Reinforcement Schedules and Contingency Management Flashcards

Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior (DRO) is defined as delivering reinforcement:

Answer: Contingent on the absence of the target behavior during a set interval

DRO delivers reinforcement at the end of an interval during which the target problem behavior did not occur, reinforcing the absence of the behavior rather than a specific alternative.

Which differential reinforcement procedure is MOST appropriate when the goal is to teach a specific replacement behavior that physically cannot occur simultaneously with the problem behavior?

Answer: DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior)

DRI reinforces a behavior that is physically incompatible with (cannot co-occur with) the problem behavior, making it ideal for establishing specific replacement skills that prevent the target behavior.

Ratio strain is best described as:

Answer: A breakdown in responding caused by increasing ratio requirements too rapidly

Ratio strain is a deterioration in responding that occurs when ratio requirements are thinned too quickly, resulting in emotional behavior, irregular responding, or complete cessation.

An extinction burst refers to:

Answer: A temporary increase in response rate, intensity, or variability when extinction is first implemented

An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of behavior that typically occurs at the onset of extinction before the behavior ultimately decreases.

Continuous reinforcement (CRF) is MOST appropriate during which phase of learning?

Answer: Acquisition phase to initially establish a new behavior

CRF is most effective during acquisition because reinforcing every correct response provides immediate and consistent feedback, rapidly strengthening the new behavior.

The Premack Principle states that:

Answer: A high-probability behavior can reinforce a low-probability behavior

The Premack Principle (often called 'Grandma's Law') states that access to a higher-frequency preferred behavior can serve as a reinforcer for a lower-frequency less-preferred behavior.

The matching law states that organisms on concurrent schedules:

Answer: Distribute responding proportional to the relative rate of reinforcement available on each schedule

The matching law holds that the relative rate of responding on concurrent schedules is proportional to (matches) the relative rate of reinforcement available on each alternative.