Developing New Behavior Week 9

Non Contingent Reinforcement Potency (e.g. amount/quality) of “R+” Include Extinction Vary “Reinforcement”

Behavioral Momentum High Probability requests Resistance to extinction

Functional Communication Training Differential Reinforcement Look/ Watch me

Imitation Any physical functioning as “model” (e.g. antecedent) Immediate imitative behavior follows model – 5 seconds Both model and behavior must be similar – Must “do the same” Model must be controlling variable – “Doing the same is not enough”

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximations to the target response while extinguishing preceding approximations. √ Does not have to be done in an exact way This concept requires understanding of Reinforcement, extinction, and Differential Reinforcement.

Terms Terminal Behavior: The final goal of an intervention Operant Level: Frequency of responding before reinforcement Initial Behavior: Some behavior that resembles the terminal behavior in some way. Intermediate behaviors: Those behaviors that more closely approximate the target responses.

Enhancing Shaping: Prompting & Fading Add an SD Physical Guidance Imitative response (Model) – These are all prompts that must be faded

Lookin’ for a volunteer Who wants to shape up their behavior?

Chaining √ Must be done in a general stepwise format e. g. making a sandwich √ Each response serves a dual function – Signal for next response – Reinforcer for completion of the previous response.

Methods of Chaining Forward – R1 R1 R1 – R2 R2 R2 etc. Total-Task – R1 R2 R3 etc. – Provide help when needed – Stop when criterion met (3 times with no help?) Backward – Start with final link – With leap ahead…

Task Analysis Breaking a behavioral chain into its smaller responses. Extent to which you are successful with teaching new behaviors from a chaining perspective is directly related to your ability to do a good task analysis.

Time to make a chain Do a task analysis for making an omelet Do a task analysis for a chain of responses that you consider yourself an expert in that perhaps no one else in the class is.

Chaining Assessment Single Opportunity – Measurement of all steps in correct sequence – Quick to conduct – More conservative – Tells little information Multiple-Opportunity – Measurement of each link

Stimulus Discrimination and Stimulus Generalization

3 Types of Stimuli Discriminative Stimulus: Reinforcement is available (SD) Neutral Stimulus: No reinforcement or punishment is available (SΔ ) Warning Stimulus: Punishments is available

Discrimination Training Learning when to behave and when not to behave Reinforcing a response in presence of one stimulus but not another e. g. Colors

Color Discrimination

What about you? When have you engaged in stimulus discrimination today?

Stimulus Control Degree of correlation between stimulus and response Degree to which a behavior occurs in presence of a specific stimulus – e.g. Traffic light Stimulus Generalization Gradient: Probability of response reinforced in one stimulus condition are emitted in the presence of untrained stimuli.

Color Discrimination Revisited

What about you? What behaviors do you have that are under stimulus control?

Let’s discriminate Learning an Alien Language

Effective discrimination training Choose distinct signals Minimize opportunities for error – Minimize stimulus array Maximize Number of learning trials Make use of rules

Stimulus Generalization Responding similarly across two or more stimuli √ The more the stimuli are alike the more likely the response to take place e.g. finding your car

What about you? What behaviors/responses do you generalize across settings? Can that response always be generalized? Should that response always be generalized?

Classes of Stimuli Stimulus Class: Set of stimuli with similar characteristics in common AKA: Concept Equivalence Class: Set of stimuli with different characteristics, but represent the same thing e.g. Written name, verbal name, picture of person

Inducing Stimuli Classes √ Explicit training is not necessarily needed to induce stimulus control across stimuli Symmetry: A = B Reflexivity: A = A Transivity: A = B; B = C; A = C

Discriminating discrimination among other discriminative stimuli Stimulus discrimination and escape e.g. hailing a taxi out in the cold: Must have no patrons in it. Stimulus discrimination and punishment e.g. Boiling pan: Do not touch or you get burned.

Stimulus Discrimination and Differential Reinforcement DR- 2 responses (right way and wrong way)and 1 stimulus e.g. Asking mom for money SD- Two stimuli (Right signal wrong Signal) and 1 response e.g. Asking mom OR dad for money?

Requirements for stimulus control Attention of the subject Sensory capabilities of the subject The stimulus must stand out relative to other stimuli.

Generalization Part 2 Response Generalization Behavior becomes more probable in the presence of a stimulus as a result of another behavior that was reinforced in the presences of that stimulus√ Do not confuse with stimulus generalization e.g. Behavioral Momentum: Compliance high p e.g. Computer vs. worksheet vs. flashcards

How to get response generalization to occur Train sufficient response exemplars: e.g. Plurals Vary the acceptable responses during training: – Only reinforce less probable responses Program Common Stimuli Train Loosely – Just mixing it up Teach Behavior to Required Levels Program Indiscriminable contingencies √ Make use of rules to speed it up

Your turn Each of you write down an example of how response generalization has occurred with your behavior.

Maintenance (i.e. “Memory”) Continuing performance after it was first established Behavior Trap: Built in reinforcers take control of artificially delivered reinforcers Perpetual Performance Contracting does not exist

Verbal Behavior A response reinforced by another person’s response. 6 “Verbal Operants” – Mands: Asking Only type that benefits speaker (Remember MO) – Tacts: Naming – Echoic: Repeating back – Intraverbal: Answer questions – Textual: Reading – Transcription: Writing