RewardPunishment

Reinforcement/Punishment

Four Possible Consequences There are four possible consequences to any behavior. They are: Something Good can start or be presented PR; Something Good can end or be taken away NP; Something Bad can start or be presented PP; Something Bad can end or be taken away NR.

Something Good can start or be presented, so behavior increases = Positive Reinforcement (R+) Something Good can end or be taken away, so behavior decreases = Negative Punishment (P-) Something Bad can start or be presented, so behavior decreases = Positive Punishment (P+) Something Bad can end or be taken away, so behavior increases = Negative Reinforcement (R-)

Negative reinforcement – Active Avoidance

Dennis says it all…….. Dennis, if you don’t stop bothering Mr. Wilson, you can’t listen to MTV=NP

HOW COMPLEX BEHAVIORS ARE LEARNED Successive approximation/shaping = reinforcing behaviors as they come to approximate the desired behavior Superstitious Behavior = when persistent behaviors are reinforced coincidentally rather than functionally

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Prevent a dog from escaping electric shocks, and it will stop trying to get away. Applications for abused women and children

Learned Helplessness Paradigm Seligman “Triadic” Design Group A: Escapable Shock Group B: Yoked Inescapable Shock Group C: Exposure to apparatus only Phase 1Phase 2 Escape/Avoidance training (For Group A shock can be terminated by rotating a wheel.)

Learned Helplessness – Seligman, Peterson, et al. Dogs exposed to unavoidable shocks Following exposure, when placed in a situation where they can now jump to avoid the shock, they fail to make the escape response. Learned helplessness occurs when one perceives that one’s actions (e.g., working hard) does not lead to the expected outcome (e.g., high grade).

Possible Explanations Learned Helplessness: Organisms learn that their behavior is ineffectual Poverty of activity: inescapable shock reduces the variability in behavior that is so crucial for operant conditioning Inattention: animals stop attending to their own behavior

Battered Spouse Syndrome Learned helplessness Victim Mentality Increased dependency on abuser

Psychological: Behavioral Results Learned Helplessness: Seligman’s experiments with rats and dogs Learned helplessness in humans linked with attributions of a lack of control after experiences of being in an impotent position Environment which lacks positive reinforcement > reduction in activities and withdrawal

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (1956, 1976, 1985) P Alarm Reaction Fight or flight Resistance Arousal high as body tries defend and adapt. Exhaustion Limited physical resources; resistance to disease collapses; death If stress continues ….

Fixed Variable RatioInterval