Unit 5: Operant Conditioning II Flashcards
Why is the context so important in creating responses?
if the context (and thus the stimuli connected to it) changes,it produces a different behavior (e.g. classroom & holidays)
differential responding
responding differently in the presence of one stimulus and another one
stimulus discrimination
ability to selectively respond to one stimulus while ignoring other, non-target stimuli
stimulus generalisation
degree to which responses to two or more stimuli are the same
responding similarly or the same to different stimuli
stimuli generalization gradient
how much responding depends on similarity of test stimulus to training stimulus
Do subjects need to have the sensory capacity to detect a stimulus in order for it to control their behavior?
yes
overshadowing
learning about a stimulus gets disrupted by presence of another stimulus
What are visual and auditory cues more likely to signal?
visual: food
auditory: danger
What are the approaches as to how organisms view compound stimuli?
stimulus-element approach
configural-cue approach
stimulus-element approach
elements of compounds have differential effects because they are separate entities
configural-cue approach
elements of a compound have different effects because they contribute differently to the configuration
What claim did Lashley & Wade make about stimulus generalization (compared to Pavlov)?
Pavlov: stimulus generalization occurs because learning becomes transferred to other stimuli
Lashley & Wade: generalization shows absence of learning -> didn’t learn distinction yet
Who was closer to the truth? Lashley & Wade or Pavlov?
Lashley & Wade
Stimulus discrimination training
most dominant procedure for bringing behavior under control of a stimulus
used with classical & operant conditioning procedures
Is extinction the same as forgetting?
no, it’s an active process
-> subject learns that outcome no longer follows stimulus/ response
What is the use of extinction in therapy?
behavioral treatments for anxiety and mood disorders
What is exposure therapy and what are some types?
exposure to imagined or real situations that elicit fear
mental imagery, VR, real exposure
What is exposure with response prevention and systematic desensitization?
extinction procedure in which subjects are exposed to cues that elicit fear in absence of aversive US or real-life pairing with a CS-
response prevention (expl.)
prevent instinctual fleeing response
systematic desensitization (expl.)
slowly reducing the amount of fear a situation produces
Which behavioral effects does extinction produce?
reduced responding (over time)
increased response variability (at first)
-> pick response
What is the most frequent emotion extinction produces and what can it cause?
frustration
increase in responding and even aggression
Does extinction cause a permanent loss of a conditioned response?
no
-> extinguished response can reappear and recover
How does spontaneous recovery work?
extinction dissipates with time (rest period)
nothing happens during rest period
-> effects of extinction become reversed
-> behavior occurs
What’s renewal and what are it’s implications for therapy?
recovery of conditioned response when contextual cues present during extinction change
-> clinical improvements made in the context of a clinic may not persist when clients go back home or to work
Why does renewal occur?
fear generalizes easier to other contexts, while extinction depends on contextual cues
What happens to a CS after extinction training?
is ambiguous: predicted presence and absence of US
What is reinstatement?
recovery of conditioned response when US (alongside CS) is encountered after extinction (e.g. aversion taste to salmon)
What are the implications of reinstatement effects for behavioral therapy?
conditioned responses that were successfully extinguished may recover when US is encountered in the future
Are S-O associations lost during extinction?
no, extinguished CS continues to activate representation of US
-> extinction doesn’t erase knowledge of which reinforcement followed which response
How can we optimize extinction effects to combat recovery?
larger number of extinction trials
closer spacing between trials
repeating extinction training (against spontaneous recovery)
extinction training in multiple contexts
Behavioral therapy is often hindered by recovery. What do therapists do to combat it more effectively?
maintenance sessions
avoidance procedures
response prevents aversive event (negative contingency)
active
punishment procedures
response causes aversive event (positive contingency)
passive
avoidance behavior
instrumental response performed to turn off (avoid) CS and US
escape behavior
failure to perform response during CS-US interval causes presence of US until response occurs
Escape and avoidance behavior
in most trials, escape behavior occurs first
with practice avoidance behavior increases
What’s an example of an experiment of avoidance behavior?
Escape from fear (EFF)
Avoidance behavior is motivated by fear. Is increased instrumental responding therefore associated with increased fear produced by the CS?
no, the opposite
-> increased responding -> less fear
flooding
prolonged exposure to CS to produce stronger extinction effect, while blocking avoidance response
What are the phases of punishment procedures?
establishment of instrumental response
punishment of some responses
-> degree of inst. responding depends on punishment and reinforcement
low-intensity punishment
causes moderate suppression
can habituate
high-intensity punishment
complete suppression for long time
What is more effective? An immediately strong punishment, or a mild punishment which increases in severity over time?
immediately strong
-> by starting mildly and increasing punishment severity you cause the build-up of resistance
-> feels less severe
