Avoidance Punishment

Question 1

Shuttle Avoidance Task

Answer 1

Negative reinforcement: Learn to escape first, then we learn to avoid

Ex: an animal has to shuttle back and forth in a box to avoid an aversive stimulus

Escape
light&shock: cross barrier -> removal of shock
SD R SR
THEN…
Avoidance:
light: cross barrier -> avoidance of shock
SD R SR

Question 2

Two-Process Theory of Avoidance

Answer 2

Hobard Mowrer: explained the motivation for avoidance behaviour - two processes are involved in learning an avoidance response: classical + operant conditioning

Question 3

Process 1 of TPTA

Answer 3

ESCAPE:
- CC of a fear response to a CS - light(NS/CS) is paired with a shock (US)

Light: Shock -> Fear
NS US UR

Light -> Fear
CS CR

Question 4

Process 2 of TPTA

Answer 4

AVOIDANCE
- OC of a fear response to an SD
- reduction of fear: negative reinforcement (moving away from the CS (light))

Light: cross barrier -> reduction in fear
SD R SR

fear response is elicited by a conditioned stimulus, that becomes an SD which signals the feared thing - which initiates negative reinforcement to avoid the feared thing

Question 5

Problems with TPTA

Answer 5

Many difficulties
- avoidance responses are often persistent so even when avoidance isn’t necessary, animals would still perform the act- if an animal repeatedly encounters the CS in the absence of the US, the fear of CS should extinguish, but the behavior doesn’t extinguish, exposures to the CS are too brief for extinction to take place

Question 6

Theory of incubation

Answer 6

if you associate a fearful event with a stimulus you will avoid that stimulus whenever possible

brief exposures might sometimes strengthen a conditioned fear response which counteracts processes of extinction

ex: each time you briefly encounter a dog, your fear response grows stronger

Question 7

Avoidance conditioning and Phobias

Answer 7

when you constantly avoid the CS, you’ll never learn to be unfearful of it, so avoidance learning is linked to the development and maintenance of phobias

Question 8

limitations to applying models of experimental avoidance conditioning to human phobias

Answer 8

1: usually takes several trials, real phobias as often acquired after a single exposure
2. humans avoid the CS at all costs not just what it signals

Question 9

approach avoidance conflict

Answer 9

• when an event is far away, the rewarding aspects outweigh the punishing ones
• as the event approaches the aversive aspect increases more than the rewarding ones

Question 10

avoidance conditioning and OCD

Answer 10

repetitive stereotypes actions that are carried out in response to the obsessions
- may have an obsessive worry about germs and have a compulsive tendency to shower many times each day

• people feel responsible for events that are highly improbable and are unable to recall a conditioning event that could account for the obsessional anxiety response

Question 11

OCD + 2 process theory: obsessions, compulsions, and their effects on anxiety:

Answer 11

they have opposite effects on anxiety
obsessions: increased anxiety
compulsions: decrease anxiety

Question 12

OCD vs. Phobias

Answer 12

OCD involves an active avoidance response
- will do something to decrease the anxiety
Phobic involves a passive avoidance response
- don’t do something so reduce the anxiety

Question 13

Exposure and response prevention

Answer 13

• A method of treating OCD - first effective treatment
• gradual increases in prolonged exposure to the anxiety arousing event, while not engaging in the compulsive behaviour pattern that reduces anxiety
  1. systematic desensitization
• pairs relaxation with a succession of stimuli that elicit increasing lvls of fear - imagining the fearful thing
  2. flooding therapy
• prolonged exposure to a feared stimulus (not gradual exposure)

cannot perform compulsive behaviours during!!

Question 14

hyperactivity and OCD

Answer 14

people with OCD have hyperactivity in the frontal part of the brain which control inhibition, error monitoring, feelings of rightness

healthy controls don’t have the same amount of intrusive thoughts

Question 15

brain volume and OCD

Answer 15

lower grey matter volume in different parts of the region

Question 16

treatment of OCD

Answer 16

• exposure therapy
• SSRI’s
• DBS
• search for other targets

Question 17

Punishment (Sp)

Answer 17

weakening of a behavior through the removal of an appetitive stimulus or the addition of an aversive stimulus

positive punishment (SP+)
negative punishment (SP-)

Question 17

2 main negative punishments

Answer 17

time out, response cost

Question 18

time out

Answer 18

loss of access to rewards for a brief period of time following the occurrence of a problem behaviour
- popular with modern-day parents (sending to room, sitting in corner)

limitations: little effect on behaviour itself
- consider the setting (child might like room - more reinforcing)
- consider length (may not be long/consistent enough
- want good behaviors to be taught, not suppressed

DRI: reinforce behaviour that is incompatible with the target behaviour - praise the child when they’re interacting friendly with their sibling

Question 19

response cost

Answer 19

removal of a reinforcer following problematic behaviours
- taking a child toy away if they are playing too roughly

advantage: you can adjust the punishment to suit the level of misbehaviour
limitation: must clearly identify the reinforcer that if removed will have an impact

Question 20

negative punishment vs. extinction

Answer 20

both remove a reinforcer and result in a decrease in the strength of a behaviour, with extinction you remove a previous reinforcement but with neg punishment, you’re removing a stimulus following a response

both decrease strength in response

ex: not receiving candy after whining when he used to vs. getting candy and then whining for soda and getting the candy removed

Question 21

problems with punishment

Answer 21

1. it doesn’t directly strengthen the occurence of appropriate behaviour, it may have a negative impact
   ex: student may just want to stop showing up to class
2. he person delivering the punishment could become an SD for punishment - so the unwanted behavior may not happen only when that person is present
   ex: when father is around the child might behave but when he’s not there they will act out
3. it might teach the individual to avoid the person who delivers the punishment

4+5: it elicits a strong emotional + aggressive response
ex: crying, screaming - interferes with teaching them appropriate behaviour

6: might teach the person that punishment is acceptable to punish behaviour
7. is results are good, then it might entice someone to punish more and become more aggressive

Question 22

benefits of punishment

Answer 22

1. can lead to an increase in social behavior
   - paying with siblings
2. improvement in mood
   - child may stop crying
3. increased attention to the environment
   - child may show increased eye contact + interest

Question 23

effective use of punishment

Answer 23

1. should be immediate rather than delayed
2. should be consistent and follow the unwanted behaviour
3. should be intense enough to suppress the target behaviour (this is where it can lead to abuse)
4. negative punishment is preferred
   5.accompanied with an explanation/ feedback
5. combined with positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviour

Question 24

non-contingent punishment

Answer 24

there is a lack of connection between a predictable behaviour and its consequence - the delivery of punishment is not dependent upon the occurrence of a behaviour

Question 25

learned helplessness seligman & maier

Answer 25

- they wanted to develop therapeutic behavioural interventions for treating depression, so they needed to induce depression and did this by giving shocks at random intervals 1. tone + shock, dogs couldn't control when they'd get shocked and just lay down 2. when there was another side to avoid the shock they jumped over the barrier 3. dogs that already were exposed to shocks they just stayed put and didn't jump over the barrier - learned helplessness - accepted the punishment as they thought it was inescapable

Question 26

learned helplessness

Answer 26

reduction in learning ability that results from repeated exposure to uncontrollable aversive events ex: marital problems, loss of employment, health problems