PENALTY Chapter 5

PENALTY CONTINGENCY The immediate, response-contingent REMOVAL of a REINFORCER resulting in a decreased frequency of that response BEFORE BEHAVIOR AFTER

Penalty Contingencies Before Behavior After Mark has all his points Mark threatens Mark loses 50 points Jo has 25 cents Jo swears Jo loses 25 cents Bob has 10 M&M’s Bob raises his hand Bob loses an M&M

Graph Threats Interventions

Penalty Principle A response becomes less frequent if loss of a reinforcer or a decrease in a reinforcer has immediately followed it in the past.

Punishment, penalty, or escape? Before Behavior After Ed has painful rock in shoe Ed shakes rock out of shoe Ed has no painful rock Jo has no dust in eyes Jo blows on dusty surface Jo has painful dust in eyes Bill has $2 Bill jumps on furniture Bill loses $1

What contingency? Before Behavior After Shock Lever press No shock Food pellets No food pellets

Contingency Table Stimulus, event, or condition Present Remove Reinforcer Reinforcement Penalty Aversive Condition Punishment Escape

Specific Penalty Contingencies Response cost Time out from positive reinforcement

Response-Cost Contingency The immediate response-contingent removal of a tangible reinforcer resulting in a decreased frequency of the response

Time-out Contingency The immediate response-contingent removal of access to a reinforcer resulting in a decreased frequency of that response. Diagram this contingency. What do you need to know?

Need to Know? The target behavior (response) YELLING OUT

Response Cost vs. Time-Out Removal of the reinforcers themselves Loss of earned reinforcers Lost forever tangibles Time-Out Removal of access to reinforcers Loss of opportunity to earn reinforcers Lost temporarily Activities

Time-Out % of time Intervention

Law of Effect The effects of our actions determine whether we will repeat them. results

E. L. Thorndike

Cats in a puzzle box Responses made just prior to “pleasant events” are more likely to be repeated, while responses made just prior to “unpleasant” events are more likely to diminish.

Pleasant events Satisfiers

Unpleasant events Annoyers

Rolling Over the Dead Man Not being tardy Not eating junk food Not speeding

Basic Behavioral Contingencies

Penalty & Reinforcement Inappropriate Natural Reinforcement Contingency Before: Sam has no attention After: Sam has attention Behavior: Sam bounces ball off his mother’s head After: Sam can’t play with the toys Before: Sam can play with toys Performance-Management Penalty Contingency

Review Contingency Table

Contingency Table Remove

Contingency Table Stimulus, Event, or Condition Remove

Contingency Table Stimulus, Event, or Condition Remove

Contingency Table Stimulus, event, or condition Reinforcer Aversive condition Remove Penalty Escape Present Reinforcement Punishment

Contingency Table Stimulus, event, or condition Present Remove Reinforcer Reinforcement Penalty Aversive Condition Punishment Escape

Reversal Designs An experimental design in which we reverse between intervention and baseline conditions to assess the effects of those conditions.

Definition of ABA Design An experimental design in which the intervention and baseline conditions are reversed to assess the effects of those conditions B A A

Before Behavior After Ed has painful rock in shoe Ed shakes rock out of shoe Ed has no painful rock Jo has no dust in eyes Jo blows on dusty surface Jo has painful dust in eyes Bill has $2 Bill jumps on furniture Bill loses $1