topic 8 (midterm 2) Flashcards
shaping
teaching new behaviors or modifying existing ones by reinforcing successive approximations of the desired behavior, gradually guiding an individual towards the target behavior.
behavioral selection
the process by which behaviors are chosen and reinforced based on their consequences, leading to either the strengthening or weakening of those behaviors.
successive approximations
the steps between the starting behavior and the target behavior
differential reinforcement
reinforcing approximations that get us closer to the target behavior while not reinforcing behaviors that don’t (previous approximations not reinforced (extinction) ).
shaping procedure
- define target behavior
2.determine whether shaping is the most appropriate procedure ( does the behavior occur already) - identify the starting behavior ( what behavior are they capable of that is closest to the target behavior)
- select the successive approximations (break the difference between the start and end behaviors up into manageable steps)
- choose the reinforcer
- differentially reinforce successive approximations ( reinforce approximations until they reliably occur-> extinction to move to next step -> do not reinforce previous approximations)
important points in shaping
- approximations should not be too big or too small
-use continuous reinforcement during acquisition, switch to intermittent for maintenance
-immediate reinforcement is best (contingency and contiguity continue to be important)
-small or conditioned reinforcers often preferred (prevents satiation; keeps focus on task)
-skip ahead when possible (if a later approximation occurs before expected, reinforce it) - go back when necessary ( if subject is unable to encounter reinforcement by producing next approximation, returning to the previously reinforced approximation may help, may also need to revise planned approximations)
marking the behavior
aids learning by providing immediate reinforcement and preventing accidental reinforcement of other behaviors. “clickers” are used so that an immediate conditionally reinforcing consequence is provided
conditionally reinforcing consequence
occurs when a stimulus has acquired the capacity to reinforce behaviors through its learned association with a primary reinforcer
behavior (stimulus response) chains
a complex behavior consisting of two or more component behaviors that occur together in a sequence. each component of the chain has a SD and a corresponding response to that SD. Each response creates a new situation that functions as an SD for the next response.
task analysis
breaking down a task into its component elements (i.e., establishing the discriminative stimulus, responses, and reinforcers). Prior to chaining, subject must be capable of each component. revise as necessary (break down or combine steps, including shaping, etc)
forward chaining
- reinforce performance of first component (repeat until behavior is performed reliably)
- reinforce performance of 1st two components) (repeat until behavior is performed reliably)
- continue until whole chain is completed before reinforcement delivered after terminal (end) behavior
issues with forward chaining
requires reinforcement of each component which can be impractical.
issues can arise because at first step one is reinforced, but it wont always be (extinction of previously reinforced behavior)
prompting and fading may be needed to elicit new components
backward chaining
- reinforce performance of last component (repeat until behavior is performed reliably
- reinforce performance of last two behaviors (repeat until behavior is performed reliably)
- continue until whole chain is completed before reinforcement delivered after terminal (end) behavior
total task presentation
use prompting to get the learner to perform the whole chain from start to finish
prompting
providing cues or assistance to a learner to increase the likelihood of a correct response, and these are then gradually faded as the learner becomes more independent
long term considerations of chains
if a learned chain is too long, responding may decrease over time due to weak conditional reinforcers, or weak primary reinforcers. remedies to this may include choosing stronger reinforcers, shortening the chain, pr intermittently reinforce smaller sections of the chain
