Chapter 9 Flashcards
Mentalistic explanations of behavior
Put the cause of behavior in the individual’s vaguely defined “mind”
Motivating operation (MO)
An environmental and/or biological event that (1) temporarily alters the value of a specific reinforcer, and (2) increases/decreases the probability of behaviors yielding that reinforcer
Establishing operation (EO)
An environmental and/or biological event that (1) temporarily increases the value of a specific reinforcer, and (2) increases the probability of behaviors yielding that reinforcer
Abolishing operation (AO)
An environmental and/or biological event that (1) temporarily decreases the value of a specific reinforced and (2) decreases the probability of behaviors yielding that reinforcer
Behavior analysts reject ______________ explanations of behavior. Such “explanations” put the cause of behavior in the individual’s vaguely defined “mind.”
Mentalistic
If the only evidence for the cause (motivation) is the effect (performance), then the explanation is ______________.
Circular
There are two kinds of ______________ operations. These environmental and/or biological events temporarily alter the efficacy of a reinforcer, and change the probability of behaviors that produce that reinforcer.
Motivating
The first kind of MO is the ______________ operation. When these environmental and/or biological events occur, they temporarily increase the efficacy of a specific reinforcer, and they increase the probability of behaviors that produce that reinforcer.
Establishing
The second kind of MO is the ______________ operation. When these environmental and/or biological events occur, they temporarily decrease the efficacy of a specific reinforcer, and they decrease the probability of behaviors that produce that reinforcer.
Abolishing
Having a garden full of corn is an ______________ (establishing or abolishing) operation because it temporarily decreases the reinforcing value of a store-bought ear of corn, and it decreases the probability of purchasing one at the grocery store.
Abolishing
Spilling sriracha sauce on your shirt is an ______________ (establishing or abolishing) operation because it temporarily increases the reinforcing value of a clean shirt, and it increases the probability of going home to get one.
Establishing
Having an itchy back is an ______________ (establishing or abolishing) operation because it temporarily increases the reinforcing value of the stimulation produced by a good scratching, and it increases the probability that you will ask your partner to scratch your back.
Establishing
Reinforcer survey
A structured interview or written survey that asks an individual to identify highly preferred activities
Stimulus preference assessment
A rank-ordered list of preferred stimuli is obtained by observing choices between those stimuli
Preference hierarchy
A list of stimuli rank-ordered from most to least preferred
A _______________ ______________ is a structured interview or written survey that asks the individual to identify highly preferred activities.
Reinforcer survey
The reason for asking someone to complete a reinforcer survey is to identify something that might function as a ________________, if provided contingent upon a desired behavior.
Reinforcer
For individuals with limited or no language ability, or for nonhuman animals, a useful way of identifying potential reinforcers is the stimulus ____________ ______________.
Preference assessment
The final product of a stimulus preference assessment is a list of stimuli rank ordered from most to least preferred. This list is known as a preference ______________. Stimuli at the top of this list are most likely to function as reinforcers.
Hierarchy
The Premack principle states that access to a _____-probability behavior can function as a reinforcer if made contingent upon emitting a _____-probability behavior.
High
Low
A benefit of the Premack principle is that it allows us to predict what will function as a reinforcer _____________ we try it out. This allows us to avoid the circularity problem.
Before
Breakpoint
The maximum amount of behavior the reinforcer will maintain
Quality
The subjective value of a reinforcer that will vary from one subject to the next
Habit
Operant behavior that (1) is evoked by antecedent stimuli and (2) persists despite the imposition of an AO
Habits are formed when…
An operant response has been repeatedly reinforced, hundreds, if not thousands of times in the presence of the same antecedent stimulus.
When measuring reinforcer efficacy, an individual’s ______________ can tell us which of the available stimuli is most likely to be the most effective reinforcer.
Choice or preference
A second measure of reinforcer efficacy is __________________. This measure quantifies how much behavior can be maintained by a specific reinforcer.
Breakpoint
List the four dimensions of reinforcer efficacy.
Contingency, size, quality, immediacy
The second graders will complete more math problems when working for a gold star than a silver star. Which of the four dimensions of reinforcer efficacy is most relevant in this example?
Quality
The second graders were less enthusiastic about working for gold stars after the gym teacher gave the children a sheet of gold stars for free. Which of the four dimensions of reinforcer efficacy is most relevant in this example?
Contingency
Research has shown that infants will babble more when a social reinforcer is provided contingent on this vocal response (Ramey & Ourth, 1971). However, if this reinforcer is delayed by as little as 3 seconds, it will lose its ability to reinforce this response (presumably because the delay makes it difficult for the baby to learn the IF babble → THEN social-reinforcer contingency). Which of the four dimensions of reinforcer efficacy is most relevant in this example?
Immediacy
When a behavior becomes habitual, an AO no longer has its twin effects. The AO no longer ______________ the efficacy of a specific reinforcer and it no longer decreases the _____________ that yields that reinforcer.
Decreases
Behavior
When a behavior becomes habitual, it is evoked by _____________ stimuli, even when the individual is not motivated to acquire the consequence.
Antecedent
Habits are formed when an operant behavior is ________________ hundreds, if not thousands, of times in the presence of an antecedent stimulus.
Reinforced
