Behavior control procedures

Types

External

Internal

Extinction: omitting the US (classical conditioning) or reinforcer (instrumental conditioning)

Aversive control procedures

Stimulus control

Behavioural regulation approach

Punishment: aversive stimulus os presented contingent

Avoidance learning: the instrumental response prevents the delivery of an aversive stimulus

Behavioural consequences

Are

Conditioned response (CR) declines

Other responses appear

Consequence of

Emotional effect that results from unexpected absence of the US (frustration and anger)

Is not

Forgetting, reversing or erasing information

Evidence

Spontaneous recovery: consequence of a period of test after extinction. Happens because extinction dissipates, but previous response recovers.

Renewal: consequence of returning subjects to the original context of conditioning, after receiving extinction

Reinstatement: consequence of exposure to the US

Example

Recovery of bad habits after attempts of extinction

Example

Drug habit treated in residential treatment center renewed when client returns home

Example

Fear and anxiety acquired during course of being in a relationship can return if there are similar forms of abuse

Produces

Learning: inhibitory association between CS and CR when there is non-reinforcement after a history of reinforcement

Explanation

Frustration theory

Effects

Magnitude of reinforcement extinction effect: responding declines in extinction following reinforcement with larger reinforce

Partial-reinforcement extinction effect (PREE): extinction is faster is it is continuous

Overtraining extinction effect: More training does not create stronger response. But less reinforcement does create weaker responses

Efectiveness

Depends on

Partial/complete reinforcement: partial reinforcement is more resistant to extinction

Explanation

Sequential theory: the subject remembers that he has not been rewarded, which increases expectancy of future reward.

Frustration theory: intermittent reinforcement produces anticipation of non-reward

Efectiveness

Accomplished if

Contingency with the response

Punishment each time the response is made

High intensity of punishment from the beginning

Punishment is significant to the subject

Punishment is presented immediately after response

Surprising punishment

Positive reinforcement for alternative activities is provided

Not accomplished if

Punishment is too intense and maintains too much time

Signalling the punishment

Punishment is applied to escape behaviour (promotes desire to escape)

Exposure to mild punishment at the beginning (resistance to punishment)

Aim of punishment is not to produce a constructive change

Punishment signals a positive reinforcement

Alternatives

Time out: time-out from sources of positive reinforcement

Differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO): provide reinforce only when a certain response does not occur

Example

People with drug dependence use drugs to prevent the aversive effects of drug-avoidance

Variation

Escaping: the avoidance behavior blocks the aversive stimulus

Involves

Stimulus generalization

Stimulus discrimination

Can involve

Inter-dimensional stimuli

Intra-dimensional stimuli: produces more precise stimulus control than inter-dimensional

Example

In traffic lights, distinguish between colours, significance and position of each

Distinguish two letters (F and E)

Important in

Learning words

Perceptual-concept learning

Example

Say "apple" when you see picture of an apple and choose the picture of an apple when told to do so

Learning to identify as water an ocean, a lake, a puddle and a steam

Considers that

Behavioural bliss point: Organisms have a preffered or optimal distribution of activities in any given situation

Introduction of an instrumental conditioning disrupts the optimal response distribution (behavioural bliss point)

The organism tends to return to the bliss point by substituting other activities