unit 3 exam Flashcards
What are critiques made about the mentalistic way that we usually use “motivation” as an explanation of behavior?
They put the cause of behavior in the individuals vaguely defined mind. We can’t know if someone has high/low levels of motivation. A mentalistic concept of motivation cannot be turned ON or OFF
What is a motivating operation (MO)?
An environmental and/or biological event that temporarily alter the value of a specific reinforcer and increases/decreases the probability of behavior yielding that reinforcer
What is an establishing operation (EO)?
An environmental and/or biological event that temporarily increases the value of a specific reinforcer and increases the probability of behavior yielding that reinforcer
What is an abolishing operation (AO)?
An environmental and/or biological event that temporarily decreases the value of a specific reinforcer and decreases the probability of behavior yielding that reinforcer
What is a reinforcer survey?
A structured interview or written survey that asks the individual to identify highly preferred activities
Why is a reinforcer survey used?
To identify what might function as a reinforcer
What is a stimulus preference assessment?
A ranked ordered list preferred stimuli is obtained by observing choices between those stimuli
Why is a stimulus preference assessment used?
It is used when working with nonhuman animals or individuals with limited or no expressive language capabilities
What is preference hierarchy?
A list of stimuli rank ordered from most to least preferred
What is the Premack principle?
Access to a high-probability behavior will function as a reinforcer when made contingent upon a low-probability behavior
What is breakpoint?
The maximum amount of behavior the reinforcer will maintain
What does breakpoint tell us about a reinforcer’s efficacy?
The higher the breakpoint the more effective the reinforcer is
What are the four dimensions of reinforcer efficacy?
- Contingency
- Reinforcer size
- Reinforcer quality
- Reinforcer immediacy
What is a habit?
An operant behavior that is evoked by antecedent stimuli and persists despite the imposition of an AO
How are habits formed?
When an operant response has been repeatedly reinforced, hundreds, if not thousands of times, in the presence of the same antecedent stimulus
What are the 5 strategies for forming good habits?
- Find the antecedents that evoke bad habits
- Replace them with stimuli that will one day evoke a good habit
- Set the bar very low
- Experience the self esteem building intrinsic reinforcers that can only be samples when we briefly engage in the desired behavior
- Gradually increase the daily goal
What is a punisher?
Contingent consequences that decreases the future probability of behavior below its pre-punishment level
What is punishment?
The process or procedure whereby a punisher decreases the future probability of an operant response
What is positive punishment?
The contingent presentation of a consequence that decreases the future probability of behavior below its no-punishment level
What is a negative punishment?
The contingent removal, reduction or prevention of a reinforcer the effect of which decreases the future probability of the behavior below its no-punishment level
Under what circumstances will behavior analysts use punishment in a clinical setting?
When the behavior is dangerous to oneself or others or after other interventions have failed
What are the 6 characteristics of effective punishment interventions?
- Focus on reinforcement first
- Combine punishment with extinction and/or differential reinforcement
- Deliver punishers immediately
- Deliver punishers contingently
- Punish every time
- Use a punisher in the goldilocks zone
What is a primary punisher?
A contingent consequence that functions as a punisher because in the evolutionary past of the species this consequence decreased the chances of survival
What is a conditioned punisher?
A contingent consequence that signals a delay reduction to a backup punisher
What is a timeout from positive reinforcement?
A signaled response-contingent suspension of a positive reinforcement contingency the effect of which decreases the future probability of problem behavior
What are the 4 guidelines for the effective use of timeout from positive reinforcement?
- Provide no more than one verbal warning
- Significantly reduce access to reinforcers
- End after no more than 5 minutes even if the child is not sitting quietly
- Every instance of the problem behavior produces a time out
What are response-cost punishers?
Negative punishers that involves the removal or reduction of a reinforcer
What are the results of the Public Goods Game experiment?
With punishment people started cooperating
Without punishment people start to act selfishly and cheat
What effect did punishment have on cooperation?
Punishment increases cooperation
Do players of the Public Goods Game prefer to play with punishment or without
With punishment
What effect does knowing that you are being watched have on punishable behavior?
When punishing agents are watching problem behavior is less likely to occur
What is a schedule of reinforcement?
A schedule of reinforcement precisely specifies that nature of the contingent relation between a response and its reinforcer
Who discovered the schedules of reinforcement?
Skinner
What is FR?
Fixed ratio - the number of responses required per reinforcer is the same every time
What is VR?
Variable Ratio - the number of responses required per reinforcer is not the same every time
What is FI?
Fixed Interval - specifies a constant time interval that must elapse before a single response will produce the reinforcer
What is VI?
Variable Interval - the amount of time that must elapse before the first response is reinforced is not the same every time
What is the unique pattern of FR?
A post-reinforcement pause followed by a high-constant rate of responding that ends with a reinforcer
What is a unique pattern of VR?
A high rate of responding with little or no post reinforcement pause
What is a unique pattern of FI?
A post-reinforcement pause gives way to an accelerating response rate that terminates with a reinforcer
What is a unique pattern of VI?
A steady moderate response rate with little to no post reinforcement pause
What happens to the total amount of responses made per day when the price increases?
- Increased effort
- Decreased rate of response
- Possible extinction
Which schedule of reinforcement maintains the most behavior and at high schedule values is preferred over other schedules?
Variable Ratio
What is schedule thinning and why is this technique used?
A procedure for gradually reducing the rate of reinforcement while maintaining the desired behavior
Which schedule of reinforcement produces a post-reinforcement pause that resembles procrastination? What schedule of reinforcement produces this characteristic “break and run” pattern of responding?
Fixed Ratio
Austin can never tell when his friend will be home, when he wants to visit his friend he drives past his house over and over again. As soon as Austin sees that the friends car is parked out front, he can go in. If the behavior if interest is driving past the friends house and the reinforcer is seeing that the car is out front, what schedule of reinforcement is it?
Variable-interval
What type of graphical display shows responding as it unfolds over time?
Cumulative Record
Which principle of behavior analysis states that access to a high-probability behavior will always function as a reinforcer when made contingent on emitting a low probability behavior?
Premack Principle
Abby runs for 3 hours a week and she paints for 12 hours a week. According to the Premack principle, Abby will run more hours per week if we arrange which of the following contingencies?
IF she runs for an hour –> THEN she can paint for an hour
Scott was spedding and got into an accident and his car was totaled and had to pay a large fine; it has been 10 years since that incident but Scott never drives above the speed limit again. This accident and fine function as a ?
Punisher
Piper Chapman is asked by her cell mates to sit by the door, wait for a cockroach to wander by and grab it. IF the sight of a cockroach is the reinforcer what is the schedule of reinforcement?
Variable interval
