Week 3 Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are respondent behaviors?
Behaviors reliably elicited by particular stimuli despite any prior learning (also known as reflexes).
What are unconditioned stimuli (US) and unconditioned responses (UR)?
US: Stimuli that elicit a response without prior learning (e.g., bright light in the eyes).
UR: The automatic response to the US (e.g., pupil contraction).
Who discovered classical conditioning, and how does it work?
Ivan Pavlov; a neutral stimulus (NS) becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS) when repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US), eventually eliciting a conditioned response (CR).
Give an example of respondent conditioning in everyday life.
Someone develops nausea (CR) to the sight and smell of boiled spinach (CS) after an unrelated stomach virus (US) caused nausea (UR) when they ate spinach (NS) before.
How does operant behavior differ from respondent behavior?
Operant behavior is shaped and maintained by consequences rather than being elicited by stimuli.
What is operant conditioning?
A learning process in which behaviors are strengthened or weakened by their consequences (reinforcement or punishment).
What is reinforcement?
A process where a behavior increases in frequency due to the consequence that follows it.
What is positive reinforcement?
Adding a stimulus after a behavior to increase its occurrence (e.g., praising a student for good work).
What is negative reinforcement?
Removing an aversive stimulus after a behavior to increase its occurrence (e.g., putting on sunglasses to remove glare).
What is punishment?
A process where a behavior decreases in frequency due to the consequence that follows it.
What is positive punishment?
Adding an aversive stimulus after a behavior to decrease its occurrence (e.g., a teacher scolding a student for misbehaving).
What is negative punishment?
Removing a desired stimulus after a behavior to decrease its occurrence (e.g., taking away a toy when siblings fight over it).
What are unconditioned reinforcers?
Stimuli that naturally reinforce behavior (e.g., food, water, sex)
What are conditioned reinforcers?
Stimuli that gain reinforcing properties through association with unconditioned reinforcers (e.g., money, grades).
What are unconditioned punishers?
Stimuli that naturally punish behavior (e.g., pain, extreme temperatures).
What are conditioned punishers?
Stimuli that acquire punishing properties through learning (e.g., reprimands, parking tickets).
What is extinction in operant conditioning?
The process where a previously reinforced behavior decreases when reinforcement is discontinued.
What is an extinction burst?
A temporary increase in frequency, intensity, or variability of behavior before it decreases during extinction.
What factors influence reinforcement and punishment?
Immediacy, contingency, deprivation/satiation, amount, quality, effort, and learning history.
What is response blocking?
Physically intervening to prevent a behavior from being completed, often used in self-injurious behaviors.
What is time-out, and when does it work?
A negative punishment procedure where access to reinforcement is removed temporarily. It works only if “time-in” is reinforcing.
Why is punishment used as a last resort in behavior analysis?
Ethical concerns, strict monitoring requirements, and the potential for negative side effects make reinforcement-based strategies preferable.
