EAB 3765 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Slot Machine

• School: FIU
• Department: Experimental Analysis of Behav
• Course: EAB 3765
• Professor: Janet Vasquez

Document Summary

1. reinforcement: the process in which a behavior is strengthened (more likely to occur) by the immediate consequence that follows its occurrence. 2. reinforcement works because: - reinforcement is a process. Behavior must be strengthened, reinforcement has not occurred if behavior did not strengthen. 4. reinforcers: not always positive; a stimulus that causes the increase of behavior. 5. primary reinforcer: reinforce behavior without prior learning; established through the phylogenic history of species; biologically determined; ex: food, water. 6. conditioned reinforcer: previously neutral stimulus paired with an established reinforcer, will function as a reinforcer; ex: sight, sound. "generalized" conditioned reinforcer: paired with many other types of primary and common reinforcers; ex" money and tokens; retain value despite local fluctuations in motivation for any given item. 8. establishing operation (eo): makes a reinforcer more potent; makes a behavior that produces that reinforcer more likely to occur at that time; ex: food becomes more valuable when a person is hungry.