Ch. 4 - Reinforcement Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Ch. 4 - Reinforcement Deck (51)
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1
Q

What is reinforcement?

A

The process by which a behaviour is strengthened by the immediate consequence that reliably followed its occurrence.

2
Q

What is the basic idea behind reinforcement?

A

When a behaviour results in a favourable outcome, it is more likely to be repeated in the future under similar circumstances.

3
Q

What is considered a favourable outcome?

A

Something that contributes to the well-being or survival of the animal.

4
Q

What is an operant behaviour?

A

A behaviour that is strengthened through the process of reinforcement.

5
Q

What is a reinforcer?

A

A consequence that strengthens a behaviour.

6
Q

What is the distinction between rewards and reinforcers?

A

Rewards are something that people like/want. Reinforcers are only defined in terms of its effect on behaviour.

7
Q

What are the two types of reinforcement?

A

Positive and negative.

8
Q

What is positive reinforcement?

A

The addition of a stimulus (a reinforcer) or an increase in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the strengthening of a behaviour.

9
Q

What is negative reinforcement?

A

The removal of a stimulus (aversive stimulus) or a decrease in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the strengthening of a behaviour.

10
Q

What do negative and positive reinforcement both have in common?

A

The both strengthen the target behaviour.

11
Q

What is a stimulus/

A

An object or event that can be detected by one of the sense and thus has the ability to influence the subject.

12
Q

What is social reinforcement?

A

When a behaviour produces reinforcing consequences through the actions of another person.

13
Q

What is automatic reinforcement?

A

When a behaviour produces reinforcing consequences directly through the environment.

14
Q

What is the Premack Principle?

A

The opportunity for a high-probability behaviour can be used as a reinforcing consequence for a low-probability behaviour.

15
Q

What are high and low-probability behaviours?

A

High-probability behaviours are preferred behaviours; low-probability behaviours are less preferred.

16
Q

What is escape behaviour?

A

When the occurrence of a behaviour results in the termination of an aversive stimulus that was already present when the behaviour occurred.

17
Q

What is avoidance behaviour?

A

When the occurrence of a behaviour prevents the aversive stimulus from occurring.

18
Q

What commonly accompanies avoidance behaviour training?

A

A warning stimulus that signals that occurrence of the aversive stimulus.

19
Q

What are unconditioned reinforcers?

A

Natural reinforcers such as getting food, water, and sexual stimulation or avoiding pain.

20
Q

What is one of the best unconditioned reinforcers?

A

Praise.

21
Q

What are conditioned/secondary reinforcers?

A

Stimuli that were once neutral but become established as a reinforcer by being paired with an unconditioned reinforcer.

22
Q

What is an example of a conditioned reinforcer?

A

Money.

23
Q

Other than money, what is often used as a conditioned reinforcer?

A

Tokens.

24
Q

What are backup reinforcers?

A

Items that tokens can be exchanged for.

25
Q

What is a generalized conditioned reinforcer?

A

A conditioned reinforcer that is parked with a wide variety of other reinforcers. E.g., money.

26
Q

What are the 5 factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement?

A

Immediacy, contingency, motivating operations, individuals differences, and magnitude.

27
Q

What is immediacy?

A

The time between the occurrence of a behaviour and the reinforcing consequence.

28
Q

To be most effective, when should reinforcement occur?

A

Immediately after the response occurs.

29
Q

What is contingency?

A

When a consequence follows a response and the consequence does not occur unless the response occurs first.

30
Q

What do motivating operations do?

A

Alter the value of the reinforcer.

31
Q

What are the two types of motivation operations?

A

Establishing operations and abolishing operations.

32
Q

What are establishing operations?

A

Operations that increase the potency of the reinforcer.

33
Q

What are abolishing operations?

A

Operations that decrease the potency of the reinforcer.

34
Q

What is an example of an establishing operation?

A

Deprivation; increases the effectiveness of most reinforcers.

35
Q

What is an example of an abolishing operation?

A

Satiation; decreases the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

36
Q

What are the two broad types of reinforcement schedules?

A

Continuous reinforcement schedules and intermittent reinforcement schedules.

37
Q

What is a continuous reinforcement schedule?

A

Each occurrence of the behaviour is reinforced.

38
Q

What is an intermittent reinforcement schedule?

A

Each response is not reinforced, but instead responses are occasionally or intermittently reinforced.

39
Q

What is acquisition?

A

When a person is acquiring a new behaviour. CRF schedules are most often used.

40
Q

What is maintenance?

A

When the behaviour is maintained over time with the sue of intermittent reinforcement?

41
Q

What are the 4 types of intermittent reinforcement schedules?

A

Fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval.

42
Q

What is a fixed ratio schedule?

A

The delivery of the reinforcer is based on the number of responses that occur. E.g., (FR 5) schedules reinforce every 5 responses.

43
Q

What is a variable ratio schedule?

A

The delivery of the reinforcer is based not he number of responses that occur, but the number of responses needed for reinforcement varies around an average.

44
Q

What is a fixed interval schedule?

A

The interval of time between reinforcement is fixed. I.e., in an (FI 20 second) schedule, responses that occur within 20 second intervals are reinforced only after the 20 seconds has elapsed.

45
Q

What is a variable interval schedule/

A

The interval of time between reinforcement varies around an average. Similar to an FI schedule, but the time varies like in a VR schedule.

46
Q

What happens if a dimension of a behaviour is contingent on a reward?

A

That dimension is strengthened.

47
Q

What factors affect people’s behaviour when they are faced with concurrent schedules of reinforcement?

A

Magnitude of reinforcement, immediacy of reinforcement, and response effort for the various response efforts.

48
Q

According to Paul Chance, what types of reinforcers are best?

A

Intangible ones. Never provide a toy if a compliment will suffice.

49
Q

What does Paul Chance say with regards to using reinforcers as incentives?

A

Don’t bait the subject with the reinforcer, wait for the behaviour to occur and then provide the reinforcer.

50
Q

What does Paul Chance say about rates of providing reinforcers?

A

Reward at a high rate in the beginning, then gradually reduce the frequency of rewards as learning progresses.

51
Q

What does Paul Chance say attention should be brought to when reinforcing?

A

The intrinsic rewards that the activity itself offers. (Cognitive dissonance and self-perception theory).