1. Special Establishing Operations Ch 10

2. AGGRESSION Pain-established aggression Extinction-established aggression

3. Pain-established aggression in humans Hit thumb with hammer Throw hammer against wall Cursing

4. Pain-established aggression in other animals Azrin, Hutchinson, & Hake (1966) 2 rats in a chamber – mild aversive shock Animals rear and begin to attack each other When shock stopped, they stop fighting

5. Extinction-established aggression in humans?

6. Extinction-established aggression in pigeons 2 Pigeons, 1 free to peck key (A), the other restrained (B) Pigeon A pecks key –> each peck is followed by grain –> ignores pigeon B Then grain stops coming What does pigeon A do with respect to pigeon B???????

7. Aversive Conditions as Establishing Operations Before: No aggression reinforcers After: Aggression reinforcers Behavior: Aggression Aversive Condition: Pain or extinction ESTABLISHING OPERATION

8. Aggression Reinforcers? The results of the aggression itself serve as reinforcers –Feel of throwing the hammer –Sound of it’s hitting the wall –Feel and sound of shouting –Pressure on teeth and claws (rat) –Pressure on beak and wings (pigeon)

9. General Case Aversive-Condition-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: No agg reinforcers After: Agg reinforcers Behavior: Aggressive Behavior Aversive Condition: Pain or extinction ESTABLISHING OPERATION

10. Human Being Pain-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: Sid has no aggression reinforcers After: ????? Behavior: Sid throws hammer, curses Aversive Condition: Sid’s thumb really hurts ESTABLISHING OPERATION

11. Rat Pain-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: Rat has no pressure on teeth, claws After: Rat has pressure on teeth & claws Behavior: Rat bites & scratches ?????? ESTABLISHING OPERATION

12. Human Being Extinction-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: ???? After: Sid has aggression reinforcers Behavior: Sid throws temper tantrum Aversive Condition: Extinction of computer behavior ESTABLISHING OPERATION

13. Pigeon Extinction-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: Pigeon has no pressure on its beak & wings After: ?????? Behavior: Pigeon attacks another pigeon ??????? ESTABLISHING OPERATION

14. Pigeon Extinction-Established Reinforcement Contingency Before: Pigeon has no victim to aggress against After: Pigeon has victim to aggress againts Behavior: Pigeon pecks victim access key Aversive condition: Pigeon’s food key pecks are extinguished ESTABLISHING OPERATION

15. Aggression reinforcer Stimuli resulting from acts of aggression

16. Aggression principle Aversive stimuli and extinction are establishing operations for aggression reinforcers

17. Why don’t we aggress all the time?

18. Is there evidence of a mental health benefit to letting off steam? Page 170 Poetic metaphor for making aggression reinforcers more effective Problem: People act as if this metaphor is real No evidence that aggression has a mental health benefit for the aggressor Aggression is usually harmful and dysfunctional

19. Passive Aggression? Aversive stimulation establishes aggression as a reinforcer almost too sweet to resist, especially when you can make the aggression so subtle the victim barely detects that it’s happening.

20. Passive aggression, cont The victim can’t put a label on it, can’t point an accusing finger. And better yet, even the perpetrator of the aggression can’t self-criticize because the aggression is too subtle even for him or her to detect.

21. In other words, Often we’re not only unaware of why we aggress, but we’re even unaware that we are aggressing.

22. Passive aggression Before: Dawn has no vagg reinforcer After: Dawn has vagg reinforcer Behavior: Dawn asks Sid an embarrassing question Aversive Condition: Dawn receives an aversively sweaty kiss ESTABLISHING OPERATION

23. Passive aggression Before: Sid has no vagg reinforcer After: Sid has vagg reinforcer Behavior: Sid describes his great run Aversive Condition: Sid receives aversive question ESTABLISHING OPERATION

24. Drug Addiction What maintains drug abuse, the presentation of a reinforcer or the reduction of an aversive condition? Addictive reinforcers are unlearned reinforcers prior to addiction Is suffering necessary? No A monkey will press a lever that produces a shot of morphine. PERIOD.

25. Addictive Reinforcer A reinforcer for which repeated exposure is an establishing operation – repeated exposure increases value Dangerous drugs: heroin, morphine, cocaine, speed, barbiturates, alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, caffeine, rock & roll

26. Escape from pain Before: Patient has pain After: P. has less pain Behavior: P. pushes button Aversive Condition: Patient suffers pain ESTABLISHING OPERATION Before: No injection Behavior: P. pushes button After: P. has morphine injection

27. Escape from poverty Before: Person suffers from poverty After: P. Suffers less from poverty Behavior: P. Shoots up Aversive Condition: Person suffers from poverty ESTABLISHING OPERATION Before: P. Has no heroin Behavior: P. Shoots up After: P. Has heroin Life is psychologically unbearable, taking heroin reduces aversiveness.

28. Escape from withdrawal Before: Patient has withdrawal After: P. has less intense withdrawal Behavior: P. requests morphine Aversive Condition: Patient suffers withdrawal ESTABLISHING OPERATION Before: No injection Behavior: P. pushes button After: P. has morphine injection

29. Escape from pain Before: Patient has no morphine injection After: P. has a morphine injections Behavior: P. pushes button Aversive Condition: Patient suffers from withdrawal ESTABLISHING OPERATION

30. Pure Pleasure of Drugs Aversive Condition: Monkey has not had morphine ESTABLISHING OPERATION Before: Monkey has no injection Behavior: Monkey presses lever After: Monkey has morphine injection

31. Addictive Reinforcer A reinforcer for which repeated exposure is an establishing operation – repeated exposure increases value Dangerous drugs: heroin, morphine, cocaine, speed, barbiturates, alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, caffeine, rock & roll