Chp 9

Question 1

Methods for identifying reinforcers

Answer 1

Reinforcer surveys and stimulus preference assessments

Question 2

Dimensions of a reinforcer that affect its efficacy

Answer 2

Contingency
Size
Quality
Immediacy

Question 3

Habits are behaviors that…

Answer 3

Occur in specific settings even when our motivation to obtain the reinforcer is low.
Brushing your teeth even when you don’t want to

Question 4

Behavior analytic principles can increase….

Answer 4

The probability of forming good habits

Question 5

Mentalistic explanations of behavior

Answer 5

These explanations put the cause of behavior in the individual’s free-will mind.
This can lead to the assumption that a mind can be “full of motivation” and others not.

Question 6

Circular explanations of behavior

Answer 6

Using the behavior (exemplary performance) to explain motivation and using motivation to explain the behavior.
How do we know someone has motivation? By their exemplary performance.

Question 7

Motivating operation (MO)

Answer 7

How much the individual wants the reinforcer and is willing to emit behavior to get it.
An environmental/biological event that temporarily alters the value of the specific reinforcer and increases/decreases the probability of behaviors yielding that reinforcer

Question 8

Motivating operations example

Answer 8

Food deprivation. We know we need food when the environment tells us we haven’t eaten in a while and biology tells us our stomach is hungry. This MO reinforces the value of food

Question 9

Establishing operation

Answer 9

An MO that temporarily INCREASES the value of a specific reinforcer and INCREASES behaviors that yield that reinforcer. (Food deprivation)

Question 10

Abolishing operation

Answer 10

An MO that temporarily DECREASES the value of a specific reinforcer and DECREASES behaviors that yield that reinforcer

Question 11

Reinforcer survey

Answer 11

Structured interview or written survey that asks the person to identify highly preferred activities

Question 12

Stimulus preference assessment

Answer 12

Used with individuals with limited languages capabilities. The assessment is a rank ordered list of preferred stimuli and the individual chooses which stimuli they want to obtain

Question 13

Premack principle

Answer 13

Access to a high-probability behavior will function as a reinforcer when made contingent upon a low-probability behavior
(You can’t play video games until you wash the dishes)

Question 14

Breakpoint

Answer 14

Maximum amount of behavior the reinforcer will maintain

Question 15

Purchase task

Answer 15

Participants indicate how many reinforcers they would hypothetically purchase if they were available at a range of prices. More $= better reinforcer

Question 16

The size of the reinforcer needs to be…

Answer 16

Big enough to get behavior going but not too big that the accumulated reinforcers have an abolishing effect

Question 17

Habit

Answer 17

Operant behavior that is evoked by antecedent stimuli and persists despite the imposition of AO

Question 18

Habits are formed when…

Answer 18

An operant response has been repeatedly reinforcers many many times in the presence of the same antecedent stimulus

Question 19

Strategies to replace bad habits with good habits

Answer 19

1. Identify the antecedent stimuli that reliably evoke our bad habit
2. Replace those stimuli that evoke bad habits with stimuli that will evoke good ones
3. Reinforce the desired behavior many times using shaping
4. Make sure the behavior is reinforced. Do it.
5. Continue with shaping