PSYB45H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17-19: Behavior Management, Verbal Behavior, Iden
Textbook Notes PSYB45 Lec 8
Chapter #17 & Chapter #18 & Chapter #19
1
Chapter #1 – Atecedet Cotrol: Rules
ad Goals
Antecedent Control
- Because our behavior of responding to various antecedent stimuli (people, places,
words, smells, sounds, etc.) has been reinforced, punished, or extinguished, those
stimuli exert control over our behavior whenever they occur.
- Treatment packages that focus on the manipulation of antecedent stimuli—also called
antecedents—fall into the categories of rules, goals, modeling, physical guidance,
situational inducement, and motivation.
Rules
- In behavioral terminology, a rule describes a situation in which a behavior will lead to a
consequence.
- As we grew older, we learned that following rules often led to rewards
- a rule can function as an SD—a cue that emitting the behavior specified by the rule will
lead to the reinforcer identified in the rule, or a cue that not following the rule will lead
to a punisher
- Rules that do not identify all three aspects of a contingency of reinforcement are
referred to as partial rules.
Contingency-Shaped versus Rule-Governed Behavior
- not all consequnces of behavior in specific situations have descriptive verbal stimuli
associated with them
- contingency-shaped behavior—behavior that develops because of its immediate
consequences rather than because of a specific statement or rule.
- rule-governed behavior—behavior controlled by the statement of a rule.
- Contingency-shaped behavior involves immediate consequences and is typically
stegtheed gaduall though tial ad eo—or, to be more precise, through
immediate reinforcement and nonreinforcement.
- This is one of the reasons that descriptive praise Good gil fo leaig ou oo—
that is, praise that describes the specific behavior receiving the praise, also called
behavior- specific praise—is often recommended over general praise Good gil.
When Rules Are Especially helpful
When Rapid Behavior Change is Desirable
- Correct use of rules can often produce behavior change much more rapidly than
shaping, chaining, or trial and error.
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Textbook Notes PSYB45 Lec 8
Chapter #17 & Chapter #18 & Chapter #19
2
When Consequences Are Delayed
- Suppose that a parent wants to encourage a child to study for an hour or so each
evening during the week. A suitable reinforcer might be allowing the child to stay up
late on the weekend to watch a movie. However, movie watching on Friday night is long
delaed fo studig fo a hou o Moda. B addig the ule, If ou stud fo a
hou eah ight this eek, ou a ath the late oie o Fida ight, the paet
has increased the chances of the delayed reinforcer having an effect on the desired
behavior.
When Natural Reinforcers are Highly Intermittent
- Suppose that salespeople in a department store are working on a commission during
times when sales are slow. Making a sale is immediately rein- forced because it is
associated with more money for the salesperson who makes it. However, the salespeo-
ple must approach many customers before a sale is made. In other words, the schedule
of reinforcement is very lean, so ratio strain might occur. The store manager might
increase their persistence by encouragig the salespeople to ehease the ule, Be
pesistet! The e et ustoe ight ea a sale.
When Behavior will Lead to Immediate and Severe Punishment
- ‘ules a help people lea appopiate ehaio he leaig the had a ould
be costly.
Why Rules Control our Behavior
- Why do we follow rules that identify very delayed consequences?
o First, although the reinforcer identified in a rule might be delayed for an
individual, other people might provide other immediate consequences if the
individual follows or does not follow the rule.
o Second, an individual might follow a rule and then immediately make reinforcing
statements.
o A third possibility is that our operant–respondent interactions (see Chapter 15)
give us a reinforcement history so that following rules is automatically
strengthened and failure to follow rules is automatically punished.
- Rules introduce extra stimuli and responses that, in some circumstances, can have the
net effect of interfering with contingency-shaped behavior.
Effective and Ineffective Rules
Specific Versus Vague Descriptions of Behavior
- A rule that describes behavior specifically is more likely to be followed than a rule that
describes a behavior vaguely.
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Textbook Notes PSYB45 Lec 8
Chapter #17 & Chapter #18 & Chapter #19
3
Specific versus Vague Descriptions on Circumstances
- A rule that describes specific circumstances in which the behavior should occur is more
likely to be followed than a rule that describes the circumstances vaguely or not at all.
Probable Versus Improbable Consequences
- Rules are likely to be followed if they iden- tify behavior for which the consequences are
highly probable even though they might be delayed.
- However, for a rule to be effective when it describes improbable or low-frequency
consequences, it might need to be supplemented by other behavior management
strate- gies, such as modeling (see Chapter 18), self-monitoring (see Chapter 26), or
behavioral contracting (see Chapter 26). Governments often supplement low-probability
natural consequences with laws that specify high-probability consequences, such as
fines, for not using protective equipment
- This is because health-care costs and disability payments due to accidents lead to higher
taxes that result in punish- ment for politicians in the form of bad public relations and
lost elections.
Sizeable Consequences Versus Small but Cumulatively Significant Consequences
- Rules that describe sizeable consequences are likely to be effective.
- Rules that describe small consequences that are harmful or beneficial only after they
have accumulated, and therefore only after a long delay, are likely to be ineffective
unless complemented by some of the self-management strategies described in Chapter
26.
Deadlines Versus No Deadlines
- Giving a 4-year-old children rules to perform behavior with no deadline and a 1-week
delay of the reinforcer were relatively ineffective, while giving the children rules to
perform behavior with a deadline and a 1-week delay of a reinforcer were quite
effective.
- To summarize, rules that describe specific circumstances and deadlines for specific
behavior that will lead to sizeable and probable outcomes are often effective even when
the outcomes are delayed
Guidelines for Using Rules Effectively
1. The rules should be within the understanding of the individual to whom they are
applied.
2. Rules should clearly identify: a. the circumstances in which the behavior should
occurb. the specific behavior in which the individual is to engagec. a deadline for
performing the behaviord. the specific consequences involved in complying with the
rule, and/or e. the specific consequences for not complying with the rule.
3. Rules should describe probable and sizeable outcomes rather than improbable and
small outcomes. (Rules that describe improbable and/or small consequences might
need to be supplemented by some of the procedures described in Chapter 26.)
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Document Summary
Chapter #1(cid:1011) a(cid:374)tecede(cid:374)t co(cid:374)trol: rules a(cid:374)d goals. Because our behavior of responding to various antecedent stimuli (people, places, words, smells, sounds, etc. ) has been reinforced, punished, or extinguished, those stimuli exert control over our behavior whenever they occur. Treatment packages that focus on the manipulation of antecedent stimuli also called antecedents fall into the categories of rules, goals, modeling, physical guidance, situational inducement, and motivation. In behavioral terminology, a rule describes a situation in which a behavior will lead to a consequence. As we grew older, we learned that following rules often led to rewards. A rule can function as an sd a cue that emitting the behavior specified by the rule will lead to the reinforcer identified in the rule, or a cue that not following the rule will lead to a punisher. Rules that do not identify all three aspects of a contingency of reinforcement are referred to as partial rules.
