Punishment

Question 1

operant extinction

Answer 1

*weakening and eventual disappearance of an operant response because response is no longer reinforced
*good alternative to punishment

Question 2

What is resistance to extinction influenced by?

Answer 2

pattern of reinforcement that has maintained behavior

Question 3

aversive punishment

Answer 3

response weakened by subsequent stimulus presentation (e.g. spanking or scolding)

Question 4

response cost punishment

Answer 4

response weakened by subsequent removal of a stimulus (ex. loss of privileges or money; ‘time out’)

Question 5

List the issues with punishment

Answer 5

1. is behavioral problem solved?
2. can produce fear/anxiety/rage that can impair behavior
3. can produce generalized behavior disruptions
4. can produce aggression
5. can result in Learned Helplessness
6. needs to be immediate and salient
7. can be reinforcing to punisher

Question 6

define circumvention

Answer 6

animal may learn discriminative stimuli that help it avoid punishment
*a reason why punishment is very tricky

Question 7

define Learned Helplessness

Answer 7

when person being punished learns doesn’t matter what I do, doesn’t change the outcome. lack of agency, so you just stop doing. ex. domestic violence

Question 8

define punisher

Answer 8

an outcome that decreases the frequency of the behavior

Question 9

What did Skinner propose on punishment (generalized suppression)?

Answer 9

*proposed that punishment does not produce true operant conditioning
*instead, it produces generalized suppression, a temporary decrease in most behaviors

Question 10

Was Skinner right about punishment?

Answer 10

No, Skinner was wrong.
*punished behavior decreases much more
*punishment does not always wear off. Problem only with weak punishers, which can cause habituation

Question 11

describe how to make punishment effective?

Answer 11

necessary to start with strongest punishment
1. must occur after every transgression (FR schedule)
2. must be immediate
3. must be intense
4. must not be signaled by discriminative stimulus

Question 12

describe the 3 things needed to make punishment effective

Answer 12

1. immediacy: longer delay between R and S, weaker effect of punishment
2. Schedule: FR1 most effective, other VRs much less effective
3. Alternatives: having other Rs greatly improves effectiveness of punishment