, then slapping, then beating, then the hospital. Conditioned mechanism- gradual evolution of masochism

Question 24

seven major problems with using punishing: Imitation

Answer 24

7.- It’s a negative model and leads to imitation on the recipient

Question 25

What are seven major problems with using punishment for behavioral control

Answer 25

temporary effects, escape and avoidance, aggression, apathy, fixation, progressive punishment, imitation

Question 26

What are six alternatives to aversive control

Answer 26

prevention, extinction, reinforce other behaviors, DRO, DRL,DRA

Question 27

six alternatives to aversive control: prevention

Answer 27

Modify the environment to preclude the behavior (e.g., disconnect the keyboard, install a V-Chip, lock the medicine cabinet).

Question 28

six alternatives to aversive control: extinction

Answer 28

Identify the reinforcing stimulus and remove it (e.g., time out)

Question 29

six alternatives to aversive control: reinforce other behaviors

Answer 29


- Differential reinforcement of incompatible (DRI) behaviors (e.g., reinforce sitting at your desk, don’t reinforce moving around; reinforce getting to meetings, or class, on time)

Question 30

six alternatives to aversive control: DRO

Answer 30

Reinforce not responding for a period of time (e.g., remain motionless for five minutes)

Question 31

six alternatives to aversive control: DRL

Answer 31

(e.g.,reinforce lower levels of aggression, lower levels of activity)

Question 32

six alternatives to aversive control: DRA

Answer 32

(e.g., reinforce saying nice things to classmates).

Question 33

Disruption theory

Answer 33

punishment suppresses responding because it leads to a disruption of ongoing activity (most limited)

Question 34

two-process theory

Answer 34

punishment involves both classical and operant conditioning. Similar to the two process theory of avoidance. Stimuli associated with the punisher becomes the CS for reactions to the punisher. We avoid the CS and thus decrease responses to the stimulus

Question 35

one process theory

Answer 35

only operant conditioning its involved in punishment. Punishment suppresses behavior just as reinforcement strengthens behavior

Question 36

Why has incarceration (imprisonment) been used as a form of punishment over the years? Has incarceration been successful?

Answer 36

to keep criminals away from society, but has not been very successful in improving the rate of crime