Final EXAM Flashcards
Reinforcement
The PROCESS of increasing the frequency of a behavior/response
Reinforcer
The STIMULUS that behavior/response(s) strengthening is contingent upon
Deprivation
restricting access to a reinforcing event
Satiation
repeated presentations of a reinforcer weaken its effectiveness and the rate of response declines.
Motivating operation
any event that alters the reinforcement effectiveness of behavioral consequences and changes the frequency of behavior
Multiple schedules
two or more simple schedules are presented one after the other and each schedule is accompanied by a distinctive controlling stimulus. Often used to study stimulus control in the lab.
Tandem schedule
A sequence of two simple schedules signal a response but do not have a unique SD
Methods to record behavior
time sampling, duration recording, event recording
Behavior contract
behavior plan that is negotiated and usually includes a statement of target responses, consequences and long-term goals
ABAB reversal
most basic research design used to show functional relations between a stimulus and behavior. Used when reversal of a learned behavior would NOT cause harm to the client or others
Multiple baseline
used when a reversal of a learned behavior would be harmful to the client or others. Shows functional relation by implementing procedures across settings, behaviors, or subjects. Proves functional relation through prediction, verification and replication
Discrimination: when an organism shows a conditioned response to one stimulus but not to other similar events
Example: Your dog barks when he hears someone knock on your front door but not when he hears someone on TV knocking on a door
Discriminative stimulus (Sd): Events, settings and situations that precede the behavior and set the occasion for a behavior
Example: Every time you say “Sit!” and your dog immediately sits, she gets a treat. “Sit!” has become an Sd.
Establishing operation (EO): an environmental change with two effects: 1) increases the momentary effectiveness of the reinforcer and 2) alters the momentary frequency of the behavior
Example: If you have not eaten in 8 hours and food is a reinforcer, it will seem more valuable to you and make you more likely to perform a behavior to get food (i.e. driving to McDonald’s). Your hunger is an EO.
Evocative effect: when something increases the probability that a behavior will occur, then it has an evocative effect
Example: In the above example, deprivation of food had an evocative effect on driving to McDonald’s
Abolishing operation (AO): an environmental change with two effects: 1) decreases the momentary effectiveness of consequences and 2) momentarily reduces the frequency of the behavior
Example: If a child has been watching TV all day and their mom asks them to throw out the trash to get some TV time, they are less likely to perform the behavior because TV is no longer an effective reinforcer. The amount of TV watched is an AO.
Abative effect: when something decreases the probability that a behavior will occur, then it has an abative effect
Example: In the above example, TV had an abative effect on throwing out the trash.
Differential reinforcement: reinforcing a behavior in one situation and withhold reinforcement in another. Uses the procedures of reinforcement and extinction.
Example: Encouraging a child to run at the park but not at the supermarket.
Controlling stimulus: any stimulus that changes the probability of a behavior occurring
Example: SD, Save, S-delta
Stimulus control: any change in operant behavior that occurs when an SD or S-delta is presented.
Example: If a flashcard with the definition of behavior sets the occasion for you to say “behavior”, then the flashcard has stimulus control over the behavior of saying “behavior”.
Differential Reinforcement of other behavior (DRO): reinforcement for any behavior other than the operant even though it may not appropriate.
Example: A student often taps the corner of their desk in a repetitive pattern. To reduce this the teacher reinforces any amount of time in which he is not tapping is finger, whether he is writing, clicking his pen, or picking his nose.
Behavioral contrast: refers to an inverse relationship between the two components of a multiple schedule; as one goes up the other goes down
Example: Suzy’s mom started a no swearing rule at the house. As a result, she swears twice as much at school.
Concurrent schedule
two or more simple schedules that are simultaneously available
Matching law: When two or more concurrent schedules are available, the relative rate of the response matches the relative rate of reinforcement
Example: In a pigeon pecking a light experiment, schedule A provides 80% of the reinforcement. Due to the matching law, we can predict that 80% of the bird’s key pecks will be on schedule A
Conditioned reinforcer: a stimulus that acquires reinforcing function due to pairing with an unconditioned reinforcer. The more pairings between the unconditioned reinforcer and the generalized conditioned reinforcer, the more effective the CR becomes
Example: tokens, money, grades in school
Conditioned reinforcement: occurs when a behavior is strengthened by events that have an effect because of a conditioning history
Example: when students learn that earning tokens allows them to access more reinforcers, tokens will strengthen behavior on their own.
Mixed schedule
two or more simple schedules are presented one after the other but do not have a unique SD.
Chain schedule: two or more simple schedules each of which is presented sequentially and is signaled by an arbitrary stimulus. Only the last link provides unconditioned reinforcement. Each “link” in the chain serves a dual function: it is a reinforcer for the previous response and an SD for the next response.
Example: Going to the kitchen, getting a bowl, getting a spoon, pouring cereal, pouring milk, and eating is example of a chain schedule
Homogenous chain: the topography is similar or the same in every link of the chain
Example: A bird pecking a key
Heterogenous chain: the topography is different for each link
Example: Going to a restaurant (showering, getting dressed, leaving your house, driving there, then sitting to eat)
Generalized conditioned reinforcer: ay event or stimulus that is associated with or exchangeable for many sources of unconditioned reinforcement.
Example: money
Token economy: Behaviors are reinforced by the presentation of tokens which are later exchanged for back up reinforcers
Example: a teacher in a classroom gives happy face stickers every time the students are on task. Once they get 5 stickers they can get a toy from the treasure box.
Back up reinforcers: Reinforcers received in exchange for tokens in a token economy
Example: In the above example, toys are the backup reinforcers
Verbal behavior: the vocal, written, or gestural performances of a speaker writer or communicator
Example: speaking, signing, gesturing, PECS, etc.
Manding: a verbal operant whose form is regulated by establishing operations
Example: Saying ‘Give me water’ when you are thirsty
Tacting: verbal operant whose form is regulated by nonverbal SDs and maintained by generalized reinforcement
Example: A child sees a ball and says ‘ball!’
Intraverbal: verbal operant regulated by verbal SDs
Example: Saying ‘Marco!’ and having someone say ‘Polo!
Formal similarity: verbal stimulus and the product of the response are in the same mode and have a physical resemblance
Example: If someone signs ‘hello’ and you sign back ‘hello’ exactly, there was formal similarity. If someone signs ‘hello’ and you SAY ‘hello’ in return, there was not formal similarity
Echoic: verbal operant regulated by a verbal stimulus that has correspondence AND formal similarity
Example: You say bye-bye and your baby cousin says bye-bye
Textual behavior: verbal operant regulated by verbal stimuli with correspondence and but no formal similarity
Example: writing down what someone is saying
