Chapter 7

Question 1

Is the associative structure of instrumental conditioning molar or molecular approach?

Answer 1

Molecular

Question 2

What is the SR association called?

Answer 2

Habit (stimuli-response): association between contextual stimuli and instrumental response; after a while it becomes an habit, O is not needed anymore

Question 3

What is the SO association called?

Answer 3

Pavlovian conditioning (stimulus/outcome): stimulus triggers the memory of the outcome: puts the organism in a motivational state to perform the instrumental response.

Question 4

What is the insensive salience theory?

Answer 4

when someone is exposed to the stimulus associated w taken the drug, it triggers the emotional state usually triggered by the outcome (being high on the drug), leading to intense cravings (mostly associated with drug addiction patterns)

Question 5

What were the 2 reasons that Clark Hull and Kenneth Spence established for the increase of RO

Answer 5

1- Stimuli evokes the RO through the SR associations (skinnerian view)
2-RO is also triggered by the SO association (pavlovian view)

Question 6

Who was major in the discovery of SR associations?

Answer 6

BF Skinner

Question 7

Who was major in the discovery of SO associations?

Answer 7

Pavlov

Question 8

What is the two-process theory?

Answer 8

Both pavlovian (classical) and instrumental conditioning are involved in the development of an instrumental response

Question 9

What is the Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment (steps)?

Answer 9

Phase 1 and 2: classical (SO) ans instrumental (RO) conditioning
• 2 phases can be interchanged (1 before 2 or vice versa) and can happen in different training chambers

Phase 3: transfer test - presenting Pavlovian CS during performance of the instrumental response (how much lever pressing happens with and without the tone)
The instrumental response will be performed more when the pavlovian CS is also present (puts the organism in a motivational state)

Question 10

What is the Pavlovian instrumental transfer experiment trying to demonstrate?

Answer 10

It determines how an independently established Pavlovian CS transfers to influence or motivate instrumental responding (that SO association also has an influence on responding rate)

Question 11

Who was major in developing the RO association?

Answer 11

Skinner

Question 12

What is the RO association?

Answer 12

Response-Outcome: A response leads to an outcome, which is a reinforcer for the stimulus (instrumental/operant conditioning)

Question 13

How can we test the importance of the outcome in relation to the response?

Answer 13

With the reinforcer devaluation experiment

Question 14

What is the reinforcer devaluation experiment?

Answer 14

If reinforcer devaluation disrupts instrumental behavior, this shows that the memory of the outcome (O) was involved in motivating the instrumental behavior.(ex experiment with smokers)

Question 15

Which behavioural mechanisms predominate in free-opreant situations (when you have a choice)?

Answer 15

RO mechanisms

Question 16

Which behavioural mechanisms predominate in situation where behaviour is automatically generated in response to cues?

Answer 16

SR mechanisms

Question 17

What is the 3 term contingency?

Answer 17

Subject thinks about RO when it encounters S - motivates the organism to make the instrumental response and get the reinforcer
Context sets the occasion for the instrumental response to take place

Question 18

Is the response-allocation approach a molar or molecular approach?

Answer 18

Molar

Question 19

What is the response allocation approach?

Answer 19

Focuses on how instrumental conditioning procedures limit an organism’s activities and causes redistributions of behaviour among available response options

Question 20

What is the consumatory response theory?

Answer 20

Response sequences are actually reinforcers; ex being able to eat, not food itself

Question 21

What is the premack principle?

Answer 21

We can use a high probability behaviour (like eating) to reinforce a low probability behaviour (like bar-pressing)

Question 22

What is the other name of the premack principle?

Answer 22

Differential probability principle

Question 23

What is the power of the premack principle?

Answer 23

The power of the Premack principle is that potentially any high-probability activity can be an effective reinforcer for a response that the individual is not inclined to perform

Question 24

What is a challenge to the premack principle?

Answer 24

The response deprivation hypothesis

Question 25

What is the response deprivation hypothesis?

Answer 25

Even a low probability response can serve as a reinforcer as long as it is restricted (given that restriction of the reinforcer activity is the critical factor for instrumental reinforcement)

Question 26

What is the unconstrained baseline?

Answer 26

How an individual allocates his/her response to various behavioural options when there are no restrictions

Question 27

What is the behavioural blisspoint?

Answer 27

What does the individual do when it is 100% free to act

Question 28

What is the other name of the behavioural blisspoint

Answer 28

Unconstrained baseline

Question 29

What disturbs the behavioural blisspoint?

Answer 29

Implementation of an instrumental contingency

Question 30

WHat is an instrumental contingency?

Answer 30

imposing limits on response allocation

Question 31

What is the minimum deviation model

Answer 31

Point closest (on the line) to the bliss point

Question 32

What are the reinforcement effects in an instrumental contingency imposition?

Answer 32

Access to the reinforcer is restricted; to gain more opportunity to engage in the reinforcer response, the individual has to perform more of the instrumental response