Principles of Learning

Question 1

Does reinforcement require conscious awareness of the connection between behavior and reinforcer?

Answer 1

No — only awareness that the reinforcer occurred

Question 2

What are two risks of punishment?

Answer 2

Avoidance of punisher/hiding behavior, and failure to teach desired alternative behavior

Question 3

Shaping involves reinforcing what? Provide an example.

Answer 3

Every behavior that is closer to a target behavior (e.g., if teaching a mouse to press a lever, you would provide reinforcement when it comes near the lever, when it touches the lever, and finally when it puts weight on the lever)

Question 4

Chaining involves linking what? Provide an example.

Answer 4

Multiple simple behaviors into a sequence (a larger ‘chain’) (e.g., if teaching how to wash hands, you would first reinforce turning on the water, then you would reinforce turning on the water and applying soap – both occur before reinforcement is provided)

Question 5

What is the primary difference between shaping and chaining?

Answer 5

Shaping builds single new behaviors, while chaining assembles multiple behaviors into a complex skill

Question 6

Which reinforcement schedule makes behaviors easiest to learn but quickest to extinguish?

Answer 6

Continuous reinforcement

Question 7

Which reinforcement schedule (intermittent, continous) produces more durable behaviors? Within this category, which type is the strongest? (i.e., hardest to extinguish)

Answer 7

Intermittent reinforcement; Variable ratio

Question 8

Example of a highly durable intermittent reinforcement behavior?

Answer 8

Gambling

Question 9

Extinction eliminates behavior by removing what?

Answer 9

The reinforcement maintaining it

Question 10

What often happens before behavior decreases during extinction? Provide an example.

Answer 10

An extinction burst (i.e., temporary increase in intensity or frequency of behavior when reinforcement is first withheld) (e.g., child tantrums louder when attention is not given for the first time)

Question 11

Extinction is most effective when paired with what?

Answer 11

Reinforcement of an alternative behavior

Question 12

How are extinction and satiation similar, and how are they different? Provide an example of satiation. What are the advantages and disadvantages of satiation?

Answer 12

Both reduce a behavior, but in different ways; extinction removes the reinforcement altogether, while satiation provides the reinforcement before the behavior occurs (e.g., keeping shampoo on hand becuase you know that your husband gets angry when you run out); primary advantage of satiation is abscence of extinction burst; however, primary disadvantage is that it requires giving more reinforcers than desirable

Question 13

Extinction and punishment both decrease the frequency of a behavior. How do they differ?

Answer 13

Extinction = removal of reinforcement; Punishment = active additon or removal of an aversive stimulus

Question 14

Between extinction and punishment, which approach is passive and which is active?

Answer 14

Extinction is passive; Punishment is active

Question 15

What 3 factors influence how effective a consequence is?

Answer 15

Value to the person (i.e., does the person care about the consequence?), context, and quantity of reinforcer (i.e., do you want/ need the reward?)

Question 16

Which type of consequence is more effective long-term: natural or arbitrary? Provide an example of each.

Answer 16

Natural consequences (e.g., getting hungover after drinking too much); an example of an arbitrary consequence (i.e., something that is intentionally applied) would be getting grounded after staying out past curfew

Question 17

Why might a behavior learned in one situation not transfer to another?

Answer 17

Lack of generalization – context matters (e.g., socializing well in a small group, but not a large group)