PSY211 Operant Conditioning Punishment

7/27/2019 PSY211 Operant Conditioning Punishment

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Psychology of Learning

PSY211

Operant/Instrumental Conditioning:

Punishment

B. Charles Tatum



Response

Stimulus

Consequence

(Onset/Offset)

Reinforcer

(Positive/Negative)

Punisher

(Positive/Negative/“Extinction”)

Future Responses

Increase Decrease

Produce

(Onset)

Remove

(Offset) S t i m u l u s C o n s e q

u e n c e Positive

Reinforcement

“Reward” (e.g., praise)

Negative

Reinforcement

(e.g., nagging)

Positive

Punishment(e.g., spanking)

Negative Punishment

“Extinction”

(e.g., time out)



Rate from a Cumulative Record

Time

Number of

Responses

(Cumulative

Responses)



Rewarded Time

Introduce Punishment

Number of

Responses

(CumulativeResponses)



The Concept of Punishment Key Characteristics

Behavior has a consequence (e.g., crime leads to prison, cheating leads to

dismissal) Behavior decreases in strength or frequency (e.g., crime declines, cheating

stops)

Reduction in behavior is a result of its consequences (e.g., criminals go

straight because of prison, cheating stops because of dismissal)

Varieties of Punishment

Positive: The behavior (response) leads to the onset of some aversive event

that suppresses future responses (e.g., shock, scolding, physical blows)

Negative: The behavior (response) leads to the offset (removal) of some

pleasant event that suppresses future responses (e.g., removal of attention,

desired toy, previous rewards)

Related Concepts Extinction: The removal of a prior reinforcer (special case of negative

punishment)

Negative Reinforcement: Behavior (response) leads to the offset of some

aversive event and increases future behavior (e.g., get parents off your

back, remove a headache)



Conditions Affecting Punishment

R-S Contingency: Dependency of punishing event on behavior (the response

must lead directly and predictably to the punishing event). R-S Delay: The longer the delay between response and punisher, the less

effective the punishment (e.g., immediate reprimands are better than delayed

reprimands).

Intensity: Strong punishers work better than weak punishers.

Progressive Punishment: Punishment is less effective if weak punishers are

followed by progressively stronger punishers.

Punishment Combined with Reinforcement

Behaviors that are both reinforced and punished become resistant to

punishment (e.g., children who get attention [reinforced] by being punished

for misbehaving become increasingly troublesome).

Punishment works best on behavior (e.g., criminal activities) whenalternative behaviors (e.g., community service) are reinforced.

When the motivation to engage in a behavior is strong (because the

reinforcement was strong) punishment is less effective.



Problems with Punishment

Temporary Effects: The effects are not long lasting.

Escape and Avoidance: We try to escape from or avoid aversivestimuli (e.g., running away from home, lying to parents, escaping

from prison).

Aggression: Aversive stimuli lead to aggression.

Displaced Aggression (e.g., sabotage, vandalism).

Elicited Aggression.

Apathy: Punishment suppresses other behaviors.

Fixation: Punishment limits the range of behaviors. Animals only

respond in “safe” ways, are unwilling to try new behaviors (e.g.,

“learned helplessness”). Progressive Punishment can go too far (e.g., spouse abuse).

Imitation of the Punisher (e.g., successive generations of child abuse).



Alternatives to Aversive Control

(Negative Reinforcement and Positive Punishment)

Prevention: Modify the environment to preclude the behavior (e.g.,

disconnect the keyboard, install a V-Chip, lock the medicine cabinet).

Extinction: Identify the reinforcing stimulus and remove it (e.g.,

time out)

Differential reinforcement of zero (DRO) responding : Reinforce

not responding for a period of time (e.g., remain motionless for fiveminutes)

Differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL) of behavior (e.g.,

reinforce lower levels of aggression, lower levels of activity)

Differential reinforcement of incompatible (DRI) behaviors (e.g.,reinforce sitting at your desk, don’t reinforce moving around;

reinforce getting to meetings, or class, on time)

Differential reinforcement of alternative (DRA) behaviors (e.g.,

reinforce saying nice things to classmates)



Theories of Punishment

Disruption Theory: Punishment suppresses responding because it

leads to a disruption of ongoing activity (e.g., jumping, freezing).

Two-Process Theory:

Punishment involves both classical and operant conditioning.

Similar to the two process theory of avoidance.

Stimuli associated with the punisher (e.g., lever, cookie jar)

become a CS for reactions to the punisher (e.g., the sight of thelever or the cookie jar is associated with fear).

We avoid the CS (e.g., lever, cookie jar) and thus decrease

responses to the stimulus (e.g., don’t press lever, don’t take

cookies) One-Process Theory: Only operant conditioning is involved in

punishment. Punishment suppresses behavior just as reinforcement

strengthens behavior (e.g., high preference behavior reinforces low

preference behavior; low preference behavior punished high

preference behavior).

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PSY211 Operant Conditioning Punishment