Lecture 6 Flashcards
What impacts the effectiveness of reinforcement?
- drive
- incentive value of S*
- delay of reinforcement
- stimulus control
- schedule of reinforcement
Who and what theory explained delay of reinforcement
Hull’s rG-SG mechanism
Explain the rG-sG mechanism
- food (S*=SG) –> RG (RG=reactions in goal box)
- stimuli in the start and delay box come to elicit rG (rG = fractional anticipatory goal response)
What does rG function to do?
- energizes behaviour
- rG –> sG (conditioned responses = salivation, excitement –> becomes stimulus indicating food)
What does sG function to do?
- guides behaviour
- can also serve as conditioned reinforcers because of their contiguous association with SG (e.g. food)
When these conditioned reinforcers are present, can there be a delay before delivery of the food?
Yes, because the box becomes a conditioned reinforcer
Explain proprioceptive conditioned reinforcers
Kenneth spence
- when proprioceptive, as well as exteroceptive, conditioned reinforcers are eliminated, even a brief delay in the presentation of the reinforcer prevents learning
Explain stimulus control
behaviour that has been reinforced in the present of one stimulus is controlled by the presence/absence of that stimulus
- responding often generalizes to other stimuli
What is discrimination?
- unwanted behaviours
- strict stimulus control to predict/control behaviour
- narrow gradient
- E.g. respond to only red
What is generalization?
- wanted behaviour
- performance all the time
- wide gradient
- E.g. respond to all colours
When are responses given?
Continuous - after every response
Intermittent - not after every response
How are responses measured?
Measure - ratio
- every x responses gets a reward
Time - interval
- every x minutes (if you respond) gets a reward
Give an example of fixed ratio
After every 5 responses, get food
Give an example of variable ratio
Could be 5 responses, could be 10 –> food
Give an example of fixed interval
After 2 minutes –> food (if response is performed)
E.g. mail delivery every day at 1pm
Give an example of variable interval
After 2, 4, 6 or 8 minutes –> food
E.g. mail delivery could be 10am, or 1pm or 7pm…
- check multiple times throughout day
Which type of schedule promotes “scallop” responding?
Fixed interval
- change in speed of responding but never a pause
Which type of schedule promotes “pause & run” responding?
Fixed ratio
- pause after reinforcement is delivers
Which schedule promotes pretty consistent responding
VR > VI
Other schedules?
- progressive ratio and break point
- second order schedule
- continuous schedule
- partial schedule
Explain progressive break point schedule
Ratio increases progressively within the session (exponentially)
- see how much effort subject is willing to invest
- break point = responding breaks down
Which schedule is used to assess the potency of reinforcer?
Progressive ratio and break point
Explain second order schedule
A “schedule of schedules” using conditioned reinforcers
- controls primary reinforcer (e.g. cocaine infusions)
- controls conditioned reinforcer (e.g. cocaine CS - light)
Which schedule promotes rapid extinction?
continuous
- does not encourage persistent behaviour
Which schedule promotes the highest rate of responding?
VR
When does VI promote the most consistent level of responding?
When reinforcement is infrequent
Which theory explains the performance of persistent behaviour?
partial reinforcement extinction effect (PREE)
Explain the paradoxical reward effect
No reinforcer present but still responding
- frustration energizes behaviour = Frustration reaction (rF) -Abram Amsel –> stimulus effect (sF)
- sF is eventually reinforced
Frustration = response but then acts as a stimulus
Explain the magnitude of reinforcement extinction effect
behaviour reinforced by large rewards extinguishes faster
Explain the overleanrning extinction effect
behaviour extensively reinforced can extinguish faster
Explain behavioural modification
Application of principles of reinforcement to practical problems of human behaviour
- baseline
- reinforcement 1
- reversal
- reinforcement 2
- postchecks
- -> pay attention to wanted behaviour, and stop paying attention to unwanted behaviour
- breakdown behaviour into different components
- -> IMMEDIATE AND FREQUENT FEEDBACK
What is token economy (or contingency management)?
Points or tokens are established as secondary reinforcers through pairings with a variety of potent reinforcers
What are the advantages of using token economy?
- points/tokens are easy to dispense and can be finished immediately
- they can be used as generalized reinforcers (operant and classical)
Tactics for maintaining behaviour
- partial reinforcement (begin with continuous but rapidly switch to partial)
- reinforcing in a variety of settings
- fading
- conditioned/primary reinforcers slowly removed
- longer time intervals between trials - conditioned reinforcers
Moral objections associated with reinforcement?
bribery and greed
Explain the Premack Principle (David Premack)
Access to preferred behaviour reinforces less preferred behaviour and punishes more preferred behaviour
E.g. TV for studying vs. TV for playing soccer (negatively affects motivation to play soccer)
What does it mean to undermine intrinsic motivation?
Punished by reward phenomenon
Determinants of undermining:
- initial interest
- reinforcing obedience vs. competence
- nature of reinforcer (social better than material)
- size of reinforcer (small = better)
- principle of minimal force - establish behaviour contract (if you do this –> you’ll get this)
A ket element in successful behavioural modification is?
immediate and frequent feedbacks
Which of the following about token economy is true?
- based on the principles of classical conditioning
- based on the principles of operant conditioning
- used in behavioural modification
Which of the following is true about the frustration effect?
- frustration is a response
- frustration is a stimuli
- frustration can be conditioned
Which of the following schedules results in a conditioned or primary reinforcers after every tart behaviour?
Continuous
Discrimination:
- can be studies in a variety of species
- is the opposite of generalization
- is ideal to control unwanted behaviours
Which of the following is true about delay of reinforcement?
for learning to occur, it should be brief
