POB 2 2

An athlete's contract specifies salary increases to be renegotiated every three years

FI

While caring for a friend's dog, you notice that it displays a fear-like posture as you roll up a newspaper. You try this several times more and become convinced that this dog is generally afraid of rolled up newspapers.

Dogs are often disciplined by being swatted (the US) with rolled up newspapers, magazines, and such (the CS). Fear is a natural response to being hit (the UR) and an acquired response (CR) to the sight of such objects.

Checking the mail, assuming the mail carrier comes at the same time every day

FI

Checking the refrigerator to see if the jello is ready

FI

Getting a paycheck every other week

FI

Looking at your watch during a lecture until the end of the lecture

FI

A factory worker being paid on piece work

FR

A salesperson getting paid on commission

FR

A worker receiving $1 for every 100 envelopes stuffed and sealed

FR

Joan, an animal trainer, has been phobic about monkeys since an earlier attack. However, because of the money, she has agreed to work with monkeys for a movie studio. At first, just going anywhere near cages makes Joan tense, sweaty, and apprehensive. Lately, though, things have changed. Working with such cuddly, affectionate, human-like creatures is causing Joan to wonder why she ever felt such extreme distress.

Joan has been attacked (the US) by monkeys (the CS) in the past. Fear of monkeys (the CR) is an acquired response and fear of attacks (the UR) is more reflexive. Extinction is occurring as contact continues without further incident; that is, presenting the CS (monkeys) without the US (pain from the attack). Moreover, a bit of counterconditioning is also taking place as the cuddly, affectionate monkeys elicit feelings incompatible with fear.

A child snapping her fingers until her teacher calls on her

NR

A defendant being harassed and tortured until he confesses

NR

A parent nagging a child to clean up her room

NR

A rat pressing a lever to terminate a shock or a loud tone

NR

Grounding a teenager until his or her homework is finished

NR

A hospital patient being allowed extra visiting time after eating a complete meal

PR

A mother smiling when her child utters "Mama"

PR

A professor giving extra credit to students with perfect attendance

PR

A woman watching a football game offers her child candy to play quietly

PR

A young child receiving $5 for earning good grades in school

PR

Employee of the month getting a reserved parking space

PR

Police pulling drivers over and giving prizes for buckling up

PR

Receiving a city utility discount for participating in a recycling program

PR

A child being put into "time out" for misbehaving

PUN

A dog being banished to his doghouse after soiling the living room carpet

PUN

A prisoner losing TV privileges for one week for a rule violation

PUN

Early in their relationship, the mere sight of Donna excited Jack. This gradually died out, however, as Donna behaved tolerantly but indifferently. When the relationship ended, Jack was bored with Donna and didn't even think about her for the next year. Now, he was surprised at how excited he was becoming as he saw Donna through the window of a bus.

The sight of Donna (CS) elicits romantic excitement (CR). The response was extinguished when Donna failed to stimulate her partner (the US). The reaction one year later suggests spontaneous recovery—the reappearance of the conditioned response after an apparent extinction.

Bill couldn't ever remember being so sick and nauseated. He would never go to that restaurant again, and he would never again eat chicken. All he could think about was the good dinner his mother would prepare for his homecoming. As he entered the kitchen, be became flushed and felt nauseated when he saw the golden brown turkey sitting on the table.

The turkey is the source of the CS; the appearance, smell, and taste of turkey, and also the US, the contamination. The nausea pattern is naturally elicited by contaminated foodstuffs (UR) and is an acquired response to specific foods (CR). In the example, stimulus generalization is taking place.

When Trudy was four, Trudy did not have any particular reaction to, or interest in, yardsticks. From the time she was five, until she was eight, Trudy's parents beat her with a yardstick. Trudy was very upset every time she was beaten. Now Trudy becomes very upset every time she sees a yardstick. US= CS= UR= CR=

US= beating UR= upset CS= yardstick CR= upset

A person refraining from drugs for fear of random drug testing

VI

Calling a friend and getting a busy signal because he or she is frequently on the phone

VI

It is summer time. Sarah and Jeremy are in love. They enjoy being together and are thoroughly relaxed and content in each other's presence. The hit song that summer is "Buckets of Love" and they hear that song a lot when they are together. At the end of the summer, they have to return to their separate colleges, which are quite far apart. That fall, every time Sarah hears the tune "Buckets of Love," she experiences the same feelings of relaxation and contentment that she felt when she was with Jeremy.

classical conditioning

Until she was eight, Barbara liked cats. When she was eight, she was bitten through the hand by a cat as she tried to get it out from under a bed. This was an upsetting experience. Since that time, Barbara experiences anxiety whenever she is near a cat.

classical conditioning

Robert puts $0.85 in the Coke machine to buy his daily Coke. Today, nothing comes out, and he does not get his money back. Robert does not put any more money in the machine.

extinction

Scott, age six, has difficulty in reaching clothes hanging from the clothes bar in his closet because the clothes bar is too high. He figures out that if hangers simply had longer necks, he would be able to manage with the clothes bar at the current height. Working with his father, he creates a set of long-necked hangers and enters them in the "Invent America" contest at his school.

insight

The smoke detector in Jesse's house is low on batteries. It emits an annoying chirp every few seconds. Jesse installs a new battery so it will stop making that noise.

negative reinforcement

Susie is a four-year-old child. One day she watches her mother vacuum the living room. Her mother comments to Susie, "Doesn't the living room look nice now that I've cleaned it?" The next day, her mother finds Susie "vacuuming" the living room with her toy vacuum.

observational learning

You are thinking of asking the teacher for an extension on your paper. Just as you are about to go up to the teacher, another student approaches the teacher with the same request. The teacher appears angry, and very loudly and rudely turns down the student's request for an extension. You decide not to ask for an extension.

observational learning

Alison, age four, needs to learn to speak up louder in class. Her parents and teacher agree that whenever Alison speaks up loudly in class, she will get a star on her chart. Whenever she accumulates 25 stars, she will get to go to Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. Alison starts speaking up in class more frequently.

operant conditioning

Tom is hammering nails into planks to build a fence. He experiments with holding the nail a different way and immediately hits his thumb with the hammer. OUCH! He continues his work, but he never holds the nail that way again.

operant conditioning

Jeff is diligently working on an art project at school. His teacher notices how nicely he is working and praises him loudly for his efforts. Jeff immediately seems less interested working on his project. The teacher praises the little bits he completes as time goes on, and Jeff stops working on the art project entirely.

punishment

Jeff is playing with his food at the dinner table. His mother tells him to stop playing with his food. When he does not stop, she takes his food away, leaving Jeff hungry all night. Jeff never plays with his food again.

punishment

Collecting bottles, cans, or other recyclables for cash

FR

Frequent flyer program: receiving rewards after flying X amount of miles

FR

Signaling with your thumb while hitchhiking

VR

Slot machines at gambling casinos

VR

A soccer player rolling her eyes at a teammate who delivered a bad pass

PUN

At a party, a husband becoming sullen when his wife flirts with a colleague

PUN

Scolding a child for playing in the street

PUN

Suspending a basketball player for committing a flagrant foul

PUN

At a red light, Bob and Fred automatically tensed and felt chills when they heard the screech of tires behind them. Later, while watching a car race, Bob remarked how the screeching of tires was having little effect then. Fred agreed and wondered why they reacted at all, because neither had as much as a dent on his driving record.

Screeching tires (CS) often cause people to tense up and flinch (CR). The lack of this response during a car race suggests that stimulus discrimination may be present. Because neither person has had an accident, higher-order conditioning may account for their learning. Specifically, screeching tires (CS) often give rise to mental images of accidents. These mental images are already established CSs, providing the basis for the CS-CS pairing.

Art goes to a meeting in New Orleans and tries some oysters at the oyster bar. He likes the taste and eats quite a few. Soon he becomes very ill with an upset stomach. Now, even the thought of oysters makes him nauseous. US= CS= UR= CR=

US= eating oysters UR= nausea CS= thinking of oysters CR= nausea

Calling the mechanic to find out if your car is fixed yet

VI

Pop quizzes

VI

Watching for shooting stars

VI

Buying lottery tickets

VR

Fly fishing: casting and reeling back several times before catching a fish

VR

Playing Bingo

VR

Dr. Smith, a Doe College instructor, is having difficulty getting students to turn in papers. Previously, he had not assigned credit for homework; rather, he had simply assumed that students would do it for the practice. Dr. Smith establishes a policy that all students who turn in papers will get full credit for their work. Students now turn in papers much more often.

positive reinforcement

Jeff is playing with his food at the dinner table while his parents are trying to carry on an adult conversation. When his mother notices what Jeff is doing, she stops talking with her husband and directs her attention to Jeff. She yells at him to stop playing with his food, and says that playing with his food is a horrible and disgusting habit. Jeff plays with his food again several times during that meal, and even more frequently the next night.

positive reinforcement