Comp 2 Practice

Question 1

What are the 3 levels of understanding we seek as (behavioral) scientists?

Answer 1

Description. Prediction Control

Question 2

Description is

Answer 2

Facts about relations between variables

Question 3

Prediction is

Answer 3

repeated observations reveal that 2 events consistently covary
Prediction of relative probability of one
event given the presence of another event

Question 4

Control is

Answer 4

specific change with one variable can reliably be produced by a specific manipulations of another event
* Observer, Predict, then manipulate!

Question 5

Be able to identify whether events exemplify contingency, contiguity, or both from examples I provide.

Answer 5

Contingency = one event is dependent on the other
* (If Y, then X)
* One cannot happen without the other.
Contiguity = events are temporally proximate
* Two things happen closely in time, but does not mean that one causes the other.

Question 6

Define a functional relationship and provide examples of a functional relationship.

Answer 6

Interested in a FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
Demonstrate that it is our IV that is producing the changes in our DV
Cause-effect relationship. Scientifically controlled.
Causal relationship. Whatever you develop is the thing that is producing any changes in bx.

Question 7

identify good and poor characteristics of a measurement system. Also, be able to identify an appropriate measurement system (e.g., permanent product, rate, inter-trial interval) for examples I provide.

Answer 7

Objective - the target behavior is clearly defined, observable, and quantifiable

Reliable - consistent across time and users
Valid - accurately measures the behavior it intends to measure
* Problems with survey. Is that what people would acutally do
Sensitive - reflects changes in the target behavior

Question 8

Reflexes and Respondent Conditioning
* Identify examples of all three types of reflexes.

Answer 8

Simple Reflex
* 1 eliciting stimulus and 1 response
* E.g., Light in the eye - pupil constriction
* Its about the contingency
Fixed Action Patters (FAP)
* 1 eliciting stimulus and many responses
* E.g., Greylag goose and egg rolling
* Adaptive
Reaction Chains
* Many eliciting stimuli and many responses
* E.g., Nursing

Question 9

Identify examples of the laws of reflexes and habituation.

Answer 9

threshold, intensity, latency

Question 10

threshold

Answer 10

At weak intensities, a stimulus will not elicit a response - Point at which the response is noticed

Question 11

Intensity

Answer 11

Magnitude: As the intensity of the US increases so does the magnitude of the UR. The louder the sound, the higher the jump

Question 12

Latency

Answer 12

As the intensity of the US increases, the latency of the elicitation of the UR decreases-

Question 13

Habituation

Answer 13

Magnitude of the UR decreases with repeated exposures to the US- the volcano, big cities, these people who live near them don’t notice the sound

Question 14

Provide the definition of respondent conditioning.

Answer 14

Transfer of the control of behavior from one stimulus to another by an S-S pairing.

Question 15

Respondent Extinction

Answer 15

Presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus, this leads to a decrease in the conditioned response.

Question 16

Spontaneous Recovery

Answer 16

A response that was previously extinguished, being elicited by the Conditioned stimulus. Usually because of other stimuli evoking the behavior.

Question 17

Respondent generalization

Answer 17

Occurs when an organism shows a conditioned response to values of the CS that were not trained

Question 18

Respondent discrimination

Answer 18

Occurs when an organism shows a conditioned response to one stimulus but not to other similar events

Question 19

Overshadowing

Answer 19

Two NSs predict a US, but only one becomes an effective CS. One NS “overshadows” the other NS with respect to becoming a CS. One fails to elicit a response. Most salient wins. 2 NS.

Question 20

Blocking

Answer 20

a pre-established CS and an NS both predict a US, but the NS fails to become a CS. One is blocking any other stimulus from forming an association

Question 21

Example of US - Unconditioned Stimulus

Answer 21

Food

Question 22

Example of Unconditioned Response - UR

Answer 22

Salivation

Question 23

Example of a Neutral Stimulus (NS)

Answer 23

Bell

Question 24

Example of conditioned stimulus

Answer 24

What the bell will become

Question 25

Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 25

These stimulus function as a reinforcer only because of their prior pairing with other reinforcers
Unconditioned Reinforcer: A stimulus change that can increase the future frequency of behavior without prior pairing with other forms of reinforcement. Reinforcing value is unlearned

Question 26

Automatic Reinforcer

Answer 26

the reinforcer is produced directly by the behavior

Question 27

Social Reinforcer

Answer 27

the reinforcer is delivered by another person

Question 28

Generalized Reinforcer

Answer 28

conditioned reinforcer that is paired with many reinforcers. Doesn’t depend on any one source of deprivation, hard to satiate. Money, tokens.

Question 29

Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 29

These stimulus function as a reinforcer only because of their prior pairing with other reinforcers

Question 30

Unconditioned Reinforcer

Answer 30

A stimulus change that can increase the future frequency of behavior without prior pairing with other forms of reinforcement. Reinforcing value is unlearned

Question 31

Automatic reinforcer

Answer 31

the reinforcer is produced directly by the behavior
Social Reinforcer the reinforcer is delivered by another person

Question 32

Generalized Reinforcer

Answer 32

conditioned reinforcer that is paired with many reinforcers. Doesn’t depend on any one source of deprivation, hard to satiate. Money, tokens.

Question 33

Define shaping. What two procedures are involved in shaping?

Answer 33

Definition: reinforcing successive approximations to the target/terminal behavior
Requires Differential Reinforcement:
Reinforcement of some responses and non-reinforcement (extinction) of others
Successive Approximation : intermediate form of the terminal R
Uses natural variability of the R
The variability is indirect effect of extinction

Question 34

Define and provide original examples of operant extinction.

Answer 34

Definition: withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced response
Effects: decreases in the behavior
One of the fundamental principles of behavior analysis
The counterpart to reinforcement
The most direct way of reducing behavior

Question 35

Extinction burst

Answer 35

The target behavior may increase in frequency, duration, or magnitude at first when the reinforcer no longer follows it

Question 36

Operant variability

Answer 36

The topography (form) of the behavior may change when the original form is no longer reinforced

Question 37

Contingency vs. Contiguity

Answer 37

Contingency: one event is dependent on the other (if y, then x)

Contiguity: events are temporally proximate

*Both are important, but contingency is usually required for learning

Question 38

Define a functional relationship

Answer 38

Demonstrate that it is the IV that is producing the changes in the DV. A cause-effect relationship.

Question 39

Characteristics of a good measurement system

Answer 39

*Objective: the target behavior is clearly defined, observable, and quantifiable
*Reliable: consistent across time and users
*Valid: accurately measure the behavior it intends to measure
*Sensitive: reflects changes in the target behavior

Question 40

Pro’s and con’s of permanent product recording

Answer 40

Pro’s: easy & efficient

Con’s: needs clear relationship between behavior and outcome

Question 41

Pro’s and con’s of observational recording

Answer 41

Pro’s: accurate reflection of events

Con’s: time consuming