Behavior modification - chapter 8
4. Define CRF (continuous reinforcement) and give an example that is not in this chapter.
(simplest schedule of reinforcement) which is an arrangement in which each instance of a particular response is reinforced. Ex. Each time you turn the key in the ignition of your car, your car will start.
9. What are 3 characteristic effects of an FR schedule?
1. FR schedules produce a consistent response rate 2. The rate of responding increases with higher FR schedules. 3. Post reinforcement pause— following reinforcement, responding will temporarily stop. After the pause, the rate of responding resumes to pre-reinforcement levels.
5 (B) Briefly describe how schedules of reinforcement can help us understand behavior that has frequently been attributed to inner motivational states.
A VR schedule with a low reinforcement rate can account for highly persistent behavior eg. Dedicated student, or compulsive gambler.
22. Expalin what an FI/LH schedule is and illustrate with an example that isn't in this chapter.
A fixed interval schedule (a reinforcer is presented following the first instance of a specific response after a fixed period of time) with a limited hold (a deadline for meeting the response requirement of a schedule of reinforcement). Example: An online store has shorts on sale each day at 1pm, and the sale only lasts for 15 minutes.
4 (B) Might it be better to reinforce a child for dusting the living room furniture for a fixed period of time or for a fixed number of items dustsed? Explain your answer.
A fixed number of items, because the child may dust slowly and complete dust less items during the amount of time.
19. What is a VI schedule?
A reinforcer is presented following the first instance of a specific response after an interval of time, and the length of the interval changes unpredictably from one reinforcer to the next. It's a response reinforced after unpredictable intervals of time. Eg. Checking email.
21. Explain what an FR/LH schedule is, and illustrate with an example from every day life that isn't in this chapter
A schedule with a fixed ratio (reinforcer occurs each time a fixed number of responses of a particular type are emitted) and limited hold (a deadline for meeting the response requirement of a schedule of reinforcement) Example: If Jessica makes 3 bracelets in 15 minutes, she gets a cookie. This is FR 3/LH 15minutes
31. Explain what a VD schedule is, and illustrate with an example of one from everyday life that isn't from this chapter.
A variable-duration schedule has a reinforcer presented only if a behavior occurs continuously for a fixed period of time and the interval of time from reinforcer to reinforcer changes unpredictably. The mean interval is specified in the designation of the VD schedule. Example: Rowing a boat from one end of a lake to the other on a day with no wind or current. The person must row consistently to reach their destination.
24. Explain what a VI/LH schedule is? Illustrate with two examples from everyday life atleast 1 not in this chapter.
A variable-interval schedule (a reinforcer is presented following the first instance of a specific response after an interval of time, and the length of the interval changes unpredictably from one reinforcer to the next) with a limited hold (a deadline for meeting the response requirement of a schedule of reinforcement). Example 1: The Timer Game: A timer was purchased which could be set to make a ding noise at any time interval between one to thirty minutes. Everytime the timer made a ding noise, if they were playing nicely they would get 5 extra minutes of t.v. Since they had to be cooperative the instant the alarm went off, they limited hold was 0 seconds. So it was VI 30/LH 0 seconds. Example 2: Pancakes need to be flipped, at some point between 3-8 minutes, with the average time being 5 minutes. Once they're ready to be flipped, you must do so within 20 seconds, or they will burn. This is VI 5 minutes/ LH 20 seconds.
18. Suppose that a professor gives an exam to students every Friday. The students' studying behavior would likely resemble the characteristic pattern of an FI schedule in that studying would gradually increase as Friday approaches, and the students would show a break in studying (similar to a lengthy postreinforcement pause) after each exam. But this isn't an example of an FI schedule for studying. Explain why.
Because The students must make more than one study response in order to receive a good grade, and responding before the interval does affect the result as it contributes to a good grade.
10. What is a ratio strain?
Deterioration of responding from increasing an FR schedule to rapidly.
14. Illustrate with two examples of how FR or VR might be applied in training programs (by training program, we refer to any situation in which someone deliberately uses behavior principles to increase and maintain someone else's beahviour, such as parents to influence a child's behavior, a teacher to influence student's behavior, etc.) Do your examples involve a free-operant or discrete-trials procedure?
Example 1: Jennifer's parents want her to do her chore of mowing the lawn, so they give her $10 once she has mowed the lawn 3 times. This is FR 3, and a discrete-trial procedure. Example 2: Jake had hand surgery and is now learning how to use his hand again. To help him gain use of his fingers again, he is to turn the knob on a gumball machine. On average, 1 in 10 gumballs in the machine are black, and the black gumball gets him a toy. This is VR 10, and free-operant.
30. Give two examples of how FD might be applied in training programs
Example 1: Some children with developmental do not make eye contact with others, and when adults try to initiate it, they quickly avert their eyes. FD may be used to increase eye contact by reinforcing after a certain amount of time of maintaining eye contact. Example 2: A teacher trying to teach a child piano may inforce this to increase the amount of time practicing by giving reinforcement after a certain amount of time that the child plays the piano.
25. Give two examples of how VI/LH might be applied in training programs
Example 1: The timer game in classrooms. If children are working quietly when the timer goes off they get extra free time. VI 30 minutes/LH 0 seconds. Example 2: To train children to pay attention during lectures, a teacher holds up a green cue card at random times during the 30 minute class lecture, average once every 10 minutes. When she does so, the children have 5 minutes to write down the word she said as she held up the card. This is VI 10minutes /LH 5 minutes.
1 (B). Who wrote the classic authoritative work on schedules of reinforcement and what is the title of that book?
Fester and Skinner Schedules of Reinforcement
27. Explain what an FD schedule is. Illustrate with two examples of FD schedules that occur in everyday life (with atleast one not in this chapter)
Fixed duration schedule: Reinforcer is presented only if a behavior occurs continuously for a fixed period of time. The value is the amount of time that the behavior must be engaged in continuously before reinforcement occurs. Example 1: Melting solder-one must hold the tip of the soldering iron for a continuous amount of time, if it's removed too quickly, it will cool too quickly. Example 2: John must stay in the plank position for 1 full minute to pass his gym class.
16. What is an FI schedule?
Fixed-interval schedule, a reinforcer is presented following the first instance of a specific response after a fixed period of time. The only requirement for a reinforcer to occur is that the individual engage in the behavior after reinforcement has become available because of the passage of time. The FI size is the amount of time that must elapse before reinforcement becomes available. Eg. PVR-ing a show
2 (B) What may account for the failures to obtain the schedule effects in basic research with humans that are typically found in basic research with animals
Humans have complex verbal behaviours which is emitted and responded to. Humans can verbalize rules that may influence them to show different behavior patterns than animals show when exposed to various reinforcement schedules. Humans may make statements to themselves about the schedule of reinforcement in effect and respond to them rather than the actual schedule.
15. Explain what a PR schedule is and how PR has been mainly used in applied settings.
It is like a FR schedule, but the ratio requirement increases by a speficiied amount after each reinforcement. At the beginning of each session the ratio requirement starts back at its original value, and after a number of sessions, it the ratio requirement reaches a level called the break point where the individual stops responding completely. The main application of PR is to determine how potent, powerful or effective a reinforcer is for a particular person. The higher the break point, the more effective the reinforcer is in the treatment program.
23. Describe how an FI/LH schedule is procedurally similar to a simple FI schedule. Describe how it procedurally differs.
Similar: The reinforcer appears only after a fixed period of time. Different: Unlike in simple FI, in FI/LH There is a limited period of time after the fixed period of time when the response must be performed in order to get the reinforcement.
12. Describe how a VR schedule is similar procedurally to an FR schedule. Describe how it's different procedurally.
Similar: a) Causes a high, steady rate of responding, b) a fixed number of responses of a particular type are emitted. Different: In VR, the number of responses required for each reinforcer changes unpredictabily from one reinforcer to the next. In FR, the number of responses needed for reinforcement is fixed.
3 (B) Describe how FR schedules may be involved in writing a novel
Some novelists stop writing immediately after completing each chapter of a book, after a brief pause of a day or so they resume writing at a high rate, which was maintained until the next chapter is completed. Longer pauses typically occurred after a draft of a manuscript was completed. One may argue completed chapters and drafts are reinforcers for novel writing that occur according to FR schedules.
29. Explain why FD might not be a very good schedule for reinforcing study behavior
The behavior must be a behavior that is easily measured continuously and reinforced on the basis of its duration. With studying, it is hard to measure how long the person is studying, vs how long they are doing something else, like daydreaming, texting, or reading a book instead of studying.
34. Describe how intermittent reinforcement works against those who are ignorant of its effects. Give an example.
They may be unaware that behavior may get worse before getting better, so they give into the behavior. This may cause a VR or VD schedule of reinforcement for undesirable beahviour.
36. In general, which schedules tend to produce higher resistance to extinction (RTE), the fixed or variable schedules?
Variable Schedules
32. What are concurrent schedules of reinforcement? Give an example
When each of two or more behaviours is reinforced on different schedule sat the same time, the schedules of reinforcement that are in effect are called concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Example: A person at home in the evening may have the choice of studying or watching TV.
11. What is a VR schedule? Illustrate with 2 examples of VR schedules in everyday life. Do your examples involve a free-operant procedure or discrete-trial procedure.
a reinforcer occurs after a certain number of a particular response and the number of responses required for each reinforcer changes unpredictably from one reinforcer to the next. Ex. Over a period of several months, a door-to-door salesperson averages one sale every 10 houses. Sometimes a salesperson makes a sale after calling on 5 houses, sometimes 15, sometimes 10, etc. Over 7 months, a mean of 10 house calls is required to produce reinforcement. Abbreviated VR 10. This is a free-operant procedure. A gambler using a slot-machine has no way of predicting how many time they must put money in the machine before they will win. It could be 10 times it could be 20, etc. If a gambler over the span of a day averaged about 13 times, it would be abbreviated VR13. This is a free-operant procedure.
6. Explain what a FR schedule is. Illustrate with 2 examples of FR schedules in everyday life.
a reinforcer occurs each time a fixed number of responses of a particular type are emitted. Ex. Jan completed 2 problems correctly (F2), the behaviour modifier responded with GOOD WORK. Later she had to solve 4 problems (F4). Finally she had to make 16 correct responses (F16) to receive praise.
26. For each of the photos, identify the schedule of reinforcement that appears to be operating.
a) After an unpredictable amount of time, one gets their luggage. This is variable-interval schedule b) After a fixed number of stacking pieces on a pegboard all the pieces will be stacked. This is a fixed-ratio schedule c) After a fixed period of time of being in the dryer, the clothes come out dry. This is a fixed-interval schedule d) Enjoyable scene occurs on t.v. unpredictably and lasts briefly. This is variable interval schedule with a limited hold.
17. What are two questions to ask when judging whether a behavior is reinforced on an FI schedule? What answers to those questions would indicate that the behavior is reinforced on an FI schedule?
a) Does reinforcement require only one response after a fixed interval of time? Answer: Yes. b) Does responding during the interval affect anything? Answer: No.
20. Explain why simple interval schedules aren't often used in training programs
a) FI procedures produce long postreinforcement pauses b) Though VI doesn't produce long postreinforcement pauses, it generates lower response rates than ratio schedules do c) Simple interval schedules require continuous monitoring of behavior after the end of each interval until a response occurs.
35. Name six schedules of reinforcement commonly used to develop beahviour persistent
a) Fixed Ratio b) Variable Ratio c) Fixed interval with limited hold d) Variable interval with limited hold e) Fixed duration f) Variable duration
28. Suppose each time you put bread in the toaster and press the lever, 30 seconds passes before your toast is ready. Is this an example of an FD schedule? Why or why not? Would it be an FD schedule if a) the catch that keeps the lever down doesn't work. b) The timer that releases it doesn't work. Explain in each case. No, it is a fixed-interval schedule. After the first response (pressing down the lever), you wait a specific time after which the reinforcer is presented.
a) If the catch that holds the lever down is broken, then you must manually hold down the level continuously for 30 seconds, so this is a FD schedule. b) If the timer isn't working, it would be
13. What are three characteristic effects of a VR schedule?
a) Produces a consistent response rate b) The bigger the ratio, the higher the response rate c) A post-reinforcement pause is often not observed, because they can't predict when the next reinforcement will occur.
5. Describe 4 advantages of intermittent reinforcement over CRF for maintaining behaviour.
a) The reinforcer remains effective longer because satiation takes place more slowly; b) behaviour that has been reinforced intermittently tends to take longer to extinguish; c) individuals work more consistently on certain intermittent schedules; d) behaviour that has been reinforced intermittently is more likely to persist after being transferred to reinforces in the natural environment.
33. If an individual has an option of engaging in two or more behaviours that are reinforced on different schedules by different reinforcers, what four factors in combination are likely to determine the response that the person will make?
a) The types of schedules that are operating. b) The immediacy of reinforcement c) The magnitude of reinforcement d) The response effort involved in the different options.
3. Define and give an example of schedule of reinforcement.
is a rule specifying which occurrences of a given behaviour, if any, will be reinforced. Ex. set of rules that a teacher will follow when delivering reinforcers (e.g. tokens) The "rules" might state that reinforcement is given after every correct response to a question; or when a certain amount of time has elapsed.
1. Define and give an example of intermittent reinforcement
is an arrangement in which a behaviour is positively reinforced only occasionally rather than every time it occurs. Ex. Susie's whining was rather occasionally, following several instances of it.
7. What is a free-operant procedure? Give an example.
is one in which the individual is "free" to respond at various rates in the sense that there are no constraints on successive responses. Ex. If Jan had been given a worksheet containing 12 math problems to solve, she could have worked at a rate of one problem per minute, or a rate of 3 per one minute, or some other rate.
8. What is a discrete-trials procedure? Give an example.
the individual is "not free" to respond at whatever rate he chooses because the environment places limits on the availability of the response opportunities. Ex. A parent told a teenager "You can use the family car after you have helped do the dishes following 3 evening meals."
2. Define and give an example of response rate.
the number of instances of a behaviour that occur in a given period of time. Ex. A cild in a classroom is constantly raising her hand and snapping her fingers to gain the teacher's attention. A teacher who keeps track of the frequency of finger snapping for a while and then introduces operant extinction would probably observe an increase in finger snapping during the first few minutes of extinction before the behaviour gradually began to taper off.
