Shaping Behaviour

Question 1

‘Selection’ as a Causal Process

Answer 1

Variations in …
* Pressure
* Strength
* Technique
* Hand

Variations are selected.
* i.e., become more or less probable based on how well they work.
* Behaviour is changed by experiences in the environment.

Question 2

Shaping (Behavioural Selection)

Answer 2

Differential reinforcement of successive approximations of a target behaviour.

E.g. Training a rat’s lever press
1. Reinforce approaches to lever
2. Reinforce sniffing the lever
3. Reinforce touching with paw
4. Reinforce a full depression of the lever

Note: Extinction of earlier steps can aid shaping because of the increased variability extinction produces.

Question 3

Why are clickers important in dog training?

Answer 3

Marking the Behaviour

“Clickers” are used so that an immediate conditionally reinforcing consequence is provided.
* Aids learning by providing immediate reinforcement and preventing accidental reinforcement of other behaviours.

Question 4

Tips for Shaping

Answer 4

• Reinforce in small steps.
• Use continuous reinforcement.
• Provide immediate reinforcement.
  
  • Don’t wait to see if “they’ll do more”
• Provide small (or conditional) reinforcers.
  
  • Prevents satiation
  • Keeps focus on the task
• Skip ahead when possible.
  
  • If you have a shaping plan (e.g. A,B,C, D…) and a later behaviour occurs, reinforce it.
• Back up when necessary.
• Following successful shaping, move to intermittent schedules of reinforcement.

Question 5

Explain the kitten experiment

Shaping of Motor Coordination

Answer 5

• Pairs of kittens raised in darkness.
• Apparatus was their first visual experience.
• Only the active (moving) kitten was able to pass visual-motor coordination tests despite both being exposed to the same visual stimuli.

Question 6

Superstitious Behaviour

Shaping

Answer 6

Behaviour that occurs even though it does not produce the a consequence.
* By-product of accidental reinforcement.
* Possibly maintained by
- Intermittently occurring advantageous reinforcement.
- Negatively reinforcing escape behaviours.

Human laboratory examples:
* Catania & Cutts (1963)
* Wagner & Morris (1987)
* Bruner & Revusky (1961)

Question 7

Epstein, Kirshnit, Lanza & Rubin (1984) - ‘Insight’ or History of Reinforcement?

Answer 7

Behaviour emerged only when trained to…
* 1) Push box to various locations with a green spot.
- Pushing was extinguished in absence of green spot.
* 2) Climb box and peck banana.

Note: The birds were not trained to push the box towards the banana.

• Four other training variations resulted in the bird not completing the task.

Question 8

Creativity (i.e., Behavioural Variability)

Answer 8

Some researchers have argued that reinforcement produces response stereotypy.

Original Task (Schwartz (1982):
* Get the red square to the bottom right corner.
* Only allowed to press each key 4 times.

Problems with original task:
* The task is constrained by 4 responses on each key.
- i.e., Out of 256 possible sequences only 72 are reinforced.
* 5 presses resulted in a time-out from reinforcement (negative punishment)
- May have punished many instances of varied responding.

Question 9

True or False

Variability is a dimension of behaviour that can be reinforced.

Answer 9

True

• Variability is a dimension of behaviour that can be reinforced.
• Reinforce creative behaviour and not just performance of a task.

Question 10

True or False

Reinforcement inhibits creativity

Answer 10

False

Some studies claim to reinforce creativity but haven’t actually made the reinforcement contingent on the creative/novel behaviour.
* i.e., They just reward performing the task and claim they have rewarded creativity.
* Often used as “evidence” that reinforcement inhibits creativity.
- E.g. Kruglanski et al. (1971)
- E.g. Amabile (1982)

Question 11

Verbal Behaviour

Answer 11

The study of how language functions and is reinforced

SD - Salt on table, out of reach
R - Says “please pass the salt”
SD - Hearing “please pass the salt”
R - Passes the salt.
SR = SD - Receives salt
R - Says “thank you”
SR - Hearing “thank you”

Question 12

What behaviour modification principle is machine learning based on?

Answer 12

Shaping