ABSC 100 - Final review
_____ experimental designs expose individuals to baseline (independent variable OFF) and experimental (independent variable ON) phases to determine if the independent variable systematically and reliably changes behavior.
Single-subject
In the diagram below, the US to US interval is 30 mins and the CS to US interval is 3 mins. Use the equation in the book to calculate the delay-reduction ratio.
30 / 3 = 10
A token economy is a set of rules governing the delivery of response-contingent _____ reinforcers that may be later exchanged for one or more _____ reinforcers.
conditioned; backup
Scientific hypotheses need to be specific enough to be proven wrong. If a hypothesis cannot be proven wrong, it is not a scientific hypothesis because it is not...
falsifiable
Imagine that a behavioral pharmacologist just invented a new compound that, when taken, completely blocks the reinforcing effects of cocaine. That is, if an individual who regularly takes cocaine also uses this new compound, the next time they take cocaine they will not get high, not even a little bit. Based on what you have learned about extinction, which of the following do you predict will happen?
All of the above are predictable effects of the new compound.
If you recall the three steps in the visual analysis, then you can look at the data in the graph below and confidently conclude...
All of the above statements are supported by these data.
The picture below shows a modern operant conditioning chamber. These are used by today's psychologists and neuroscientists to study operant behavior in nonhuman animals. The chambers are fashioned after the boxes designed and built in the 1930s by...
B. F. Skinner
During his blind taste-testing party, Geoffrey first tried several bites of Taco A. He had a good sense of how it tasted and then he tried Taco B (it was the same exact taco, but we added salt to it). After 4-5 bites of Taco B, Geoffrey said that he liked Taco B better than Taco A. Which of the single-subject designs is this blind taste test using?
Comparison (A-B) design
The data in the graph below we're collecting using one of the single-subject experimental designs. Which one?
Comparison (A-B) design
The family dog had horrible gas. Each night, the family counted 3-4 really bad stink-bombs dropped into the TV room air while everyone was enjoying their favorite cooking show. After a few weeks of this, the family invested in a more expensive dog food. Now the family dog almost never fouls the air in the TV room. Although everyone is convinced that the expensive dog food works, we (you and me) know that confounds cannot be ruled out. What single-subject experimental design did the family use?
Comparison (A-B) design
Which of the single-subject experimental design involves a single baseline and a single intervention phase?
Comparison (A-B) design
There is a correlation between engaging in a behavior and the strong feeling that you chose to do that particular behavior. Which of the following statements is true?
Correlation does not imply causation..
The things (plural) one experiences through sight, sound, smell, taste, or tactile sensation are called...
stimuli
There are three components of a behavioral experiment. Which of the following is NOT one of those components?
Testing the purification of the pharmacological dependent measure.
_____ learning occurs when a food or drink acquires CS properties because, after it is consumed, the individual experiences a nauseous, gastro-intestinal illness (the US).
taste aversion
What does it mean to say that behavior is determined?
It means that behavior has a cause, or multiple causes.
Imagine that a rat in an operant conditioning chamber is performing very well. He pulls a chain hanging from the ceiling and we give him a food pellet every time. Then we start a new phase. Now we will give him food pellets once, on average, every 15 s, regardless of what he is doing. What will happen to his rate of chain pulling after the phase change?
It will go down
Watson and Rayner never had the opportunity to help Little Albert to no longer fear white furry things. The first person to do this was _____. The technique he/she used was _____.
Mary Cover-Jones; Pavlovian extinction
In the famous "Little Albert" experiment, _____ and Rosalie Rayner used Pavlovian conditioning to produce a fear of white rats in a human infant named Albert.
John B. Watson
A group of researchers is studying a new behavioral intervention designed, over the course of a week or so, to reduce cigarette smoking. The researchers wish to use a single-subject experimental design but they are concerned that if the intervention is effective in reducing cigarette smoking, they will not want to conduct a reversal back to the baseline phase--doing so would be unethical, as it could cause a relapse to smoking. Which single-subject experimental design would you recommend they use?
Multiple-baseline design
Use your memory of the book's flowchart to decide if the stimulus change (bolded) is a reinforcer or not. The behavior of interest is underlined. MacLean cut her finger so she immediately drove to the hospital. At the hospital, she was required to complete some forms, was eventually seen by a physician, and was released with 10 stitches.
No, this is not a reinforcer.
The systematic application of positive reinforcement (and other behavioral principles covered) to workplace settings is called _____.
Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
Mary Cover-Jones published a paper in 1924 that revolutionized the treatment of phobias. What principle, discovered by Ivan Pavlov, did Cover-Jones use to decrease her client's fear of furry animals?
Pavlovian extinction
The science of behavior analysis is guided by two assumptions. Which of the following is NOT one of those assumptions?
Public behavior is determined but private behavior is outside the domain of science.
The data in the graph below were collected using one of the single-subject experimental designs. Which one?
Reversal (A-B-A) design
Jeremy is trying to teach his dog, Timber, to jump through a hoop. First he provides a reinforcer (click and treat) when Timber looks toward the hoop that Jeremy is holding. Jeremy reinforces this behavior several times but then he asks for a little bit more. Now Timber will earn a reinforcer only when she takes a step toward the hoop. Jeremy reinforcers a series of successive approximations to the terminal behavior he desires - Timber jumping through the hoop when it is held 3 feet off the ground. What technique is Jeremy using to train Timber?
Shaping
The textbook reviewed several best practice for the use of reinforcement in workplace settings; practices to ensure there are no unwanted side-effects of reinforcers. Which of the following is NOT one of those best practices?
The larger the reward the better
Which of the following is a reason that behavior analysts conduct a functional analysis of behavior?
To determine whether a problem behavior is an operant behavior.
When evaluating if the independent variable has changes behavior, behavior analysts will often look at graphs of time-series single-subject data and make a judgment about how convincing the change (if any) is. What is this approach to data analysis called?
Visual analysis
If Brad's parents wanted to implement escape extinction, how would you suggest they do it?
When Brad throws a fit, do not excuse him from the homework session.
Use your memory of the book's flowchart to decide if the stimulus change (bolded) is a reinforcer or not. The behavior of interest is underlined. Anderson received his package after placing his order with an international online retailer. Although Anderson hates that this retailer treats their fulfillment center employees badly, he buys a lot of stuff from them. It's just so convenient! However, if Anderson's orders were never delivered to his house, he would eventually stop buying things from this retailer.
Yes, this is a reinforcer.
Use your memory of the book's flowchart to decide if the stimulus change (bolded) is a reinforcer or not. The behavior of interest is underlined. When Kleiner moved to Wales, he found that using an umbrella was useless in the rain because the wind kept inverting his umbrella. Frustrated with this (and how wet he was getting in the rain), Kleiner noticed that the Welsh people wore raincoats and rain pants. On his way home that evening, Kleiner bought some rain gear at a local shop. The next day, Kleiner wore his rain gear outside and avoided getting wet (not to mentioned avoiding wrestling with his umbrella). Thereafter, Kleiner wears his rain gear every time it is raining (which it is almost every day in Wales).
Yes, this is a reinforcer.
For the item below, decide if the stimulus change (underlined and italicized) is a reinforcer or not. The behavior of interest is bolded. The new fast food restaurant advertised that the first 50 customers on opening day would get free hamburgers for a year. Robin was stoked. She set up her base camp outside the restaurant and waited for two days before they opened. Even then, she was #14 in line. When the restaurant opened, she got a coupon for a year's worth of free burgers. After the promotion was over, she didn't camp outside again. That is, until 6 months later, when she moved to a new city, with a new burger restaurant that ran the same promotion. This time Robin set up camp 3 days early, waited, and was #1 in line when the doors opened. Hey, it's free burgers for a year!
Yes, this stimulus change (the free burger coupon) is a reinforcer.
Use the delay-reduction ratio to decide which of these conditioned reinforcers will be the most effective. The inter-food (US->US) interval is 60 seconds.
a CS that lasts 3 seconds
The book outlines two goals of behavior analysis. One of these is to...
accurately predict behavior
In the _____ design, the independent variable(s) is turned ON and OFF rapidly to evaluate if this systematically and repeatedly changes behavior.
alternating-treatments
When extinction produces a temporary increase in the rate, magnitude, or duration of the previously reinforced response, this is referred to as _____.
an extinction burst
Which category of behavior analysts conduct scientific research in clinical settings?
applied
Antecedent events happen _____ behavior.
before
Some behavior analysts provide behavioral services which are informed by prior research conducted in laboratory and/or clinical settings. These individuals work in the field of _____.
behavioral service delivery
The third principle of effective Pavlovian conditioning is to ensure that the CS signals a large _____ to the US.
delay reduction
In behavior analysis, there are two categories of variables that we are interested in. These categories are the _____ variable and _____ variables.
dependent; functional
Many school teachers arrange a _____ contingency when they reinforce raising your hand and extinguish talking without being called upon first.
differential reinforcement
Rather than relying on self-reports to measure human behavior, behavior analysts prefer to measure behavior using...
direct observation
To minimize bias when measuring behavior, behavior analysts prefer...
direct observation
If we are interested in how long it takes for a behavior to be initiated, or how long the behavior lasts, which direct-observation technique should we choose?
duration recording
Behavioral _____ examines how nurture (experiences during an individual's lifetime) can shape nature (the biology of an individual and its offspring), which, in turn, influences behavior.
epigenetics
The definition of _____ is "responding that meets the negative reinforcement contingency no longer removes or reduces the aversive event. As a result, responding decreases to baseline (no-reinforcer) levels."
escape extinction
When artificial intelligence (AI) programmers instruct computers how to learn, they ensure that no matter how successful the program is in solving a problem, it still spends some of its time trying different solutions. By doing so, the AI programs are continuously behaving variably. If a better solution is chanced upon, the program adopts it as its new problem-solving behavior (while continuing to behave variably some of the time). Behavioral scientists refer to this strategy built into AI programs as...
exploring and exploiting
After breaking up with his partner, Mitch began declining calls from his ex. These calls came in at a rate of 2-3 per day, but on day four, Mitch's ex called him at an incredibly high rate (25 times). His ex called far less often after that. The temporary increase in calling (i.e., the previously reinforced response) on day four could be described as a(n) _____.
extinction burst
In the movie, Office Space, office employees are repeatedly shown trying to print a document (operant behavior) but not getting what they want. Instead, they get paper jams and undecipherable messages. As the movie audience shares in their frustration, the scene cuts to an orchestrated musical tirade in which the employees take the printer into a field where they beat it mercilessly with a baseball bat. This act of fictional violent frustration might be described as...
extinction-induced emotional behavior
One objection to using reinforcement to influence human behavior is that reinforcing a behavior with _____ reinforcers may reduce the individual's _____ motivation to engage in that behavior.
extrinsic; intrinsic
When he was 5, Atticus asked his father whether or not Santa Claus existed. His father (a scientist) asked him to develop a(n) _____ prediction. Atticus replied, "Santa lives at the north pole and if we go there we will find his workshop." His father replied, "And if we go there and we find no workshop, no elves, no toys, and no Santa Claus, will that mean that Santa Claus does not exist as a human, and only as a mythical spirit of giving?" Atticus agreed, "Yes, that is what it would mean."
falsifiable
When behavior analysts change a(n) _____ variable, it reliably and systematically changes behavior.
functional
To therapeutically use extinction, you have to know what reinforcer is maintaining the problem behavior. The procedure behavior analysts use to identify this reinforcer is known as a(n) _____.
functional analysis of behavior
In the social and behavioral sciences, there are two broad categories of experimental designs. One of those designs relies on inferential statistics to determine if the independent variable changed behavior. Which design is reliant on the use of inferential statistics.
group experimental designs
_____ refers to the gradual reduction in reflex responding following repeated presentations of the eliciting stimulus.
habituation
Positive reinforcers increase behavior above its baseline (no reinforcement) level. Negative reinforcers _____ behavior _____ its baseline level.
increase; above
In a behavioral experiment, the experimenter evaluates a falsifiable hypothesis by manipulating the _____ variable and measuring the effect, if any, on the _____ variable.
independent; dependent
Positively reinforcing low-probability behaviors, like studying, does not reduce _____ motivation. Instead, it often allows individuals to contact automatic reinforcers (for example, by studying we might discover that we enjoy physics, psychology, or another subject matter) that they would otherwise not experience.
intrinsic
When considering whether the change in an individual's behavior is visually convincing, a good rule of thumb is that changes in level or trend are more convincing when the change is _____ relative to the amount of _____ in the data.
large; "bounce"
_____ _____ is the tendency for loss-prevention (SRA-) to influence behavior more than presentation of the same stimulus (SR+).
loss aversion
An experiment with _____, cannot rule out the possibility that a confounded variable(s) is actually responsible for the convincing behavior change.
low internal validity
When an individual is learning a new behavior, especially one that takes a lot of skill (like surgery techniques), it is important to _____ the behavior the millisecond it occurs. That is, the conditioned reinforcer should immediately follow the response. This helps the individual learn which response produced the backup reinforcer.
mark
Presenting a brief, salient conditioned reinforcing stimulus (like that produced by a click) immediately after the desired response can help the individual to correctly identify which response produced the reinforcer. This _____ procedure is particularly effective when the reinforcer is delayed.
marking
Explaining a public behavior (I went to a parade with my roommate...) by appealing to a private behavior (...because I was in the mood to see a parade.) is a _____ explanation. The "explanation" tries to explain a public behavior with a private behavior.
mentalistic
A generalized conditioned reinforcer signals a delay reduction to...
more than one backup reinforcer
Behavioral scientists recognize that both _____ and _____ contribute to an individual's behavioral repertoire.
nature; nurture
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. One thing that Greg learned while he was in college was how to avoid a hangover. After an evening of drinking, Greg would drop two Alka-Seltzers into a glass of water and drink it. The next day, no matter how much alcohol he drank the night before, he would wake up without a hangover. Greg did this for years and years, until he stopping drinking alcohol and no longer needed to avoid a hangover. Assuming that this stimulus prevention functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as a...
negative reinforcer - avoidance (SRA-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. The couple decided that they did not want more children after their fourth child was born. The husband elected to have a vasectomy because his physician told him that this would prevent him from impregnating his wife again. Assuming that this stimulus prevention functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as a...
negative reinforcer - avoidance (SRA-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. The last time Nikkie went hiking without wearing a hat, she found 6 ticks in her hair. After that, she always wore a hat and never got another tick. It appears that this stimulus prevention functioned as a reinforcer; therefore, it can be classified as a...
negative reinforcer - avoidance (SRA-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. Broden's lips were chapped and they hurt, so he applied some lip balm to them. He has done this a lot in his life because each time he does, the pain is quickly reduced. Assuming that this stimulus reduction functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as a...
negative reinforcer - escape (SRE-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. George flew to Atlanta on a three-hour flight. About an hour into the flight, he began experiencing nicotine withdrawal (George is a pack-a-day smoker). George takes out his can of chewing tobacco and puts a dip between his cheek and gum. George doesn't like the taste of chewing tobacco, but it reduces his nicotine withdrawal symptoms. George keeps a can of tobacco in his carry-on bag so he'll always have it if he's on a long flight like this one. Assuming that this stimulus reduction functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as...
negative reinforcer - escape (SRE-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. Miguel is studying in the kitchen when his mom comes in and starts making dinner. The commotion is distracting, so he puts on his headphones and the noise is gone. Assuming that this stimulus removal functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as a...
negative reinforcer - escape (SRE-)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. Saba liked hot chilies but the one she just ate is really hot and now her mouth is burning. Her friend tells her to drink a glass of milk. When Saba drinks the milk the burning sensation in her mouth is reduced. For years to come, when Saba has a burning sensation in her mouth, she always drinks a glass of milk. Assuming that this stimulus reduction functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as...
negative reinforcer - escape (SRE-)
In the graph below, the trend in the baseline data is best described as...
no trend--the data are stable
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. During a baseline session a rat was places in an operant chamber and equipped with a lever. The rat pressed the lever 5 times at the beginning of the session, but never again. Next, the experimenter implanted small electrodes into the "pleasure center" of the rat's brain. In the next session, when the rat pressed the lever, the computer delivered a 1 second pulse of electricity to the rat's brain. The rat pressed the lever 5 times at the beginning of the session, but never again. This scenario describes...
none of the above
If you recall the three steps in the visual analysis, then you can look at the data in the graph below and confidently conclude...
nothing; behavior did not return to baseline levels when the intervention was turned OFF
Some behavior analysts conduct their research and interventions in workplace settings, targeting behaviors related to employee performance and satisfaction. These individuals work in _____.
organizational behavior management
When using the direct-observation technique known as _____ recording, we will record if the behavior does or does not occur during any portion of the contiguous observation periods.
partial-interval
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Han Solo is reluctant to help the Rebel Alliance but later changes his mind and saved the day so that Luke (a rebel pilot) can blow up the Death Star. At the end of the movie, Han accepts a medal from Princess Leia. In the next movie, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Han is back and this time he is working full-time for the Rebels. Assuming that this stimulus presentation functions as a reinforcer, it would be classified as a...
positive reinforcer (SR+)
For this item, your task is to decide what behavioral process, if any, is at work. Within each item, the target behavior is italicized and the stimulus change is bolded. For items that describe reinforcement processes, you should assume that turning ON and OFF the reinforcer would increase and decrease behavior, respectively. Tyler is going to make some fried chicken for dinner. He buys a whole chicken at the grocery store and then uses his poultry scissors to cut out the backbone. Backbone removed, Tyler soaks the chicken in buttermilk before applying the flour and frying it up. This is the way Tyler has always made fried chicken. Assuming that this stimulus functions as a reinforcer
positive reinforcer (SR+)
Behavior can be classified as "public" (what others can directly observe) or as "_____" (unobservable by others; behaviors such as thinking).
private
Not all behaviors can be seen or heard by others. For example, when you read this question without saying it out loud, you are engaging in what type of behavior?
private behavior
Thinking about how you ate too much for lunch is an example of...
private behavior
A _____ is a consequence that increases operant behavior above its baseline level.
reinforcer
In an experiment conducted by Edward L. Thorndike, a cat was placed in a "puzzle box" which arranged a response-consequence contingent relation between a specific response (pressing a paddle) and a consequence (escape from the box). Nearly a century later, humans would pay to have a comparable experience in "escape rooms." The graph below shows how one of Thorndike's cats did. In the baseline session (the red dot) the cat's puzzle-solving speed was very slow. But in the sessions that followed, the speed gradually increased. The open puzzle box door (a contingent consequence) increased the speed of the paddle-pressing response. Therefore, that consequence functioned as a _____.
reinforcer
According to the _____ theory of reinforcement, each time a behavior is reinforced, its metaphorical bucket of water gets a little heavier. Heavy buckets are difficult to disrupt, so frequently reinforced behavior will occur frequently.
response-strengthening
The second principle of effective Pavlovian conditioning is to ensure that the CS is a(n) _____ event.
salient (something easily noticed)
Behavior analysts use the _____ to discover the determinants of behavior.
scientific method
The textbook describes two general methods used to measure behavior in the behavioral and social sciences. One of these methods, the _____ method, involves asking people to tell you if they have engaged in the behavior.
self-report
At the dog-training class, the instructor told Carl that he should stop feeding his dog scraps while at the dinner table. "That will extinguish his begging behavior," the instructor said. Carl takes the advice and by the end of the week, his dog no longer whines and begs at his side while Carl is eating. "The thing is," says Carl to the instructor, "the dog still begs for a few seconds at the beginning of each meal." "Ah," says the instructor knowingly, "that's an instance of _____. Don't worry, if you keep extinguishing begging, that too will go away with time."
spontaneous recovery of operant behavior
In a time-series graph, like the one shown below, behavior is judged to be _____ when, over repeated observations, there is little "bounce" and no systematic trend.
stable
In the data shown below, behavior is not _____. Instead, there is a lot of "bounce" from session to session.
stable
In the famous "Little Albert" study, a very young child (Albert) learns to fear a white rat. This was accomplished by presenting the rat to Albert and then, a few seconds later, banging a metal bar loudly behind the toddler. Albert was frightened by the loud noise (he cried and crawled away). By the end of the Pavlovian conditioning processes, Little Albert showed conditioned fear (crying and crawling away) when the rat was placed in front of Albert (the banging noise was not presented on these test trials). Which of these events was the unconditioned response (UR)?
the fear of the loud banging noise
In a behavioral experiment, which variable is turned ON and OFF to determine if it is a functional variable?
the independent variable
What makes negative reinforcement of the escape variety, SRE-, unique is the consequence of behavior is...
the removal or reduction of a stimulus
In the famous "Little Albert" study, a very young child (Albert) learns to fear a white rat. This was accomplished by presenting the rat to Albert and then, a few seconds later, banging a metal bar loudly behind the toddler. Albert was frightened by the loud noise (he cried and crawled away). By the end of the Pavlovian conditioning processes, Little Albert showed conditioned fear (crying and crawling away) when the rat was placed in front of Albert (the banging noise was not presented on these test trials). Which of these events was the conditioned stimulus (CS)?
the white rat
If you recall the three steps in visual analysis, then you can look at the data in the graph below and confidently conclude...
there is a convincing change in trend in the intervention phase.
