Reinforcement

Question 1

The portion of the organism’s interaction with its environment that is characterised by displacements in space through time of some part of the organism and that results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment.

Answer 1

Behaviour

Question 2

The measurable unit of analysis in the science of behaviour. Measured in terms of repeatability and occurrence in time.

Answer 2

Response

Question 3

A collection of responses that share a common form.

Answer 3

Topographical response class

Question 4

A collection of responses that share common functional relations with classes of antecedent and consequent stimuli.

Answer 4

Functional response class

Question 5

Any physical event or set of events that is not part of a behaviour and may include other parts of the organism.

Answer 5

Environment

Question 6

A particular aspect of the environment that affects behaviour.

Answer 6

Stimulus

Question 7

Primarily influences behaviour.

Answer 7

Stimulus change

Question 8

A group of stimuli that share specified common elements along formal, temporal, and/or functional dimensions.

Answer 8

Stimulus class

Question 9

Operant conditioning.

Answer 9

Any behaviour whose future frequency is determined by its consequences

Question 10

Selected, shaped and maintained by the consequences that have followed it in the past.

Answer 10

Operant behaviour

Question 11

A dependent relationship between a response class and one or more stimulus classes.

Answer 11

Contingency

Question 12

1. environmental situation in which that consequence influences future probability of response.
2. a precise definition of the limits and range of response topographies.
3. produced a specified consequence.

Answer 12

3 term contingency ABC

1. Antecedent
2. Behaviour
3. Consequence

Question 13

A stimulus that follows behaviour and affects the probability that behaviour will occur again under similar circumstances.

Answer 13

Consequence

Question 14

Reinforcer

Answer 14

A consequence that increases the probability of a response.

Question 15

Positive reinforcement (SR+)

Answer 15

The addition of a stimulus after a behaviour that results in an increase in the probability of the behaviour occurring again under similar circumstances.

Question 16

Sd

Answer 16

Signifies the availability of reinforcement.

Question 17

Three conditions of positive reinforcement

Answer 17

1. A response produces a stimulus.
2. The response occurs more often.
3. The response occurs more often because of the response-consequence relationship.

Question 18

1 second less effective than…

Answer 18

0 seconds.

Reinforcement needs to be immediate.

Question 19

Circular reasoning

Answer 19

When an effect is mistaken as a cause.
eg. does a child have a reading problem due to his learning disability, or a learning disability due to his reading problems?

Question 20

Motivation

Answer 20

Influences the effectiveness of reinforcement.

Question 21

Automatic reinforcement

Answer 21

Some behaviours produce their own reinforcement independent of the mediation of others.
eg hair pulling, babbling, finger-nail biting

Question 22

Unconditioned reinforcers

Answer 22

A reinforcer that does not depend on a relation to another reinforcer.
Food, water, oxygen, warmth

Question 23

Conditioned reinforcers

Answer 23

A reinforcer that has become effective due to its relation with another reinforcer.

Question 24

Generalized reinforcer

Answer 24

A conditioned reinforcer that has been paired with various reinforcers and does not depend on a current EO.
Eg. money and social attention

Question 25

Negative reinforcement (SR-)

Answer 25

The removal of a stimulus after a behaviour that results in an increase in the probability of that behaviour occurring again under similar circumstances.

Question 26

Stimulus changes

Answer 26

Distinction between positive and negative reinforcement is based on the type of stimulus change that occurs following a response.

Question 27

Escape contingency

Answer 27

A response terminates a stimulus which is present.

Question 28

Avoidance contingency

Answer 28

A response prevents or postpones the presentation of a stimulus.

Question 29

SR+ and SR-

Answer 29

Both produce an increase in responding.

Positive adds a stimulus, whereas negative removes a stimulus.

Question 30

Factors influencing effectiveness of reinforcement.

Answer 30

• Stimulus change occurs immediately after the response.
• Magnitude of reinforcement, larger the better.
• Reinforcement is consistent each time the target response occurs.
• Reinforcement is unavailable for non-target responses.