Pavlovian Conditioning
Your startle response in response to a loud sound is an example of what?
Phylogenetic behavior (unconditioned response; reflex)
______________ was the first to discover the process of reinforcement in his experiments with cats.
Edward Thorndike
In which phase of an ABA reversal design is extinction present?
A parent is coming to you to reduce their child's behavior of tantruming when in public. What is the first thing you should do?
Ask the parents about the behaviors and the circumstances when the behavior is likely to occur.
From Harlow's monkey studies, what did we discover was a primary reinforcer?
Contact/comfort with the soft/fluffy mother monkey
I have a fear of spiders- when I see a spider, I have a fear response. I begin therapy where I gradually introduce myself to more examples of spiders until the fear response decreases. What am I doing to my fear of spiders?
Exposure therapy (graduated exposure)
Pavlovian extinction
I make a list before I go to the store in order to make sure that I get the ingredients I need at the store. Me getting the ingredients I need, is an example of what type of reinforcement?
Positive Reinforcement
What is the effect where a break in time between implementing extinction results in an increase in the rate of behavior?
Spontaneous recovery
What is the purpose of conducting a functional analysis of behavior?
To identify reinforcers maintaining problem behavior and develop an informed treatment based on that information.
What is the function of a conditioned reinforcer?
They signal a delay-reduction to a backup reinforcer.
In the little albert experiment, after his fear of the rat developed, he was also afraid of several other furry objects. This is an example of what phenomenon?
Generalization
My child spits out food that they do not like the taste of. Her spitting out the food is an example of what type of reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement- Escape (SR-E)
In the case of aggressive behaviors, what is one reason it is not a good idea to use extinction?
Negative emotions that occur as a result of extinction, extinction bursts, variability in responding may result in more dangerous behavior, and may result in resurgence of prior reinforced responses that are also dangerous.
You hypothesize based on caregiver report that the child may be receiving internal stimulation produced by head-hitting behavior. What would a test condition for a functional analysis of this behavior look like for a possible automatic reinforcer?
If the child head-hits, then they feel internal stimulation. No other reinforcers are available in the environment (no caregivers, toys, etc.)
Setting the next approximation so that it is neither too easy or too difficult. It needs to be just a bit more difficult than the prior response.
After repeated exposures to an unconditioned stimulus (lemon juice), my unconditioned response decreases (salivation). This is an example of what?
Habituation
When I get in my car, I immediately put my seatbelt on before turning the car on, in order to prevent the beeping that occurs if the seatbelt is not on. What type of reinforcement is this?
Negative reinforcement- Avoidance (SR-A)
I am conducting an intervention for an individual with alcohol use disorder. In order to reduce their alcohol use, I am providing reinforcement for every day that they do NOT blow a blood alcohol level greater than .02. This is an example of what type of differential reinforcement procedure?
Differential reinforcement of other behavior
You think that access to toys is a possible reinforcer for a child's self-injurious behavior. What would a test condition for a functional analysis look like to test whether this function is maintaining the behavior?
If the child engages in self-injurious behavior, then you deliver preferred toys. If there is an elevated rate of self-injury in this condition, it is a reinforcer.
In shaping, what happens if the next approximation is too difficult for the individual to meet?
They begin to experience the effects of extinction:
1. Emotional behavior
2. Variability
3. Reduction in the behavior
4. Resurgence
My cat has begun salivating in response to the sound of the treat drawer opening. In terms of Pavlovian conditioning, explain:
1. what is the unconditioned stimulus (US)
2. what is the unconditioned response (UR)
3. what is the neutral stimulus (NS)
4. what is the conditioned stimulus (CS)
5. what is the conditioned response (CR).
1. US- treats/food
2. UR- salivation
3. NS- treat drawer opening
4. CS- treat drawer opening
5. CR- salivation
What are the similarities between positive and negative reinforcement?
They both increase the rate of behavior above baseline.
What are the 4 effects of extinction?
1. Reduces behavior to baseline level
2. Negative emotions
3. Variability
4. Resurgence
You determine based on a functional analysis that access to caregiver attention is what is maintaining a child's behavior of hitting. What would be the most appropriate intervention for this behavior based on the results of the functional analysis?
Functional communication training- teach the child to request attention "help please" and provide attention contingent on the appropriate request, and extinguish attention contingent on hitting.
How do you experimentally determine if a neutral stimulus functions as a conditioned reinforcer?
Present the NS contingent on the behavior without the backup reinforcer. If the behavior continues, it is functioning as a conditioned reinforcer. (Think about the ka-chunk test that Skinner did to test if the rats would press for the sound alone)