Week 7: Shaping, Stimulus Fading

Question 1

Stimulus discrimination

Answer 1

Response occurs to Sd and not a delta-S

Question 2

Research applications based on antecedent control procedures

Answer 2

• Study behaviour
• Insomnia

Question 3

Shaping behaviour

Answer 3

• Method of successive approximations
• Extinguish simpler behaviour & reinforce closer approximations –> Extinction burst & reinforce new requirement
• Uses principles of reinforcement and extinction
• Different from reinforcement b/c it’s progressive behaviour change (reinforce behaviours closer and closer to target)
• Skinner: Chains of behaviour could be trained through gradual reinforcement (start w/ behaviour that’s likely to occur)
• Can be used even if person is unaware
• Ex. Teach social skills to children, speech to residents in mental asylum

Question 4

Variability

Answer 4

• Basic feature of operant behaviour, behaviour is rarely repeated in exactly the same form
• Reinforcer increases the strength/likelihood of occurrence of other responses that have the same/similar effect on the environment as the reinforced

Question 5

Response class

Answer 5

• Group of responses
• Each member/response producing the same/similar effect on environment

Question 6

Shaping topography

Answer 6

• What behaviour LOOKS like
• OBJECTIVE descrip of the spatial configuartion/form of the behaviour (movements involved)
• FUNCTION IGNORED
  -Ex. “the girl waved/moved her hand from side to side” (no subjective interpretation)

Question 7

Shaping amount of behaviour

Answer 7

• Frequency: Number of instances
• Duration: Length of time of response

Question 8

Shaping latency of behaviour

Answer 8

• Reaction time
• Time b/w controlling stimulus and behaviour (only reinforcing if it occurs within X time)

Question 9

Shaping intensity of behaviour

Answer 9

• Phys effect response has/potentially has on the environment

Question 10

Keys to effective shaping

Answer 10

• Specifying final target
• Choosing starting behaviour
• Choosing shaping steps
• Choose reinforcer
• Pace of movement through shaping

Question 11

Pitfalls of shaping

Answer 11

• Inadvertently shaping undesirable/harmful behaviour (ex. child increases intensity of tantrum b/c parent unintentionally extinguished less severe response)
• Abnormal behaviours may occur b/c of indiscriminate reinforcement/failure to reinforce (like superstitions)

Question 12

Stimulus fading

Answer 12

• Behaviour already under strong stimulus control & fade control to other stimulus
• Gradual change over successive trials of an antecedent stimulus
• Controls a response so the response eventually occurs to a partially changed/completely new antecedent
• Ex. holding onto child & guiding on bike –> held less end less –> let go completely

Question 13

Effortless discrimination training

Answer 13

• Use of a fading procedure to establish a stimulus discrimination so that no errors occur
• Continuous reinforcement of behaviour after prompts & fade prompts to fade new behaviour in more

Question 14

Dimension

Answer 14

Any characteristic that can be measured on some continuum

Question 15

4 types of prompts

Answer 15

INSTRUCTOR BEHAVIOURS:
- Verbal
- Physical
- Gestural/modeling prompts (demonstrating behaviour)

• Environmental (behaviour tied to context & use fading to shift behaviour elsewhere) (ex. integrate child into larger class environments)

Question 16

Factors influencing effectiveness of fading

Answer 16

1. Final target stimulus (occurrence of the response to stimulus is likely maintained in the natural environment)
2. Starting stimulus: A prompt (reliably evokes desired behaviour)
3. Fading steps (prompts can then be gradually removed over trials)

Question 17

Fading vs. Shaping

Answer 17

Fading: Gradual CHANGE OF STIMULUS while the RESPONSE STAYS THE SAME
Shaping: Gradual CHANGE OF RESPONSE while the STIMULUS STAYS THE SAME