Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology

© 2015 of 97 Punishment Punishment occurs when a response is weakened by its consequences, which always involve something unpleasant. It is also accompanied by a decrease in target behavior. Positive Punishment- Also referred to as aversive punishment or punishment by application, where a response is weakened by the subsequent presentation of an unpleasant stimulus, and can produce rapid results. Negative Punishment- Also referred to as punishment by removal or response cost, where a response is weakened by the subsequent removal of a pleasant stimulus. Consequences- In general a consequence that occurs immediately after a behavior has a stronger effect than one that is delayed. Training animals typically requires immediate reinforcement so that they associate the correct response. Because humans can imagine future consequences, our behavior is less rigidly controlled by the timing of consequences. Schedules of Reinforcement In daily life, reinforcement comes in different patterns and frequencies. These patterns, called schedules of reinforcement, have strong and predictable effects on learning, extinction, and performance. Continuous Reinforcement- Is a process by which every response of a particular type is reinforced. This process produces more rapid learning because the association of a behavior and its consequences is easier to perceive. Intermittent Reinforcement- Also referred to as partial reinforcement, is a process in which only a portion of the responses of a particular type are reinforced. This process produces behavior that is learned more slowly but is more resistant to extinction. Generalization- In operant conditioning, stimulus generalization is the tendency to respond to a new stimulus as if it is the original discriminative stimulus. Here stimuli similar to the initial conditioned stimulus elicit a conditioned response. Discrimination- A discriminative stimulus is a cue that indicates the kind of consequence that is likely to occur after a response. In operant conditioning, stimulus discrimination is the tendency for a response to happen only when a particular stimulus is present. This is demonstrated when a conditioned response occurs to one stimulus but not to others. Extinction- Is a process in which the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus, causing the conditioned response to weaken and eventually disappear. In operant conditioning it is the gradual disappearance of a response when it stops being reinforced. Achieve Page 41