Chapter 5 - Instrumental Conditioning: Foundations Flashcards
What is Positive reinforcement?
when a response is increased due to it producing an appetitive stimulus
what is negative reinforcement?
when a response is increased due to it preventing an aversive stimulus
what is punishment?
when a response is decreased due to it producing an aversive stimulus
what is omission training?
when a response is decreased due to it preventing an appetitive stimulus (negative punishment)
describe Amy Sutherland’s experiment?
an experiment involving DRO where Bridget was given attention only when she did not bang her head in order to reduce her want to bang her head. This experiment shows the benefit of DRO training as well as how attention can act as an appetitive stimulus
what is DRO?
differential reinforcement of other behaviour - the act of producing an appetitive stimulus as a result of engaging in a response other than the response that is being punished
describe the difference between variability and stereotype behavior
variability: the act of changing one’s response due to variability being a requirement of performing the task given
stereotype: the act of doing the same response in order to perform the task given
what experiment involves variability and stereotype behavior? By who?
A. Neuringer –> drawing rectangles
VAR = must change shape, size, and location of rectangle in order to receive the point
YOKED group = gets the point as long as they draw the rectangle
results = the VAR group had significantly more variability in their responses compared to the YOKED group meaning that stereotype behaviour defaults
what is intrinsic motivation?
having an interest in behavioral results independent of the reward
describe Jozefowiez and Staddons contribution towards instrumental conditions
They stated that a link must be recognized between the targeted behaviour and the appetitive/aversive event that follows in order for instrumental conditioning to take place. (readily associate the behaviour with the goal)
how does Sevenster’s experiment with the sickle back prove the idea of belongingness?
it was easier to reinforce bitting when the reinforcer was another male sickle back as they tend to chase them away. Also when the reinforcer was female swimming through a ring was easier to learn as they would attempt to mate with the females.
How do the Brelands experiences with animal attractions relate to the idea of belongingness?
couldn’t teach raccoons or pigs to place a coin in a piggy bank as raccoons use food as a reinforcer as raccoons would usually exhibit very different behavior in order to receive food
what were the findings of SHettleworth regarding instrumental conditioning?
the physiological condition of the subject can influence the likelihood and frequency of the behaviour as a result of the reinforcer. For example, a hamsters response as a result of food being the reinforcer is more likely to perform its task when it is hungry
describe the button pressing experiment with Chad
using attention as a reinforcer it was found that the longer the reinforcer was applied after the behaviour was performed the more that behaviour was performed
How does substance abuse of cocaine relate to the quantity and quality of the reinforcer?
the act of treating substance abuse disorder by paying participants a certain amount of money when their drug tests came back negative. And the more money that was given the more incentive these patients had to not use drugs
what is behavioral contrast?
when the value of a reinforcer has been changed to either a higher (positive) or lower (negative) value from the previous experience
How did Ortega’s experiment relate to behavioral contrast?
observed the frequency of licks a rat did towards sugary water
4% sugar and 32% sugar
results = significant decrease in lickage towards sugar water that went from 32% to 4%
meaning a type of aversion was created for the 4% sugar water as it was below the expectations of the rats
what are the 2 types of relationships between a response and a reinforcer
- temporal relation: the time between the response and the reinforcer
- response-reinforcer contingency: how much of the response is needed to produce enough of the reinforcer
what is the difference between temporal relation and temporal contiguity
temporal contiguity is a type of temporal relation where the reinforcer immediately follows the response
