Exam 3 (part three)

Question 1

Negative reinforcement

Answer 1

• Escape – an aversive stimulus is present, and you respond to remove it
• Ex: you go outside and the sun is bright, and then you put on sunglasses
• Learned first; you have to experience stimulus first to learn that it is aversive

Question 2

Negative reinforcement

Answer 2

• Avoidance – an aversive stimulus is not present, and you respond to keep it from being presented
• Ex: you put on sunglasses before you go outside to avoid the sun
• A lot of research has been done on avoidance
• Why do you go from a non-aversive situation to another non-aversive situation? Where does the motivation come from?

Question 3

Two-process theory of avoidance

Answer 3

• Ex: avoiding dogs (walking away from them)
• Process 1: classical conditioning; development of fear
• NS (sight of dog) – US (bit by dog) ® UR (fear)
• CS (sight of dog) ® CR (fear)
• Process 2: operant conditioning
• SD (sight of dog) – R (walk away) ® SR (reduce fear)
• Walking away = negatively reinforced by reduction in fear

Question 4

Problems with two-process theory of avoidance

Answer 4

• Persistence/extinction contradiction
• Avoidance is incredibly persistent
• CS (sight of dog) – no US
• CS (sight of dog) ® no fear
• Fear should eventually go away (extinction)
• SD (sight of dog) – R (walk away) ® no SR (no fear to reduce)
• Walking away is no longer reinforced
• Avoidance without fear

Question 5

One-process theory of avoidance

Answer 5

(employs operant conditioning but not classical conditioning)

• Ex: avoiding dogs
• Situation with dogs = more aversive
• Situation without dogs = less aversive
• SD (see dog) – R (walk away) ® more to less aversive situation
• Avoidance response is negatively reinforced
• Fear is co-occurring, but it is not the cause of moving away from a certain situation

Question 6

Why do we prefer one-process theory of avoidance

Answer 6

• Don’t have to infer a subjective state
• Parsimony – simple is preferred to complex

Question 7

Negative punishment

Answer 7

• Time-out – when the removal of reinforcers (appetitive stimulus) is temporary

Question 8

Negative punishment

Answer 8

-Response cost – when the removal of reinforcers is permanent

• [have SR] R ® remove SR
• [food] R (bar presses) ® S (remove food)
• Less likely to press lever in the future

Question 9

Negative punishment

Answer 9

• If there are so many side effects for using punishment, why is it so common?
• Using punishment reduces aversive stimulus for person delivering punishment, so punishment is positively reinforced

Question 10

Non-contingent punishment

Answer 10

• Learned helplessness
• Seligman and Maier (1967)
• Phase 1: escapable vs. inescapable shock
• Shocks were predictable; came after light

Question 11

Non-contingent punishment

Answer 11

• Phase 2: shuttle avoidance procedure
• Dogs who did have control over shocks during first phase learned to step over to the no shock area during the second phase
• Dogs who did not have control over shocks exhibited learned helplessness
• Helpless because of noncontingent punishment