Chapter 5 Review from textbook Flashcards
In instrumental conditioning, constraints are placed on the opportunity to gain reward
operant conditioning has no constraints, and the animal or person can freely respond to obtain reinforcement
Primary reinforcements possess innate reinforcing ability
secondary reinforcements develop the capacity to reinforce instrumental or operant behavior
The reinforcing property of a secondary reinforcement is determined by the following three things
(1) The strength of the primary reinforcement it is associated with
(2) the number of pairings of the primary and secondary reinforcements
(3) the delay between primary and secondary reinforcement
A positive reinforcement is an event that has reinforcing properties
a negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant event
Shaping involves reinforcing a response that occurs at a high rate and then
changing the contingency so that closer and closer approximations to the final behavior
A fixed number of responses are necessary to produce reinforcement on FR schedules
an average number of responses lead to reinforcement on VR schedules
On an FR schedule, responding stops following reinforcement, called a postreinfrocement pause.
After the pause, responding resumes at the rate present before reinforcement
On a VR schedule, response rate is high, with only an
occasional postreinforcement pause.
The first response occurring after a specified interval of time produces reinforcement on an FI schedule
an average interval of time elapses between available reinforcements on a VI schedule; the length of time varies from one interval to the next
On an FI schedule, responding stops after reinforcement, with the rate of response increasing slowly as the time approaches when reinforcement will once more become available
the behavior characteristic of a FI schedule is called the scallop effect
The scallop effect does not occur on VI schedules
there is no pause following reinforcement on a VI schedule
The response requirement is high within a specified amount of time with a DRH schedule
and low with a DRL schedule
A DRO schedule requires
an absence of response during the specified time period
An instrumental or operant response is learned rapidly if
reward immediately follows the response
The performance of the instrumental or operant response is higher with a larger rather than smaller reward
which is due to the greater motivational impact of a large reward
A shift from large to small reward leads to a rapid decrease in response
a shift from a small to large reward causes a significant increase in response
The negative contrast (or depression) effect is a lower level of performance when
the reward magnitude is shifted from high to low than when the reward magnitude is always low
The positive contrast (or elation) effect is a higher level of performance when the reward magnitude is shifted from
low to high than when the reward magnitude is always high
The frequency and intensity of an instrumental or operant behavior declines during
extinction when that behavior no longer produces reward
Nonreward can increase the intensity of instrumental or operant behavior when the
memory of nonreward has been conditioned to elicit the contingent behavior
Nonreward eventually leads to an inhibition of an instrumental or operant behavior response as well as
elicitation of escape response to elicit the contingent behavior
The environmental cues present during nonreward can develop aversive properties
which motivates escape from situations associated with nonreward
Partial rather than continuous reinforcement leads to
a slower extinction of the instrumental or operant behavior
The partial reinforcement effect is caused by
conditioned persistence and/or the memory of nonreinforcement associated with the appetitive behavior
Contingent reinforcement have been useful in many real-world situations
to increase appropriate behaviors and decrease inappropriate behaviors
There are three stages of contingency management:
(1) assessment
(2) contracting
(3) implementation
In the assessment stage
The baseline levels of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, the situation in which these behaviors occur, and potential reinforces are determined
In the contracting stage
the precise relationship between the operant response and the reinforcement is decided
Implementation of the contingency contract involves
providing reinforcement contingent upon the appropriate response or upon absence of the inappropriate behavior, or both.
Contingency management has successfully modified many different behaviors
including inadequate living skills, drug use, poor study habits, antisocial responses, and energy consumption
