Exam 3 (part two)

Question 1

Schedules of reinforcement (or punishment)

Answer 1

– schedule of consequence; the pattern in which we deliver reinforcement

Question 2

Contingent schedules

Answer 2

– the presentation of a consequence depends on a response; a response is needed to produce reinforcement

Question 3

Contingent schedules

Answer 3

• Continuous schedule – every response produces a reinforcer (FR1)

Question 4

Contingent schedules

Answer 4

• Intermittent schedule – not every response produces a reinforcer
• Much more common in daily life

Question 5

Fixed ratio (FR)

Answer 5

– the same number of responses every trial is required to produce reinforcement

• Ratio schedule – based on number of responses
• FR5 = 5 responses needed each trial
• Produces a break-and-run pattern
• Examples:
• Sales and commission
• Reading # of pages
• Buy 5, get 1 free
• Pair discussions

Question 6

Post-reinforcement paus (PRP)

Answer 6

– break between reinforcements

• Positive relation between size of schedule and length of break
• More responses = longer break

Question 7

Fixed interval (FI)

Answer 7

the same period of time produces reinforcement

• First response after interval of time produces reinforcement
• 30”, 30”, 30”, 30” …
• 30 seconds is when the reinforcement becomes AVAILABLE, not when it occurs
• Produced a scalloped pattern
• One response is required for reinforcement to occur
• Responding early is not reinforced; getting closer to the end of the interval increases the number of responses
• Examples:
• Washing machine
• Cooking food
• Few real-life examples
• FI schedules – why study?
• Parsimony – start by understanding the simplest thing and build up to complex
• Serve as a baseline for understanding the effects of other

Question 8

Variable ratio (VR)

Answer 8

– a different number of responses produce reinforcement

• VR15: 5, 20, 15, 30, 10
• 15 is the average number of responses is
• Produces a high, steady rate of response
• The faster you respond, the faster you get to reinforcement
• Examples:
• Gambling
• Asking for dates

Question 9

Variable interval (VI)

Answer 9

– a different period of time produces reinforcement

• 30”, 15”, 60”, 10” …
• Produces a moderate, steady rate of response
• Moderate because responding faster doesn’t produce a reinforcement any faster, but you could miss the reinforcement if you respond too slow
• Examples:
• Checking for texts
• Fishing
• Pop quizzes
• Ratio schedules vs. interval schedules
• Ratio schedules produce higher rates of response
• VR is the fastest
• FR is second fastest; approximately equal to VI
• FI is the slowest

Question 10

Variable interval (VI)

Answer 10

• Ratio schedules vs. interval schedules
• Ratio schedules produce higher rates of response
• VR is the fastest
• FR is second fastest; approximately equal to VI
• FI is the slowest

Question 11

Noncontingent (response-independent) schedules

Answer 11

– you do not need to do anything to get reinforcement
- Often FT or VT schedules

• Responsible for superstitious behaviors
• “Learned laziness”

Question 12

Fixed time

Answer 12

same period of time

Question 13

Variable time

Answer 13

different period of time

Question 14

Theory of reinforcement

Answer 14

– WHY does R increase?

Question 15

Hull’s drive-reduction theory

Answer 15

• (“drive”) R ® SR
• Inside the organism is some unobserved drive
• Biological in nature (e.g., hunger, thirst, reproduction, sleep)
• R occurs because SR reduces physiological drive
• No longer widely accepted in psychology of learning
• Many things we do are not tied to a biological drive
• Hull did all of his research with nonhuman subjects

Question 16

Premack principle

Answer 16

• Reinforcement – LPB (lower probability behavior) ® HPB (higher probability behavior)
• NOT low and high; lower and higher; reinforcers are relative
• LPB (response) produces opportunity for HPB (reinforcer)
• Lever press ® EATING food
• Doing homework ® WATCHING Netflix
• Doing homework reinforced by watching Netflix
• Watching TV (HPB) ® cleaning (LPB)
• Punishment
• You are punishing watching TV by following the HPB with the LPB
• R (HBP) stops because it produces punisher (LPB)

Question 17

Premack principle

Answer 17

• Implications:
• Stimulus vs. behavior
• It is not the stimulus (food) producing reinforcement, but the opportunity to behave a certain way (eating)
• Primary vs. secondary
• No distinction
• Reversibility (no such thing as something that is ALWAYS a reinforcer)
• Applications:
• Order your day: LPBs to HPBs

Question 18

Response deprivation hypothesis

Answer 18

• Behavior = reinforcers
• Reinforcement:
• (a) Behavior 1 (SR) restricted
• (b) Behavior 1 falls below its baseline (deprivation)
• If (a) and (b) are met, behavior 1 reinforces any other behavior
• R increases so behavior 1 (SR) can get back to baseline
• Ex with rat and lever:
• Pressing lever (1 min per day)
• By making it press the lever, we are restricting the amount of time it can spend eating
• Eating = 1 hour per day
• Pressing lever = eating falls below baseline
• Eating can reinforce lever pressing
• Pressing more = access to eating (back up to baseline)
• Ex with TV:
• TV watching (6 hours per day)
• Studying = less TV watched; falls below baseline
• TV watching can reinforce studying
• Studying more = access to TV (back up to 6 hours)

Question 19

Premack vs. response deprivation hypothesis

Answer 19

• LPB (studying) ® HPB (watching TV below baseline)
• Premack = reinforcement
• Response deprivation hypothesis = reinforcement
• Increase in studying
• LPB (studying) ® HPB (watching TV above baseline)
• Premack = reinforcement
• Response deprivation hypothesis = not reinforcement
• Not below baseline
• HPB (watching TV) ® LPB (studying below baseline)
• Premack = not reinforcement (punishment)
• HPB follows LPB
• Response deprivation hypothesis = reinforcement
• Increase in watching TV
• Response deprivation hypothesis is more accurate theory; Premack is still useful