Z Behavior Modification Ch. 6 Decreasing a Behavior with Operant Extinction
6 Common Misconceptions About Extinction
It is not just ignoring the behavior, it will only work if the the reinforcement maintaining the behavior is attacked but it will not work if the reinforcement is something else and has been misidentified. If a child runs from the table and won't eat their vegetables in the end the child has to eat the vegetables, in the end nothing else works.
6. The Principle of Operant Extinction
The principle of operant extinction states two things which sound to me a great deal like one thing: 1. if an individual emits a previously reinforced behavior and that behavior is not followed by a reinforcer 2. then the person is less likely to repeat the behavior when presented with the same stimulus So if you stop reinforcing a behavior its frequency will decrease. The non-reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior leads to a decrease in that behavior occurring in that context.
6 Difference Between Punishment and Extinction
Two differences: 1. With extinction that decreases the behavior is more gradual. 2. often when you stop the reinforcement from occurring the behavior increases before it goes down
6 Guidelines for the Effective Application of Operant Conditioning
1. Selecting the behavior to be decreased: a) choose a specific behavior to modify, trying to eliminate trouble-making won't succeed if it manifests in more than one way, trying to eliminate finger snapping is more likely to succeed b) remember that the behavior will often get worse before it gets better 2. Preliminary Considerations a) before begin extinction, record how frequent the behavior is b) try to identify the current reinforcement so that it can be withheld during extinction, this may give a clue to how long the extinction may take c) identify a desirable alternative behavior in which the individual can engage d) identify reinforcement that will reinforce the desired behavior e) select a good setting in which to do the work f) ensure that all stakeholders that may impact the BM are informed of the nature of the intervention 3. Implementing the Plan a) tell the individual about the plan b) follow the rules of positive reinforcement of the desired behavior (if that is part of the program) c) once the program begins, be completely consistent in withholding reinforcement for the undesired behavior and providing reinforcement for the desired behavior 4. Weaning the student from the program a) there will be relapses so expect them b) if the extinction program fails here are three possible reasons why 1. you misidentified the reinforcer and it is still maintaining the behavior 2. there is intermittent reinforcement of the undesired behavior from another source 3. the new behavior has not been strengthened enough c) regarding the reinforcement of the desired behavior, refer to earlier guidelines for weaning the child from the program
6 Factors Involving the Effectiveness of Operant Extinction 3-4
3. Control the Setting in Which Extinction Is Carried Out One reason to change the setting is to control access so that third parties don't unknowingly reinforce the behavior you are trying to decrease. Also, it may be impossible or troublesome to carry out extinction activities in the setting in which they occur. Dealing with tantrums in public places for example. You do not want to be some place where third parties may reinforce the problem behavior. You: a) want to minimize the influence of alternative reinforcements reinforcing the behavior you are trying to extinguish b) maximize the chances that the person doing the behavior modification will continue with the course of treatment, something that is less likely if it must be done in public in front of disapproving eyes, stores are bad places as there are too many people around who might reinforce the behavior 4. Use Instructions or Rules Even if the person whose behavior is to be modified does not understand the principles of behavior modification give clear instructions saying "if you do X, Y will no longer happen" may speed the course of treatment. In the earlier example of the husband and wife if the wife responds to a complaint about the traffic by saying "dear, I love to talk to you, but I don't like listening to complaints about traffic, I'm just going to ignore you if you bring it up," this will speed up extinction. (I think it will speed up divorce)
6 Factors Involving the Effectiveness of Operant Extinction 5-6
5. The Schedule of Reinforcement before Extinction is Carried Out Continuous reinforcement is a reinforcement schedule where every instance of a behavior is reinforced. Intermittent reinforcement is a schedule where the reinforcement only occasionally. The ease at which a behavior can be extinguished depends in part on what behavior was used. This is called Humphrey's Paradox. Behaviors that were continuously reinforced are easier to extinguish than behaviors which were intermittently reinforced. If a behavior extinguishes slowly it is said to be resistant to extinction. Why is this so? It is easier for the subject to discriminate that the contingency of reinforcement has changed Resistance in extinction = persistence in extinction = index of the strength of the behavior. 6. Behavior Being Extinguished May Get Worse before It Gets Better The behavior being modified may actually increase in the initial stages of modification. This is called an extinction burst and results because when the subject's behavior fails to elicit the expected response they will repeat the behavior several times in quick succession. So, if at the first of our extinction program we find we are increasing the behavior it is important to stay the course because the increase is just temporary. However, there are situations - including Self Injurious Behavior - where extinction bursts may be harmful. If you were trying to reduce head banging then you do not want to embark on a regimen that increases it in anyway because the consequences could be negative and irreversible. Safety equipment such as a helmet would be used in a situation like that. .
6 Factors Involving the Effectiveness of Operant Extinction 7-8
7. Extinction May Produce Aggression That Interferes with the Program (must know point) Removal of the conditioned response can induce frustration in the subject which may manifest as anger. The reinforcement they expected is not forthcoming. This anger can manifest itself as aggression toward people and things in the context and is called elicited aggression. In studies of self-injurious behavior aggression was seen in nearly half the cases where extinction was the sole intervention. With time it will disappear. Using positive reinforcement for alternative behavior has been shown to lessen this effect. Or the extinction could be done in a less fragile environment, one with no objects subject to easy breaking or having the modifier where protective clothing. 8. Spontaneous Recovery: Reappearance of an Extinguished Behavior after a Delay The reappearance of an extinguished behavior may appear after a break. This is called spontaneous recovery. In the example in the book the length of time the behavior was extinguished is very brief. Usually the amount of behavior that is recovered is less than the original baseline level. This can be dealt with by further extinction sessions which may only temporarily extinguish the target behavior but if it does return it will be at a lower level of intensity. .
6 Factors Involving the Effectiveness of Operant Extinction 1-2
Extinction will only work if you have correctly identified the reinforcer. 1. Control of the reinforcers for the behavior that is to be decreased. You must be certain that you are in control of the reinforcement maintaining the behavior and that no one else is maintaining it. It was believed that one cause of bullying was the attention and approval bullies received from onlookers. So a system was developed to encourage students to follow a three step procedure when they witnesses or became involved in disrespectful behavior. a) recognize it a case of disrespect b) say "stop" while holding up a hand following an instance of disrespect c) walk away, onlookers were encouraged to do the same or to escort the 'victim' away The disrespectful behavior of six disrespectful students at three schools was monitored before and after and this intervention reduced the bullying activity in all six. Well-intentioned people may undermine your work by presenting reinforcement. If parents withhold treats but grandma doesn't her kindness may undo the efforts at extinction by reinforcing the undesired behavior. It is also important (I would say crucial) that the reinforcement that you are withholding is the one that actually maintains the behavior. You must make sure that you are in control of the reinforcement maintaining the behavior and that no one else is maintaining the behavior. 2. Combining Extinction with Positive Reinforcement for an Alternative Behavior Operant extinction/extinction is most effective when combined with positive reinforcement for the desired behavior. In general this works more quickly that extinction alone. It is important not to present the supporting reinforcement immediately after the cessation of the problematic behavior as it may become associated with the undesired behavior and serve as a reinforcer for it rather than for the new desired behavior. Gradually the length of time between the desired behavior and the reinforcement can be lengthened but this should be done gradually. So ignoring crying should be supplemented with later praise for not crying. This approach is open to criticism that it withholds comfort in a time of need but if the behavior is mere attention seeking it is not need. However, care must be taken to ensure that the behavior you wish to decrease really should be decreased before embarking on a course of treatment. It is always best to combine reinforcement for the desired behavior as well as working for extinction of the target behavior. .
6 Extinction with Positive and Negative Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement: here extinction involves preventing avoidance or escape from an adverse stimulus (the adverse stimulus is no longer removed by behavior) For example if a child doesn't want to go to school and has a tantrum each time if the parent brings them home that reinforces the behavior. The child has to be delivered to the classroom and left there. Ex. 2 1. Child is aggressive to avoid a task 2. Caregiver stops asking child to do the task effectively removing the task 3. This negatively reinforces the task 4. so the demand to do the task must be left in place An Escape Response is one that gets you out of doing a task. So you temporarily remove the aggressive stimulus with a neutral response and you try to elicit a positive response. Then start with small amounts of work and increase over time. .
6 Difference between Respondent Extinction and Extinction.
The first is a decrease in a conditioned response due to a CS no longer being followed by an US, whereas extinction is a decrease in an operant response due to it no longer being reinforced. In our text the term extinction is used to refer to operant extinction. The text gives several examples of operant extinction following undesirable behavior. 1. A child is lying in its bed and wants attention. It begins to make loud noises. The parents ignore the child. The child will be less likely to make noises in future situations that are similar. 2. A husband comes home from work. He complains to his wife about the traffic. She continues making supper while ignoring the comment. The unproductive complaining is less likely to occur in the future. Operant extinction is just one of several possible causes of decreases in operant behavior. For example, if parents want to decrease their child's swearing yell "stop that!" after every instance it will decrease the swearing but this is not extinction it is the use of a punisher. Or if they deducted a quarter from the child's allowance every time they swore, this might also eliminate swearing but would not be extinction but something called response cost punishment. Behavior can also be reduced by forgetting which is a function of time as the gap between the last occurrence and the next occurrence. The more it lengthens the greater the chances of forgetting. Each of these examples differs from operant extinction or extinction because none involve the non-reinforcing/lapsed reinforcement of a behavior. .
Habit Reversal
This is a procedure to decrease a behavior that does not rely on providing or withdrawing reinforcement. It is implemented by the target person and useful for motor tics, stuttering, habits like nail biting and hair twirling. Combines three methods: 1. Awareness training: the person is taught to describe problem behavior and to watch for it when it occurs or is about to occur 2. Competing Response Practice: person engages in a response opposite the target behavior for 1-3 minutes when they notice the behavior about to begin 3. Social Support: family and friends frequently with the person point out when the behavior is occurring/about to occur and prompt the use of the competing response and improvements in frequency of the behavior. .
6 Pitfalls of Operant Extinction
Unaware Misapplication Pitfall Like the law of gravity, laws of reinforcement and the principle of operant conditioning work whether we are aware of them or not. Unknowingly, you may change behavior of friends or coworkers. For example: 1. You ask a friend to call. 2. The friend calls but you don't return the call. 3. The friend will be less likely to call in the future. Partial-Knowledge Pitfall People don't always know the proper techniques of BM and can unwittingly undo the work of others. Modified behavior should be reinforced occasionally and a person who thinks, 'oh that's working well on its own,' and is unaware that the good behavior they are witnessing is really modified undesired behavior, they may fail to reinforce it. It is important to reinforce desired behavior. .
