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Which consequence follows the behaviour?
More, if you want it
Does the patient do the behaviour more or less often?Tap a term: its definition, what you can do with it, and how often the exam asks it.
Definition: learning a behaviour because the behaviour prevents an unpleasant event.
You can: Tell avoidance conditioning from negative punishment by whether the behaviour grows or shrinks.
Definition: a liked, frequent activity rewards a less liked, rare one.
You can: Tell the Premack principle from a token economy by whether the reward is a liked activity or an exchanged object.
Definition: tokens earned for a target behaviour are traded later for a real reward.
You can: Tell a token economy from a direct reward by the trade of tokens for a primary reinforcer.
Definition: a wanted reward is removed after unwanted behaviour, so the behaviour falls.
You can: Tell negative punishment from negative reinforcement by whether the behaviour falls or rises.
Definition: a learned response fades once the reinforcement stops.
You can: Tell extinction from negative punishment by whether a reward stops arriving or is taken away.
Each card is one term. The grey line is what the patient says, which is what the question stem gives.
Summary
Avoidance conditioning is negative reinforcement in which a behaviour is learned because the behaviour prevents an unpleasant event.
is negative reinforcement in which a behaviour is learned because the behaviour prevents an unpleasant event. A rat learns by avoiding a shock zone. A driver stops at red lights to avoid fines. Agoraphobic avoidance and obsessional rituals are clinical examples.
Negative reinforcement strengthens an action because the action prevents or removes a bad event. Avoidance is the prevention form. Stopping a shock after a lever press is negative reinforcement, and the lever pressing increases. An agoraphobic patient stays at home to escape fear of places linked to panic attacks. Staying home lowers anxiety, so the avoidance grows stronger. Candidates read stair use as punishment of the lift. Ask whether the behaviour grows or shrinks. Punishment lowers how often a behaviour occurs.
Priya Nair attends an outpatient psychology clinic in London. Priya says, "I take the stairs so I never feel the fear of the lift."
Avoidance that prevents fear makes the behaviour grow, so avoidance is reinforcement.
6 more sections on Operant conditioning: avoidance, negative punishment, extinction, Premack principle and token economy
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