Positive reinforcement and extinction Flashcards
Lecture 2 (23 cards)
What is the difference between positive and negative reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement adds a desirable outcome to increase behaviour; negative reinforcement removes an aversive outcome to increase behaviour.
What is the difference between positive and negative punishment?
Positive punishment adds an aversive outcome to decrease behaviour; negative punishment removes a desirable outcome to decrease behaviour.
What are the three factors that make reinforcement effective?
- Immediacy/Contiguity – The consequence occurs soon after the behaviour.
- Contingency – The consequence reliably follows the behaviour and is limited otherwise.
- Value – The consequence is meaningful or desirable to the individual.
What is a discrete trial procedure in behavioural psychology?
A protocol where each trial is a distinct event with a clear antecedent (instruction), behavior (response), and consequence (reinforcement or correction), followed by a pause before the next trial;
* Allows precise control and measurement
* Limited one-to-one response window
What is a free operant procedure in behavioural psychology?
A protocol where the subject can engage with the environment and perform the target behavior at any time, without specific prompts or restrictions
* Allows natural/novel engagement
* Higher variability among trials and difficult to interpret responses
What is a primary reinforcer?
A stimulus with inherent value, often satisfying biological needs (e.g., food, sex, social attention).
What is a secondary reinforcer?
A stimulus that gains value through association with a primary reinforcer (e.g., money, brand logos).
What is an activity reinforcer?
A preferred activity used to reinforce a less preferred behaviour, based on the Premack Principle.
What is a token reinforcer?
A symbolic reward that can be exchanged for other reinforcers, offering flexibility and high contiguity.
What is the Premack Principle in behavioural psychology?
A more probable or preferred behaviour can be used to reinforce a less probable or less preferred behaviour.
What is shaping in behavioural psychology?
Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behaviour to gradually build complex actions.
What is chaining in behavioural psychology?
Teaching a sequence of behaviours where each step cues the next, forming a behavioural chain.
What is extinction in operant conditioning?
The process where a behaviour decreases because the response no longer produces the expected outcome.
What is spontaneous recovery in extinction?
The return of an extinguished behaviour after a period of time without further reinforcement.
What is renewal in extinction?
The return of an extinguished behaviour when the context changes.
What is reinstatement in extinction?
The return of an extinguished behaviour after re-exposure to the original outcome.
What is stress-induced reinstatement?
The return of an extinguished behaviour triggered by a strong stressor.
What is partial reinforcement in instrumental conditioning?
When a behaviour is only occasionally reinforced, rather than reinforcing it every time it’s displayed.
What is the Partial Reinforcement Extinction Effect (PREE)?
Behaviours reinforced intermittently are more resistant to extinction than those reinforced continuously.
What is a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement?
A reinforcer is delivered after a set number of responses (e.g., every 5 responses).
What is a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement?
A reinforcer is delivered after a fixed amount of time has passed (e.g., every 30 seconds).
What is a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement?
A reinforcer is delivered after a random number of responses, averaging around a set value.
What is a variable interval schedule of reinforcement?
A reinforcer is available after a random amount of time, averaging around a set interval.
