Differential Reinforcement Flashcards
1
Q
Other Schedules of
Reinforcement
A
- Response rate schedules
- Intermittent schedules of reinforcement produce
different patterns of responding - With a response rate schedule, reinforcement is
directly related to the rate at which the organism
responds - DRH
- DRL
- DRP
- DRO
- DRI
2
Q
Differential reinforcement of high
rate (DRH)
A
- A minimum number of responses within a specified
time period is needed for reinforcement - Reinforcement is contingent on a high rate of
responding - Maintains a high rate of responding (higher than any
other schedule used) - Examples
- A rat receives food if it performs 60 lever presses in a
one minute period - A child is taken to the movies if he tidies up all of his
toys within 10 minutes
3
Q
Differential reinforcement of low rate
(DRL)
A
- Responses are reinforced only if separated by a
minimum time period - Maximum number of responses during the time
periodare rewarded - Encourages low rates of responding
- Used to reduce the frequency of a behavior
- Useful when some of the behavior is tolerable but less
would be better - Example
- Calling out correct answers in class is rewarded if it only
occurs once every 15 minutes
4
Q
Differential reinforcement of paced
responding (DRP)
A
- Responses are reinforced only if responding occurs at a
set rate within a given time period - Reinforcement is provided for responding at a rate that
is not too high and not too low - Example
- Reinforce a rat for 10 consecutive bar-presses if each is
separated by an interval of between 1.5 s and 2.5 s - In autism too little eye-contact during social
interactions is problematic; but don’t want too much
eye contact because it might be perceived as
threatening. Reinforce eye-contact behavior if it occurs
at an appropriate rate during a social interaction.
5
Q
Differential reinforcement of zero
behavior (DRO)
A
- Reinforced if specified period has elapsed without
an occurrence of the behavior - Also called differential reinforcement of other
responding - Used to eliminate a behavior
- Example
- Reward a child if she has not sucked her thumb in
60 seconds - Reward a child for sustaining on-task behavior for 5 minutes
6
Q
Differential reinforcement of
incompatible behavior (DRI)
A
- Similar to DRO, but rewarded for performing a
behavior that is incompatible with the target
behavior you are trying to eliminate - Used to eliminate a behavior
- Example
- If trying to eliminate disruptive classroom behavior
reward a child for sitting quietly
7
Q
Differential reinforcement of
alternative behavior (DRA)
A
- Similar to DRI, but rewarded for performing a
behavior that is different but not necessarily
incompatible with the target behavior you are
trying to eliminate - Used to eliminate a behavior
- Example
- If trying to eliminate disruptive classroom behavior
reward a child for following instructions. Note:
they still have the opportunity to be disruptive
8
Q
Non-contingent schedules
A
- Non-contingent schedules of reinforcement
- Reinforcer is obtained independently of the
response - Two basic types:
- Fixed time schedule
- Variable time schedule
9
Q
- Fixed time schedule
A
- Fixed time schedule
- Reinforcer is delivered following a fixed period of
time irrespective of which response is given - Example
- Reward a child with a trip to the movies once a
week irrespective of whether she has been good or
bad (FT 1-week schedule)
10
Q
- Variable time schedule
A
- Variable time schedule
- Reinforcer is delivered following a variable period
of time irrespective of which response is given - Example
- Reward a child with a trip to the movies on average
once a week irrespective of whether she has been
good or bad (VT 1-week schedule). The interval
might vary between 1 day and 3 weeks
11
Q
- What happens when reinforcement occurs
randomly, regardless of a person or animal’s
behavior?
A
- Superstitious behaviors
12
Q
- Ono (1987)
- Ps presented with 3 levers and a counter
- Told “if you do something you might get points on the
counter” - Not told what to do
- Points delivered on FT or VT schedule (the exact behavior
that produced the reward was unknown) - e.g., lever pulling in set sequences; touching the counter;
pulling lever then jumping - Also seen in animal studies (spinning in circles, visiting all 4
corners of the cage, etc.) - Might also explain superstitious behavior in gamblers, sports
people (rituals before freethrows)
A
- Ono (1987)
- Ps presented with 3 levers and a counter
- Told “if you do something you might get points on the
counter” - Not told what to do
- Points delivered on FT or VT schedule (the exact behavior
that produced the reward was unknown) - e.g., lever pulling in set sequences; touching the counter;
pulling lever then jumping - Also seen in animal studies (spinning in circles, visiting all 4
corners of the cage, etc.) - Might also explain superstitious behavior in gamblers, sports
people (rituals before freethrows)
13
Q
- Non-contingent reinforcement can result in poorer
performance - Rachlin & Baum (1972)
- Pigeons responding on a VI schedule for food
(contingent reinforcement) also given non-contingent
food reinforcements - Compared to control group (other pigeons on the VI
schedule given the same quantity of food), the noncontingent reinforcement group responded less - Athletes on long-term contracts perform more poorly
than athletes on short-term contracts
A
- Non-contingent reinforcement can result in poorer
performance - Rachlin & Baum (1972)
- Pigeons responding on a VI schedule for food
(contingent reinforcement) also given non-contingent
food reinforcements - Compared to control group (other pigeons on the VI
schedule given the same quantity of food), the noncontingent reinforcement group responded less - Athletes on long-term contracts perform more poorly
than athletes on short-term contracts
14
Q
Good uses of non-contingent
A
- Giving noncontingent attention to children
- Some bad behaviors like tantrums are used to try to
get attention from caregivers - These behaviors can be diminished by giving
attention noncontingently - Children need both contingent AND noncontingent
attention to grown up healthy and happy.
15
Q
Complex schedules
A
- Complex schedules are combinations of two or
more simple schedules - Conjunctive schedules
- Adjusting schedules
- Chained schedules
