Psychology 203: Learning and Behavior || with 100%
Errorless Solutions.
What is behaviour analysis, what three ways does the environment control behaviour, how do we
create a simplified model? correct answers 1. Focuses on the environmental determinants of
behaviour, and on identifying fundamental rules.
2. Current environment, genetic/environmental history
3. A stimulus, response, and consequence
What is operant conditioning, what is the law of effect, what are the four types of simple
schedules, what are the five types of complex schedules? correct answers 1. The process where
behaviour comes under control of the consequences which follow, and the stimuli that
accompanies it.
2. If a response is followed by a favourable consequence, it is more likely to occur again.
3. VI, VR, FI, FR (line, line, burst/break, scalloped)
4. Multiple, mixed, chain, tandem, concurrent
What was Skinner's (1948) and Bruner & Revusky (1961) study on adventitious reinforcement,
what was Neuringer's 1970 study on this, what is type-two superstition, what is Kileen's (1977)
study on superstitious behaviour? correct answers 1. Pigeons engaging in idiosyncratic
behaviour, humans and button pushing superstitious behaviour.
2. Continued occurrence of reinforcers is required for behaviour to be maintained.
3. If change in stimulus (but not schedule) changes responding.
4. Pigeons responding to "I caused this". Responding became more accurate with temporal
contingency. Thus that is important.
What did Breland and Breland (1961) find, what is the relation between stimuli, what is an
example of relations between reinforcers, what did Brown/Jenkins (1968) study find? correct
answers 1. Misbehaviour following operant conditioning. Clear interaction between
environmental and genetic history - all contribute to learning.
2. Form of CR depends on type of US - animals show species -specific response depending on
US (for example, pigeon peck topography in water/food)
Form of CR also depends on type of CS - rolled ball bearing etc. (Timberlake, 1994)
3. Pigeons spot pecking after food - species typical response.
,4. Autoshaping, pigeons pecked keylight. No pecking under free food/keylight always on
What four things do we need to create a model of choice, what are ratios and rates? correct
answers 1. Arrange a single reinforcement rate for many seconds, record effects on stable
relative response rates, change reinforcer ratio and record effects on it, obtain sufficiently larger
range.
Larger rewards for one choice should result in a skewed response pattern towards that choice.
2. Ratios tell us how behaviour is divided among different choice, rates tell us how frequently we
engage in a particular choice.
What is strict matching and it's equations, what is strict matching with more than one behaviour?
correct answers 1. Proportion of choice matches proportion of reinforcers. (B1/B1+B2) =
(R1/R1+R2)
2. (B1/B1+Be) = (kR1/R1+Re) - Be and Re are extraneous behaviours/reinforcers, K is the total
possible output of behaviour. Larger kR1 makes B1 bigger, bigger R1+Re makes B1 smaller.
This creates a hyperbolic curve where response rates increase up to a maximum (k). Larger Re =
more competing resources and so slower to reach k.
What is the three things that determine if strict matching is a good model? correct answers 1.
Does it fit the data (eg. Catania and Reynolds, 1968) - variance
2. Are parameter limits sensible (k and Re) - eg. too high or low
3. Are assumptions true (that Re exists and is a constant, k = constant, strict matching = true).
What is Wilkinson's study on temporal contiguity, what is Davison and Baum's study on
temporal contiguity, what is the behavioural definition of self control? correct answers 1. Lever
with delays - shorter delays = faster aquisition
2. Delays shift choice, reducing ability of reinforcers to strengthen behaviour.
3. Choosing a smaller, sooner delay over the larger later one. Depends on personality and current
environment
How do we measure self-control, what environmental factors nudge choice towards self control,
can self-control be learnt correct answers 1. Mazur's delay titration procedure - produces
indifference point between larger, later reinforcer and smaller, sooner one.
2. Consequences (Johnson and Bickel, real ad hypothetical money, Charlton and Fantino,
Odum), Magnitude, Setting (Dixon - gambling in different locations), Income (Green et al.)
, 3. Mazur and Logue (1978) sure? - delay reduces impact of reinforcer
What is stimulus control, what is the three term contigency, do stimuli ellict responses, what are
the two typical procedures for studying stimuli control? correct answers 1. The extent to which
stimuli which precede/accompany operant behaviour come to control rate of probability of that
behaviour.
2. Antecedents --> Behaviour --> Consequence (ABC). S+ and S- signal excitatory and
inhibitory contigencies.
3. No, but they do signal the context in which responding occurs.
4. Reinforce responding to S+, and generalisation tests.
What is the difference between physical and functional stimuli, what did Guttman and Kalish
(1958) find? correct answers 1. Physical = value of independent variable that defines test
dimension. Functional = Additional contribution of subject's reinforcement history and sensory
capacities (discovered through the control it exerts on behaviour - generalisation gradient)
2. Trained pigeons to peck S+ 580nm. Found decreased responding on both sides.Increased
generalisation = decreased discrimination. HOWEVER, because they used a yellow light
(pigeons like yellow food), they could have had prior experience (thus learned).
What did Jenkins and Harrison (1960) find? correct answers Measured two groups with tones,
one of which had S- with no tone. Only this group had generalisation gradients, supporting
Lashley and Wade's hypothesis that generalisation was learned. This was because in this group
only the tone signalled reinforcement, in the other group other things were also predictive.
What did Peterson (1962) find, however what disproves this? correct answers 1. Studied stimulus
deprivation experiments, raising ducks in a completely yellow environment and training them to
peck S+ - testing generalisation. Found monochromatic group did not generalise, thus finding
prior experience is important.
2. Studies on monkeys, chickens, and quails found the opposite. Overall, it does not seems like
experience is critical.
Why was a difference found between the Gutman/Kalish and Jenkins/Harrison studies? correct
answers 1. JH study was unreliable and was disproved when replicated.
2. Stimulus dimensions are important (eg. colour versus sound) - consistent with general
processes approach (evolutionary prepared learning - coour and food)
What did Hearst and Koreko (1968) find? correct answers Trained line orientation as S+. Found
that more training = steeper gradient = more control- thus amount of training affects
discrimination.
