Question

Check your understanding of the various types of consequences that can occur in operant conditioning by indicating whether the examples below involve positive reinforcement (PR), negative reinforcement (NR), punishment (P), or extinction (E). The answers can be found in Appendix A. __________ Sharma constantly complains about minor aches and pains to obtain sympathy from colleagues at work. Three co-workers who share an office with her decide to ignore her complaints instead of responding with sympathy.

Short answer

Answer: Extinction (E)

Step-by-step solution

Recall the definitions of the various types of consequences in operant conditioning

Before determining which type of consequence is presented in the example, it's important to understand the definitions of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. 1. Positive Reinforcement (PR): A type of operant conditioning that involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase the frequency of a behavior. 2. Negative Reinforcement (NR): The removal of an unpleasant stimulus in order to increase the likelihood of a particular behavior. 3. Punishment (P): The presentation of an unpleasant stimulus or the removal of a pleasant stimulus in order to decrease the frequency of a behavior. 4. Extinction (E): A process in which a behavior decreases over time due to a lack of reinforcement or punishment.

Analyze the given example

In the example, Sharma complains about minor aches and pains in order to obtain sympathy from her colleagues at work. Her coworkers decide to ignore her complaints rather than respond with sympathy. We have to determine which type of consequence this change in behavior from the coworkers represents.

Identify the type of consequence presented in the example

The coworkers have decided to ignore Sharma's complaints rather than respond with sympathy, which was the desired outcome of Sharma's behavior. In this case, Sharma's behavior is no longer being reinforced. This means that her behavior is likely to decrease over time due to the lack of reinforcement. Therefore, the consequence presented in this example is Extinction (E). The answer: Extinction (E).

Key concepts

Positive Reinforcement

In the world of behavioral psychology, positive reinforcement is akin to adding a sweet treat as a reward for a job well done. Imagine studying hard and acing a test, only to be greeted with praise or a small gift from your parents. This addition of a positive stimulus—be it compliments or tangible rewards—is aimed at boosting the likelihood of you repeating your studious behavior.

This form of operant conditioning banks on the principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences tend to increase in frequency. An important element of positive reinforcement is timing. A reward given promptly after the desired action can significantly improve the reinforcement process. For instance, a dog receives a treat immediately after performing a trick; this immediate reinforcement solidifies the dog's association between the trick and the treat, encouraging the behavior to recur.

Negative Reinforcement

On the flip side, negative reinforcement might seem a little counterintuitive at first. It involves removing something undesirable to encourage a certain behavior. A quintessential example would be the incessant beeping of your car seatbelt alarm. The annoying sound stops once you've buckled up, increasing the likelihood that you will perform this action quickly in the future to avoid the unpleasant noise. It is not about punishment; it is about making a situation better to reinforce a behavior.

In another common scenario, imagine taking painkillers to get rid of a headache—the removal of the headache (an aversive stimulus) reinforces the action of taking painkillers when suffering. Negative reinforcement typically strengthens behavior because it takes away adverse conditions and, as a result, makes it more probable for the action to be repeated.

Punishment

Moving onto a more stern aspect, punishment aims to do the opposite of reinforcement, meaning that it seeks to decrease the occurrence of a behavior. Unlike reinforcement which adds or removes stimuli to promote a particular behavior, punishment introduces or removes them to discourage a behavior.

An example would be receiving a fine for speeding. The unpleasant experience of paying a penalty is meant to deter you from speeding again. There are two types of punishment: positive punishment, where an aversive stimulus is added (like extra homework for talking out of turn); and negative punishment, which involves taking away a pleasant stimulus (such as losing phone privileges for missing curfew). The effectiveness of punishment depends on its consistency, timing, and intensity, but overuse can lead to negative emotions and may not teach new, desired behaviors.

Extinction

Extinction in psychological terms refers to the gradual disappearance of a learned behavior over time when it is no longer reinforced. For instance, if a child throws tantrums to get candy and parents consistently decide not to give in, the child's tantrum-throwing behavior will eventually decrease since it no longer yields the desired candy reward.

Extinction is a critical concept because it demonstrates that behaviors aren't fixed; they can be unlearned. However, this process can sometimes lead to an initial increase in the behavior, known as an 'extinction burst', before the behavior decreases. Also, sporadically rewarding the behavior or suddenly stopping reinforcement can make the behavior more resistant to extinction. As with Sharma's example from the exercise, when her colleagues ignore her complaints rather than providing sympathy, they are using extinction to reduce the complaining behavior.