Unit 4 SAFMEDS

Question 1

The Law of Effect

Answer 1

organisms learn through the consequences of their actions

Question 2

Edward Lee Thorndike

Answer 2

discovered The Law of Effect

Question 3

Operant Behavior

Answer 3

behavior that has an effect on the environment and is primarily under the control of its consequences

Question 4

Consequences in Operant behavior

Answer 4

have a strengthening or weakening effect on the future probability of the behavior under similar conditions

Question 5

Operant Selection

Answer 5

the ability to learn through consequences, which results in new behavior and changes in dimensions of behavior

Question 6

Process of operant selection

Answer 6

behavioral variability, selection by consequence, and behavioral reproduction occurs throughout the organism’s lifetime

Question 7

Simplest type of operant contingency

Answer 7

R-S (Response-Stimulus)

Question 8

Basic 3-term contingency

Answer 8

S-R-S, more popularly stated as A-B-C (antecedent-behavior-consequence)

Question 9

2 general types of consequences

Answer 9

reinforcement and punishment

Question 10

Extinction (from reinforcement) and Recovery (from punishment)

Answer 10

two other types of consequences that consist of withholding previous consequences

Question 11

Extinction

Answer 11

discontinuing reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior

Question 12

Reinforcement

Answer 12

an environmental change that follows a response and increases or maintains the future frequency of that behavior

Question 13

5 Critical attributes of reinforcement

Answer 13

environmental change must occur after the response, must occur immediately after the response, contingent upon the response, must increase or maintain future responding, automaticity

Question 14

Automaticity

Answer 14

behavior is modified by its consequences irrespective of the person’s awareness; works without any need for verbal-mediation

Question 15

Premack Principle

Answer 15

if the opportunity to engage in a “preferred” or “high-probability” behavior is made contingent on engaging in a “less preferred” behavior, the future duration or frequency of the “less preferred” behavior will increase

Question 16

Reinforcer

Answer 16

a stimulus that, when presented following a response, increases or maintains the future frequency of that response

Question 17

6 Variable attributes of reinforcement

Answer 17

conditioned or unconditioned, positive or negative, automatic or socially mediated, variety of schedules, natural or planned, reinforcing under some conditions but not others

Question 18

Unconditioned reinforcer

Answer 18

a stimulus that, usually, is reinforcing without any prior learning; that is, its effect is due to phylogenic provenance (genetics)

Question 19

Conditioned reinforcer

Answer 19

A stimulus that initially has no 
innate reinforcing properties, but
acquires reinforcing properties
through pairing with unconditioned
reinforcers or powerful
conditioned reinforcers; effect is
due to ontogenic provenance
(experiences)

Question 20

Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 20

A conditioned reinforcer that has
been paired with a variety of other
reinforcers and is effective for a
wide range of behaviors

Question 21

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 21

An environmental change in which
a stimulus is added (presented) or
magnified following a response,
that increases or maintains the
future frequency of that response

Question 22

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 22

An environmental change in which
a stimulus is subtracted
(withdrawn or removed) or
attenuated following a response,
and increases or maintains the
future frequency of that behavior

Question 23

Escape

Answer 23

Behavior that terminates an
aversive stimulus and is
maintained by negative
reinforcement

Question 24

Avoidance

Answer 24

A response terminates a
“warning” stimulus; prevents or
delays the onset of the aversive
stimulus

Question 25

Warning stimulus

Answer 25

A conditioned aversive stimulus
whose presence is correlated with
the upcoming onset of an
unconditioned aversive stimulus

Question 26

Unsignaled avoidance

Answer 26

No clear warning stimulus, but a
response can still delay or prevent
the occurrence of the aversive
event

Question 27

Automatic Reinforcement

Answer 27

The response itself directly
produces the reinforcing
consequence; the consequence is
NOT mediated by another person

Question 28

Socially Mediated Reinforcement

Answer 28

The consequence is mediated by

another person

Question 29

4 Types of Reinforcement

Answer 29

Socially mediated positive,
Socially mediated negative,
Automatic positive,
Automatic negative

Question 30

Schedule of reinforcement

Answer 30

Specifies the criteria for
reinforcement in terms of number
of responses required and/or
when the response occurs

Question 31

Planned reinforcement

Answer 31

A person explicitly arranged the

contingency

Question 32

Unplanned reinforcement

Answer 32

The contingency occurred
naturally and was not explicitly
arranged

Question 33

5 Variables affecting reinforcer

effectiveness

Answer 33

Deprivation and satiation,
species-specific biological
preparedness, response effort,
competing reinforcers,
environmental context

Question 34

Competing reinforcers

Answer 34

Different reinforcers are available
at the same time, for the same
behavior, and/or for competing
behavior and they may alter each
other’s value

Question 35

Operant Extinction

Answer 35

The process by which a
previously reinforced behavior is
weakened by withholding
reinforcement

Question 36

3 Critical attributes of extinction

Answer 36

Behavior has been previously
reinforced, reinforcement must be
withheld every time the behavior
occurs, the behavior has to be
weakened

Question 37

3 Variable attributes of operant

extinction

Answer 37

May be an extinction burst, may
exhibit variation in topography and
emotional responses following
extinction, may involve
withholding a stimulus or not
withdrawing an aversive stimulus

Question 38

Operant Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 38

The sudden and temporary
reappearance of a behavior
following extinction

Question 39

Resurgence

Answer 39

The reappearance of a previously
extinguished behavior during the
extinction of a more recently
reinforced behavior

Question 40

Punishment

Answer 40

An environmental change
immediately following a response
which decreases the future
frequency of that behavior in
similar conditions

Question 41

Unconditioned Punisher

Answer 41

A stimulus that, usually, is
punishing without any prior
learning; its effect is due to
phylogenic provenance (genetics)

Question 42

Conditioned Punisher

Answer 42

A stimulus that initially has no innate
punishing properties, but acquires
punishing properties through pairing
with unconditioned punishers or
powerful conditioned punishers; its
effect is due to ontogenic
provenance (experiences)

Question 43

Positive Punishment

Answer 43

An environmental change in which
a stimulus is added (presented) or
magnified following a response,
that decreases the future
frequency of that response

Question 44

Negative Punishment

Answer 44

An environmental change in which
a stimulus is subtracted
(withdrawn, removed) or
attenuated following a response,
which decreases the future
frequency of that behavior

Question 45

Time-out from positive

reinforcement

Answer 45

A procedure based on the
principle of negative punishment;
the organism cannot access
(generally specified) reinforcers
for an amount of time

Question 46

2 Variables affecting punishment

Answer 46

Motivating Operations (MOs) and
competing reinforcement
contingencies

Question 47

Recovery from Punishment

Answer 47

The process by which a
previously punished behavior is
strengthened by withholding
punishment