Some effects of noncontingent positive reinforcement on multiply controlled problem behavior and compliance in a demand context

Functional analysis suggested that the problem behavior of an 8-year-old girl with autism was maintained by escape from demands and access to edible items. Noncontingent delivery of an edible item was sufficient to increase compliance and reduce the rate of problem behavior without the use of escape extinction in a demand context. Leaner and richer schedules of noncontingent reinforcement were equally effective, and there were minimal differences between noncontingent reinforcement and differential reinforcement of compliance.     

Generating variable and random schedules of reinforcement using Microsoft Excel macros

Variable reinforcement schedules are used to arrange the availability of reinforcement following varying response ratios or intervals of time. Random reinforcement schedules are subtypes of variable reinforcement schedules that can be used to arrange the availability of reinforcement at a constant probability across number of responses or time. Generating schedule values for variable and random reinforcement schedules can be difficult. The present article describes the steps necessary to write macros in Microsoft Excel that will generate variable-ratio, variable-interval, variable-time, random-ratio, random-interval, and random-time reinforcement schedule values.     

On loss aversion in capuchin monkeys

Chen, Lakshminarayanan, and Santos (2006) claim to show in three choice experiments that monkeys react rationally to price and wealth shocks, but, when faced with gambles, display hallmark, human-like biases that include loss aversion. We present three experiments with monkeys and humans consistent with a reinterpretation of their data that attributes their results not to loss aversion, but to differences between choice alternatives in delay of reinforcement.     

Concurrent schedules of positive and negative reinforcement: differential-impact and differential-outcomes hypotheses

Considerable evidence from outside of operant psychology suggests that aversive events exert greater influence over behavior than equal-sized positive-reinforcement events. Operant theory is largely moot on this point, and most operant research is uninformative because of a scaling problem that prevents aversive events and those based on positive reinforcement from being directly compared. In the present investigation, humans' mouse-click responses were maintained on similarly structured, concurrent schedules of positive (money gain) and negative (avoidance of money loss) reinforcement. Because gains and losses were of equal magnitude, according to the analytical conventions of the generalized matching law, bias (log b (double dagger) 0) would indicate differential impact by one type of consequence; however, no systematic bias was observed. Further research is needed to reconcile this outcome with apparently robust findings in other literatures of superior behavior control by aversive events. In an incidental finding, the linear function relating log behavior ratio and log reinforcement ratio was steeper for concurrent negative and positive reinforcement than for control conditions involving concurrent positive reinforcement. This may represent the first empirical confirmation of a free-operant differential-outcomes effect predicted by contingency-discriminability theories of choice.     

REINFORCER ACCUMULATION IN A TOKEN-REINFORCEMENT CONTEXT WITH PIGEONS

Four pigeons were exposed to a token-reinforcement procedure with stimulus lights serving as tokens. Responses on one key (the token-production key) produced tokens that could be exchanged for food during an exchange period. Exchange periods could be produced by satisfying a ratio requirement on a second key (the exchange-production key). The exchange-production key was available any time after one token had been produced, permitting up to 12 tokens to accumulate prior to exchange. Token accumulation, measured in terms of both frequency (percent cycles with accumulation) and magnitude (mean number of tokens accumulated), decreased as the token-production ratio increased from 1 to 10 across conditions (with exchange-production ratio held constant), and increased as the exchange-production ratio increased from 1 to 250 across conditions (with token-production ratio held constant). When tokens were removed, accumulation decreased markedly compared to conditions with tokens and the same schedules. These data show that token accumulation is an orderly function of token-production and exchange-production schedules, and they are broadly consistent with a unit-price model based on local and global responses per reinforcer.     

Reversed PREE under multiple schedules: Exploration of a modulation hypothesis

When reinforcer rates are manipulated in within-subjects designs, persistence in subsequent extinction trials is sometimes greater to the response alternative associated with the higher reinforcer rate (“reversed” partial reinforcement extinction effect, RPREE). The RPREE is often held to be a contradiction to the conventional PREE. To explore the interaction between these effects, student subjects were exposed to a multiple high-density and low-density reinforcement schedule, then to extinction conditions. Subjects in two control conditions received the high- and low-density schedules only. For all groups, general extinction persistence was elevated, and a within-subjects RPREE occurred under the multiple schedule. The RPREE was caused by the low-density component increasing persistence to the high-density component; the high-density component did not decrease persistence to the low-density component. These results support the view that the RPREE may be a within-subjects effect of the conventional PREE.     

从脑机制角度看言语知觉的理论争论

言语知觉领域主要的理论争论是听觉理论和动觉理论的对立, 争论的焦点围绕言语知觉是否需要动作表征的中介。言语知觉脑机制的研究有助于澄清事实。脑机制的探讨表明言语知觉主要激活了后部听觉皮层区, 包括颞上皮层的背侧(颞横回和颞平面)和外侧区(颞上回和颞上沟); 而前部和言语产生相关的动作皮层并没有表现出一致的激活模式。言语产生相关的动作表征主要在一些特殊任务情形中以自上而下的反馈机制影响了言语知觉, 可能并非正常言语知觉所必须。     

关系补救：类型、潜在机制与作用模型

关系补救是当一种侵犯行为导致关系中的正面状态消失、负面状态出现时, 由一方、双方或第三方做出并使关系恢复到积极状态的一系列行为集合。现有研究主要集中在垂直关系补救与个体-组织关系补救方面。垂直关系补救分为挑战、提供、接受、感激四个阶段, 应根据关系违背类型和文化类型权变性地选择补救策略。个体-组织关系补救的潜在机制为信任展示机制和不信任的约束机制, 应根据一致性原则, 进行系统性与动态性的关系补救。未来的研究可以基于嵌入视角提炼工具变量, 并进行跨层次多要素协同整合分析, 推进本土化的实证研究。     

本族效应的认知神经机制

本族效应是指个体对本族面孔比异族面孔有更好的再认的现象。本族面孔和异族面孔诱发的N170、P200、N200与“DM”效应存在显著差异, 这些脑电成分与本族效应的编码有关, 即对异族面孔编码不充分是本族效应产生的部分原因; “新旧”效应主要从提取角度解释本族效应, 认为提取异族面孔比本族面孔困难。与本族效应有关的主要脑区有梭状回、扣带回与杏仁核等。此外, 丰富的本族面孔知觉经验也会造成本族面孔的右半球优势比异族面孔大。未来研究除了要继续探讨本族效应的某些脑电成分、关注本族效应消失的神经机制以外, 从整合观点探讨本族效应的神经机制也是未来的研究方向。     

A quantitative review of overjustification effects in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The overjustification hypothesis suggests that extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic rewards are common in strengthening behavior in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities; we examined overjustification effects in this context. A literature search yielded 65 data sets permitting comparison of responding during an initial no‐reinforcement phase to a subsequent no‐reinforcement phase, separated by a reinforcement phase. We used effect sizes to compare response levels in these two no‐reinforcement phases. Overall, the mean effect size did not differ from zero; levels in the second no‐reinforcement phase were equally likely to be higher or lower than in the first. However, in contrast to the overjustification hypothesis, levels were higher in the second no‐reinforcement phase when comparing the single no‐reinforcement sessions immediately before and after reinforcement. Outcomes consistent with the overjustification hypothesis were somewhat more likely when the target behavior occurred at relatively higher levels prior to reinforcement.