Psych Quiz Module 24-27

What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?
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What is the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment?
Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened (happens more often) because an existing negative stimulus is removed. Punishment occurs when a behavior is weakened (happens less often) because the behavior's consequence is either a new aversive stimulus (positive punishment) or an existing positive stimulus being removed (negative punishment).
How might you get a child to keep her room clean using positive reinforcement? Using negative punishment?
Using positive reinforcement, you would provide the child with a positive reinforce (reward) after cleaning the room. Note: It would probably also important to use shaping here (the method of successive approximations) to guide the child toward the desired behavior of fully cleaning the room. To use negative punishment, you would remove an existing privilege from the child (like placing the child in "time out") if he or she did not clean the room. This technique would be less effective as a sole implement, because punishment only teaches what not to do, and does not teach the desired behavior (cleaning the room).
You sit down in class on the first day, and the person sitting next to you smells bad. Every day after that, you sit on the other side of the room. (which)
Negative Reinforcement
Behavior: Sitting on the other side of the room
Reinforcer: Removal of the bad smell
You wear a certain shirt one day, and at one point in the day someone says to you, "You look really good in that shirt." This makes you want to wear the shirt more often.
Positive Reinforcement (Variable Interval Schedule)
Behavior: Wearing the shirt
Reinforcer: Receiving a compliment
You eat a large bowl of popcorn right before bed one night, and you wake up feeling terrible and bloated. Now you don't eat anything (let alone popcorn) right before you go to bed.
Positive Punishment
Behavior: Eating popcorn right before bed
Punishment: Feeling terrible and bloated
You act out in class one day, and the teacher gives you a stern talkin-to in front of everyone. You're proud because of the attention you got, and you thought the whole situation was hilarious.
Positive Reinforcement (Fixed Ratio Schedule)Behavior: Student acting out in class
Reinforcement: Getting attention
Negative Reinforcement
Behavior: Teacher yelling at student
Reinforcement: Removal of student acting out
You drive your car fast around a certain turn, and you spin out and crash. After that, you take this certain turn a low slower.
Positive PunishmentBehavior: Driving fast around the turnPunishment: Spinning out and crashing
Your car radio gives out constant annoying static. One day you find that if you hit the radio, the static briefly stops, so now you hit the radio constantly when you drive.
Negative Reinforcement
Behavior: Hitting the radio
Reinforcer: Stopping the static
Describe how you would classically condition a toddler to fear electrical outlets. Be sure to identify the US, UR, NS, CS, and CR.
If a toddler somehow received an electric shock after touching an electrical outlet, then the toddler may develop a classically conditioned fear to the outlet. The US is the electric shock, which naturally elicits the UR of being fearful of the electric shock. The NS is the outlet, which is paired with the US. After acquisition (enough pairing of the shock and the outlet), the NS has now become the CS: the outlet. The new CR is being fearful of the outlet.
What is the difference between an unconditioned stimulus and a conditioned stimulus?
An unconditioned stimulus naturally produces a response (without any learning required), while a conditioned stimulus (initially called a neutral stimulus) comes to elicit a response only after being appropriately paired with an unconditioned stimulus.
Using proper psychological terminology, what is the difference between an unconditioned response and a conditioned response? Between a neutral stimulus and a conditioned stimulus?An unconditioned response is a natural reaction to a stimulus, while a conditioned response is a similar reaction, but now in response to some initially neutral stimulus. A stimulus is neutral before conditioning, because it does not normally produce a response. This stimulus becomes conditioned after being repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus.What would happen if your hand accidently touched a lit candle? Would this be a conditioned or an unconditioned response, and why?If your hand touched a lit candle, you would probably react by quickly retracting your hand. This would be an unconditioned (unlearned) response, because that is a person's natural reaction to a pain stimulus.If a bell is rung every time your hand was burnt by the candle, and then the bell is rung by itself, what do you expect will happen? Why type of response is this? What kind of stimulus (US, CS, NS) is the bell, and why?After this acquisition, you might retract your hand in response to the bell. This is a conditioned response, reacting to the bell, which is now a conditioned stimulus (although the bell was initially a neutral stimulus).Refer to your answer for #1 on this worksheet. How might the toddler possibly display generalization and discrimination in this example of learning? How would the toddler's learning be extinguished? How might higher-order conditioning play a role in this situation?The toddler might display generalization if she or he exhibited a fear response to objects that closely resembled electrical outlets. Discrimination would be displayed if/when the toddler showed fear only in response to outlets, and not to other stimuli. The toddler's learning would be extinguished if he or she continually interacted with outlets without being shocked, which would eventually cause the fear response to be diminished. Higher-order conditioning could play a role if some new neutral stimulus was associated (paired) with the already-established conditioned stimulus. If, for example, some new stimulus (like a bell) was presented with the outlet, then the toddler may develop a fear response to the bell.