Week 2 - Reinforcement

Question 1

“Reinforce” means to increase or decrease behaviour?

Answer 1

INCREASE behaviour

Question 2

What do reinforcing consequences do?

Answer 2

INCREASE in: duration, frequency, intensity, quickness and variability

Question 3

When you add a stimulus it’s…..?

Answer 3

POSITIVE (+) reinforcement

Question 4

When you remove a stimulus its……..?

Answer 4

NEGATIVE (-) reinforcement

Question 5

Reward does “____” EQUAL a reinforcer

Answer 5

Not

Question 6

What is reinforcement not?

Answer 6

NOT a theory
NOT circular

-consequence reinforced the response

IT IS a functional description

Question 7

What is a unconditional (primary) reinforcer?

Answer 7

Properties function of species evolutionary history

Ex) food, water, sex, social interaction etc…

Often species specific

Question 8

What is a conditional (secondary) reinforcer?

Answer 8

Otherwise NEUTRAL stimuli acquired ability to reinforce due to a CONTINGENT relationship with other UNCONDITIONAL reinforcers

Question 9

What is contingency?

(Factors that affect reinforcement)

Answer 9

Degree of CORRELATION b/w a behaviour and its consequence

Question 10

What is contiguity?

(Factors that affect reinforcement)

Answer 10

Nearness of events in time or space

LESS contiguity (longer delays) DIMINISHES effectiveness of the reinforcer

Question 11

What is reinforcer magnitude?

(Factors that affect reinforcement)

Answer 11

Generally larger reinforcers are more reinforcing than smaller reinforces

Question 12

What are some more variables that affect reinforcement?

Answer 12

• specific reinforcer used
• task characteristics (individual differences)
• motivating operations - increase effectiveness
• abolishing operations - decrease effectiveness

Question 13

What is competing contingencies of reinforcement?

Answer 13

Ex) should I watch Netflix or study?

Choice b/w allocation of time among two or more activities

Question 14

What is the premack principle?

Answer 14

LOW probability can REINFORCE HIGH probability behaviour when the organism have DEPRIVED of the low probability behaviour

Question 15

It is “___________” to say that you reinforce a behaviour (or response)

It is “___________” to say that you reinforce a person

Answer 15

Correct
Ex) “The teacher reinforced standing in line quietly with praise” is correct

Incorrect
Ex) “The teacher reinforced Sarah for standing in line quietly” is not correct

Question 16

What is an aversive stimulus?

Is this term used in positive or negative reinforcement?

Answer 16

It’s the stimulus that is REMOVED or AVOIDED after the behaviour

Often seen as unpleasant, painful or annoying that a person wants to avoid

Used in NEGATIVE reinforcement

Question 17

What is social reinforcement?

Give a positive and negative reinforcement example?

Answer 17

When a behaviour produces a reinforcing consequence through the ACTIONS of another PERSON

Can be positive or negative reinforcement

(+) Ex) when your roommate BRINGS YOU chips when you ask, therefore you are more likely to ask again

(-) Ex) when you ask your roommate to TURN DOWN the tv, they do it, therefore you are more likely to ask again when the tv is too loud

Question 18

What is automatic reinforcement?

Give a positive and negative reinforcement example

Answer 18

When the behavior produces a reinforcing consequence through DIRECT CONTACT with the PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

(+) Ex) If you went to the kitchen and GOT CHIPS for yourself

(-) Ex) If you got the remote and TURNED DOWN the tv for yourself

Question 19

What is the difference between escape and avoidance behaviour?

What’s TYPES of reinforcement are they, (+) or (-)?

Answer 19

Escape:
The behaviour results in TERMINATION of an aversive stimulus that was PRESENT when the behaviour occurred

Avoidance:
The behaviour PREVENTS an aversive stimulus from occurring in the FIRST PLACE

Question 20

Conditioned reinforcers continue to be reinforcers even if they aren’t paired with another reinforcer

TRUE or FALSE

Explain why

Answer 20

FALSE

They only continue to be reinforcers IF they are at LEAST OCCASIONALLY paired with other reinforcers

Question 21

What is a backup reinforcer?

Answer 21

Used in a token economy

Client exchanges tokens for DESIRABLE behaviours

Client exchanges tokens for any variety of BACKUP reinforcers

Question 22

What is a generalized conditioned reinforcer?

Answer 22

When a CONDITIONED reinforcer is paired with a WIDE VARIETY of other reinforcers

Question 23

What is immediacy?

(Factors that affect reinforcement)

Answer 23

The TIME BETWEEN occurrence of the behaviour and the reinforcing consequence