Theories of Reinforcement Why is a reinforcer effective
- Slides: 16
Theories of Reinforcement • Why is a reinforcer effective? • Why do reinforcers increase the probability of a response?
Some Early Definitions • Empirical: Stimuli that increase the probability of a preceding response are reinforcers – circular definition, after the fact – better, if shown to be trans-situational • Theoretical: Reinforcers are stimuli that produce “a satisfying state of affairs” – vague
Drive Reduction Theory • Organisms attempt to maintain physiological equilibrium (homeostasis) • Deviations from homeostasis produce biological drives – examples: hunger, thirst, pain • Reinforcers are events that reduce biological drives – examples: Kraft dinner for a hungry undergraduate
Drive Reduction Theory Compare with Set Point Amount of food in body drives Seek or don’t seek food
But……………. . • Sensory reinforcers: Inquiring minds want to know • Some reinforcers actually increase drive states • Behavior itself might be reinforcing
Premack Principle • Behaviors are reinforcing, not stimuli • To predict what will be reinforcing, observe the baseline frequency of different behaviors • Highly probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors
Implications • Reinforcers are individualized (not intrinsic to the reinforcer itself) • Reinforcers are reversible
Some Problems With Premack’s Principle • Quantification – Some activities naturally take more or less time than others • Opportunities to engage in a restricted (but not lower probability) behavior may act as a reinforcer
Newer View • Timberlake’s Response deprivation hypothesis – reinforcers are responses that have been “deprived”
Response deprivation hypothesis The ice cream scale (in pints). 25 . 75 1. 0 1. 25 Will work to obtain 1. 5 1. 75 2. 0 2. 25 Will work to avoid ice cream Bliss point (1. 0 pint/night) 2. 5
Response Deprivation Hypothesis • Low frequency behaviors can reinforce high frequency behaviors • All behaviors have a preferred frequency or behavioral bliss point • Deprivation below that frequency is aversive, and organisms will work to remedy this
Behavioral Regulation • Measure time spent in behavior when there is no constraint – behavioral bliss point • Schedule imposes a constraint – schedule line • Time spent in behavior under a constraint will minimize distance from bliss point
The labor supply curve Amount of reward Bliss point 2 rewards per unit 1 reward per unit ¼ reward per unit Amount of Work
- Hey hey bye bye
- Positive reinforcement vs negative reinforcement
- Early contingency theories of effective leadership
- Variable ratio vs variable interval
- Different types of reinforcement schedules
- Latent learning
- What are primary and secondary reinforcers
- Secondary reinforcer
- Shaping psychology definition
- Examples of fixed ratio schedule
- Reinforcer menu
- Tertiary reinforcer
- Don't ask why why why
- Importance of theory
- Why is this an effective beginning?
- How does summarizing help comprehension
- Why-why analysis