Analogs to Reinforcement: I Chapter 22

CAVEAT (WARNING) Controversial topic –Rule control of behavior –Control of behavior by private events

Basic Behavioral Contingencies

Contingencies So far: Direct acting contingencies –Reinforcement –Punishment Today: Other kinds of contingencies –Indirect acting Effective Ineffective

Simple Reinforcement A response becomes more frequent in the future if a reinforcer or an increase in a reinforcer has immediately followed it in the past

Immediate For the person with anorexia –Conversation immediately following eating X BeforeBehaviorAfter No Conversation Takes a Bite Conversation

What about those activities that were delayed? Too delayed to be considered immediate Choice of food for next meal, invite companions for next meal, walking around the hospital the next day….. BeforeBehaviorAfter Takes a Bite X No WalkWalk

Examples of Reinforcement Contingencies BeforeBehaviorAfter No attentionCriesAttention No cookieSays “Cookie”Cookie IMMEDIATE

Reinforcement Contingency Before: Mary has no conversation Behavior: Mary eats a bite After: Mary has conversation IMMEDIATE

Not a Reinforcement Contingency: An Approximation Before: Mary cannot go for a walk Behavior: Mary eats her whole meal After: Mary can go for a walk DELAY The next day

Reinforcement Contingency Before: Todd has no gum Behavior: Todd has a bowel movement After: Todd has gum IMMEDIATE

An approximation Before: Todd has no dessert Behavior: Todd has a bowel movement After: Todd has dessert A few hours later

If you have a bowel movement today, you can get a dessert after dinner.

Concepts 1.Rule 2.Rule control 3.Rule-governed behavior 4.Contingency control (intuitive control)

Rule A description of a behavioral contingency Example: If you eat your entire meal, you will have a walk tomorrow

Rule Control The statement of a rule controls the response described in that rule Example: “If I eat my meal now, I will walk tomorrow.” –AND the person EATS MEAL NOW as a function of the rule

Rule-Governed Behavior Behavior under the control of the rule Example: Eating the meal

Contingency Control (Intuitive Control) Direct control of behavior by a contingency, without the involvement of rules

What is the basis for rule control? Final Word (Malott, et al.): –Discriminated Avoidance THEORETICAL

Erroneous First Approximation Before: Todd has no dessert Behavior: Todd has a bowel movement After: Todd has dessert A few hours later

Discriminated Avoidance Before Todd will lose opp for a dessert after dinner S  After dinner S D (Deadline) Before dinner After Todd will lose opp for dessert after dinner After Todd will not lose opp for a dessert after dinner Behavior Todd has BM

Erroneous First Approximation Before: Mary cannot go for a walk Behavior: Mary eats her whole meal After: Mary can go for a walk DELAY The next day

Analog to Discriminated Avoidance Before Mary will lose opp to go for walk tomorrow S  After meal ends S D (Deadline) Before meal ends After Mary will lose opp to go for walk tomorrow After Mary will not lose opp to go for walk tomorrow Behavior Mary eats whole meal

Contingency Trees First organized based on direct acting contingencies Then organized based on whether the contingencies are direct or indirect acting

Basic Behavioral Contingencies

Contingency Tree Direct Acting (Effective < 60 s) Not direct Acting (> 60 s delay) Ineffective Indirect Acting (effective) Reinforcement & Punishment Contingencies

Important Distinctions Direct acting contingencies Indirect acting contingencies Ineffective contingencies

Immediate reinforcement The effect of the reinforcement procedure decreases as the delay between the response and the outcome increases. Reinforcers delayed more than 60 seconds have little or no reinforcing effect.

Ineffective contingencies When Fido brings slippers (low operant level), give Fido a biscuit the next day What will happen to the likelihood of bringing slippers???? Give little brother a dessert the next day each time he says “thank you” Will thank you’s become more frequent?

Little Brother What if you say to brother, “If you say “thank you” on the right occasions, you will receive a special dessert one day later” This is the RULE Brings language into the picture…..

What happens if you tell Fido the rule?

Direct Acting Contingency A contingency for which the outcome of the response reinforces or punishes that response

Examples of Direct Acting Reinforcement Contingencies BeforeBehaviorAfter No attentionCriesAttention No cookieSays “Cookie”Cookie IMMEDIATE

Indirect Acting Contingency A contingency that controls the response, but not because the outcome reinforces or punishes that response RULE CONTROL

Indirect acting contingencies Rule governed behavior: –Behavior under the control of a rule Rule: –A description of a behavioral contingency Example: If you eat your whole meal, you can go for a walk tomorrow.

Rule Governed Analog to Direct Acting Behavioral Contingencies An increase in the frequency of a response because of a rule describing the contingency.

DELAY & PROMISE Cases of delayed reinforcers & PROMISES of delayed reinforcers involve more than the simple procedures of reinforcement. This is rule control. The behavior occurs not just because of the contingency, but because someone has stated the rule….

Summary: Two types of effective behavioral contingencies –Direct acting – controls behavior without language –Indirect acting – may control behavior but only if we bring language into the picture (must state the rule that describes the contingency)

How do indirect acting contingencies come to control behavior? Is it stimulus control? Is it from control by learned reinforcers? NOT LIKELY – Cannot establish stimulus control when there is a DELAY between the response and the reinforcer OR between the unlearned reinforcer and the reinforcer

Can stimulus control form under these conditions? Before Rudolph has no food pellet SS SDSD After Rudolph has no water THE NEXT DAY Rudolph has food pellet Behavior Rudolph presses lever

Could it be learned reinforcement? Had feel and sight of BM… Always got a dessert afterwards So feel and sight of successful bowel movement was paired(?) with dessert Pairing procedure altered value of feel and sight of BM?

Pairing Procedure Establishes neutral “click” as a learned reinforcer Click No click No food pellet Food pellet One day later…

Could rule control be an example of a chain? What would happen if the reinforcer provided at the end of the chain was delivered after 24 hours? Delays between links of the chain are too great…

Knowledge? Delayed reinforcement will occur if you “understand” the relation between your action and the delayed reinforcer.

Rules describing delayed outcomes Analog to discriminated avoidance Avoidance of loss of opportunity to get a reinforcer

Analog to Discriminated Avoidance Before Mary will lose opp to go for walk tomorrow S  After meal ends S D (Deadline) Before meal ends After Mary will lose opp to go for walk tomorrow After Mary will not lose opp to go for walk tomorrow Behavior Mary eats whole meal