Chapter 10: Aversive control

Question 1

Positive punishment

Answer 1

behaviour decreases due to the presentation of consequences

Question 2

negative punishment

Answer 2

behaviour decreases due to removal of consequences

• time out
• response cost

Question 3

negative reinforcement

Answer 3

• behaviour increases due to the removal of consequences (escape or avoid punisher)

Question 4

punishment is not equal to _______

Answer 4

retribution

Question 5

behavioural punishment should not be _____

Answer 5

vindictive

Question 6

time out

Answer 6

removal of reinforcers or availability of reinforcers

• short usually better
• negative punishment

Question 7

point loss experiment

Answer 7

lever press responding of college students reinforced on a variable interval schedule w/ points that could be exchanged for money

during baseline phase, only S^D was presented (discriminative stimulus)

During next phase, S^D present in alternation with a punishment stimulus (S^Dp), during which the VI schedule remained in effect but each response was also punished by point loss

decrease in responding during SDp

Question 8

key features of aversive stimuli

Answer 8

most research done with shock

• easy to control amount
• simple setup
• consistently aversive w/o damage
• uncomfortable (usually not very painful)
• only used when necessary

Question 9

punisher intensity

Answer 9

stronger punisher will produce greater decreases in behaviour

• ceiling effect
• importance of appropriate level
• punisher should STOP behaviour when it occurs
• do not start low and “ramp up”

Question 10

Contingent vs. independent aversive stimulation

Answer 10

Aversive stimulation contingent on an instrumental response is more effective in suppressing that response than delivering aversive stimulation independent of behaviour

Question 11

delayed punishment

Answer 11

small delays lead to huge decreases in punishment value

• contingency
• contiguity

Question 12

reinforcement considerations

Answer 12

most behaviours occur bc they are reinforced or reinforcing

• generally need to remove reinforcer
• avoid aversives that are actually reinforcing
• allow for alternative behaviour to produce reinforcement
• reduce motivation for bad reinforcement

Question 13

punishment is most effective when an _______ response is available

Answer 13

alternative

Question 14

sensitivity to the reinforcer: cocaine addicted rats

Answer 14

• cocaine addicted rats sought cocaine despite punishment

- not true for sucrose

Question 15

thorndike and the negative law of effect

Answer 15

just as reinforcement strengthens behaviour, punishment weakens behaviour

Question 16

Conditioned emotional responses: theory of punishment (Estes)

Answer 16

• punishment suppresses behaviour
• stimuli/behaviours just before punishment = CSs
• these stimuli elicit freezing
• explains many (not all) punishment effects

Question 17

Avoidance of punishment (Dinsmoor)

Answer 17

• punishment as a form of avoidance behaviour
• stimuli that accompany the punished response bc aversive
• animals avoid these stimuli by doing something besides the punished behaviour

Question 18

Premark principle of punishment

Answer 18

• with total freedom, diff behaviours have diff probabilities of occurring
• premack principle:
  H = high prob. response, L = low prob. response
• if L allows H, reinforces L
  If H forces L, punishes H

Question 19

Punishment in real life

Answer 19

Ethical issues
parenting
often used incorrectly
later problems
used to prevent serious harm

Question 20

avoidance vs. classical conditioning

study

Answer 20

a CR that allows an animal to escape from a punisher will be stronger than a common CR

avoidance group could avoid US by running but the Classical group could not!

Question 21

escape

Answer 21

terminate aversive by performing response; learned 1st

Question 22

avoidance

Answer 22

prevent aversive by performing response; learned second

Question 23

Apparatus and procedure

Answer 23

A shuttle box, box has metal grab floor and is separated into 2 compartmets by an archway. Instrumental response consists of crossing back and forth from one side tot he other

Avoidance trial: if the subject makes the response required for avoidance during the CS but before the US is scheduled, the CS is turned off, and the US is committed during that trial

Escape trial: if the subject fails to make the required reposed during the CS-US interval, the scheduled shock is presented and remains on until the response occurs, whereupon both the CS and US are terminated

Question 24

2 process theory of avoidance

Answer 24

2 mechanisms:

1. classical
2. instrumental

Question 25

agoraphobia

Answer 25

``` overgeneralized CS (open spaces, crowds) Avoidance [NR] (stay inside) ```

Question 26

OCD

Answer 26

Obsession [CS] (doors unlocked) | Compulsion [NR] (repeated locking)

Question 27

two process they and OCD

Answer 27

obsessions not usually directly conditioned - stress -> sensitization to threat - common intrusive thoughts obsessed over

Question 28

difficulties with two process theory

Answer 28

Fear-avoidance can be difficult to extinguish - avoidance happens very quickly, little opportunity to extinguish CR may no longer be present (no fear)

Question 29

Extinction of avoidance behaviour

Answer 29

- very important in behaviour therapy | - flooding

Question 30

flooding

Answer 30

extinction and résponse prevention - preventing the avoidance response is key to successful extinction - duration of exposure to CS (w/o the US) determines the # of trials to extinction

Question 31

Free operant avoidance

Answer 31

unsignalled shocks are avoided by making responses w/n a set period from the previous response/shock aka non discriminated avoidance

Question 32

Theoretical accounts of avoidance behaviour

Answer 32

1. positive reinforcement through conditioned safety signals 2. reinforcement through reduction of shock frequency (one-process) 3. species-specific defines reactions 4. predatory imminence: defensive and recuperative behaviour

Question 33

predatory imminence:

Answer 33

the perceived likelihood of being attacked by a predator | diff species-typical defence responses occur w/n diff degrees of predatory imminence

Question 34

predatory imminence continuum

Answer 34

Status of predator - statues of prey 1. predator cannot appear - non aversively motivated behaviour and recuperative behaviour due to previous attack 2. predator could appear - reencounter defensive behaviour (e.g. modification of foraging patterns) 3. predator detected - post encounter defensive behaviour (e.g. freezing) 4. predator makes contact - strike -defensive behaviour (lean-jump, adenosine aggression)

Question 35

Non-contingent punishment

Answer 35

very bad - leaned helplessness - inescapable punishment - experiemental neurosis - unpredicatable punishment

Question 36

learned helplessness | Seligman and Maier (1967)

Answer 36

Dogs exposed to predictable but inescapable shock do not try to escape when later allowed to model for depression math anxiety

Question 37

theories of helplessness: learned helplessness hypothesis

Answer 37

lack of perceived control leads to lack of motivation and contingency of future reinforcement

Question 38

theories of helplessness: activity deficit

Answer 38

freezing leads to lack of response

Question 39

theories of helplessness: attention deficit

Answer 39

reduces animal's attention to own behaviour

Question 40

theories of helplessness: stimulus relations

Answer 40

escapable shock is okay bc of safety signals

Question 41

alleviating helplessness

Answer 41

"force" subject to escape or introduce post-shock signal

Question 42

experimental neurosis

Answer 42

animals exposed to unpredictable (unsignalled) punishers develop neurotic-like symptoms unpredictable punishers are stressful (hyper vigilance) model for PTSD

Question 43

Exposure therapy for PTSD

Answer 43

graded exposure to trauma stimuli in controlled environment (systematic desensitization)

Question 44

Alternatives to punishment

Answer 44

``` response prevention extinction DRO DRI (incompatible) DLR ```

Question 45

Problems with punishment

Answer 45

- does not identify alternative behevaiour - discriminative stimuli for punishement bc stimuli for avoidance - punishsment elicits emotional response - modeling and imitation - reinforcing value of the punishment - internalizing - psychological harm from non contingence - habituation

Question 46

benefits of punishment

Answer 46

"appeasement" behaviours - increase in sociality modifies attention distraction form motivator, improves mood usually very rapid

Question 47

effective punishment

Answer 47

- not delayed - consistent contingency and intensitty - negative punishment is preferable - intense enough to stop behaviour - explain punishment - provide DRO reinforcement - never punish out of frustration or anger - provide safety signals/warnings - use when necessary, avoid reliance