Unlearned Reinforcers and Aversive Conditions

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Unlearned Reinforcers and Aversive Conditions

• Chapters 9

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Unlearned Reinforcers

• A stimulus, event, or condition that is a
  reinforcer, though not as a result of pairing
  with another reinforcer

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Unlearned Aversive Condition

• A stimulus, event, of condition that is aversive,
  though not as a result of pairing with other
  aversive conditions

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Deprivation Satiation

• Most common examples of establishing operations

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Deprivation

• Withholding a reinforcer increases relevant
  learning and performance

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Satiation

• Consuming a substantial amount of reinforcer
  temporarily decreases relevant learning and
  performance

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WATER DEPRIVATION? DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
BeforeRudolph has no water
After Rudolph has water
BehaviorRudolph presses the lever
DeprivationRudolph has not had water for 12 hours
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WATER SATIATION? DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
BeforeRudolph has no water
After Rudolph has water
BehaviorRudolph presses the lever
Satiation Rudolph has had free access to water
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Establishing Operation

• A procedure that affects learning and performance
  with respect to a particular reinforcer or
  aversive condition

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Please pass the salt.
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Assume salt is an unlearned reinforcer

• When will I ask for salt?
• If I am reinforced by receiving salt when I ask
  for it, why dont I ask for salt all the time?

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SALT DEPRIVATION? DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Before Jane has bland eggs
After Jane has no bland eggs
Behavior Jane asks for salt on eggs
Deprivation Jane has not had salt
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How do satiation deprivation effect learning?

• Deprivation at the time of reinforcement in
  creases the impact the delivery of a single
  reinforcer has on the subsequent frequency of the
  reinforced response.

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How do satiation and deprivation effect
performance?

• Deprivation at the time to perform that response
  increases the frequency of that previously
  reinforced and thus previously learned response.

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SEX RABBITS? Copulation is frequent, initially,
but slows
Before Rabbit has no sexual stimulation
After Rabbit has sexual stimulation
Behavior Rabbit copulates
Satiation Rabbit has recently had sexual stim
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Fill this in for Rudolph the Rat
Before Rudolph has no sexual stimulation
After
Behavior Rudolph copulates
Deprivation
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Premack Principal

• If one activity occurs more often than another,
  the opportunity to do the most frequent activity
  will reinforce the less frequent activity.
• Premacks idea was to observe what an organism
  does

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No Contingent Relationship Between Bar Pressing
Eating
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Premacks idea was to take what an organism does
to be important
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Test

• Suppose a water deprived rat spends more time
  drinking water than pressing a lever in a test
  chamber.
• How could the Premack Principle be applied in
  this case?

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Answer?

1. Make drinking water contingent on lever pressing
   or
2. Make lever pressing contingent on drinking water