Chapter+07+Differential+Reinforcement+and+Differential+Punishment+ANSWERS

** Differential Reinforcement and Differential Punishment ** ** ANSWERS **
 * Chapter 7 **

** ANSWER: **

 * ==== Similarities**:** Both contingencies result in an increased frequency of responding. ====
 * ==== Crucial Difference**:** The **differential reinforcement** procedure includes a reinforcement contingency and ALSO an extinction procedure. The **response class is divided into** **two sets** of responses along a response dimension by an arbitrarily chosen value, and one set of response dimensions is reinforced while the other is extinguished. **Plain-vanilla reinforcement** does NOT divide the response class into two set; it reinforces all responses that fall into that specific response class. ====


 * b.)** Illustrate the differences using a pair of examples from the Skinner box.
 * Differential Reinforcement:**

**Plain Vanilla Reinforcement:**
**c.)** Using the examples that you’ve provided, please explain the differences between the two concepts using the terminology that you had provided in your answer to 1a.

=
**ANSWER:** In the **differential reinforcement** procedure the response dimension is force of the lever press, and the value chosen for our contingency is 20 grams. So for the set of responses of “lever presses stronger than 20g” water will be given to reinforce the forceful lever press. For the other set of responses, those “lever presses weaker than 20g”, no water will be given, and the weak lever press will extinguish. In the **plain-vanilla reinforcement** contingency, ALL lever presses are reinforced without regard to the dimension of force. Therefore, no matter how forcefully lever is pressed, the reinforcer of water will be delivered. ===== **2.)** Differential escape vs. plain escape. //(This is similar to the previous question except that we are dealing with escape [negative reinforcement] instead of reinforcement [positive reinforcement], but extinction is still involved)//  **a.)** Compare and Contrast **ANSWER:** Similar to the previous answer in 1a, both differential escape and plain-vanilla escape result in an increase of responding. However, **differential escape** contains an escape contingency and **ALSO contains an extinction procedure**. In differential escape, the response class is divided into two sets of responses based upon an arbitrary distinction made along one response dimension. One of the sets of responses is reinforced using the escape contingency, while another is extinguished. In **plain-vanilla escape**, there is NO distinction along a specific dimension and **ALL** responses that fall into that response class are reinforced.
 * In differential reinforcement response is divided along dimension of force
 * Lever presses greater than 20g of force are reinforced with water
 * Lever presses less than 20g of force are extinguished
 * In plain reinforcement ALL lever presses are reinforced
 * Differential escape is divided into two dimentions of a response class
 * One set of responses is reinforced with extinction and the other is extinguished
 * Plain escape reinforced ALL responses with escape

**b.)** Illustrate the differences using a pair of examples from the Skinner box.

**ANSWER:** **c.)** Using the examples that you’ve provided, please explain the differences between the two concepts (this should be similar to how you answered question 1c.) **ANSWER:** In the **differential escape** procedure the response dimension is force of the lever press, and the value chosen for our contingency is 20 grams. So for lever presses that are performed with more force than 20g, the lever press will be reinforced by the termination of the shock. For lever presses performed that use less than 20g of force, the shock will STAY on, thus weaker lever presses are extinguished. In the **plain-vanilla escape** contingency, ALL lever presses regardless of their level of force will result in the reinforcing outcome of the shock’s termination.
 * Differential Escape**
 * Plain-Vanilla Escape**
 * In differential escape the response dimension is force of lever press
 * Lever presses greater than 20g will be reinforced by the termination of the shock
 * Lever presses less than 20g will be extinguished
 * In plain escape ALL lever presses will be reinforced by the termination of the shock

**REVIEW:** Please write a definition for a Differential Penalizing Procedure **ANSWER:** **The Differential Penalty Procedure –** Penalizing one set of responses while allowing another set of responses to recover.

**3.)** The differential reinforcement procedure vs. the differential penalty procedure. **a.)** Give a pair of Skinner box examples using the same reinforcement contingency for both (//Remember: For all punishment or penalty contingencies, there is always a reinforcement contingency maintaining the response//) **ANSWER:** We will use the same differential reinforcement contingency as in 1a. For differential penalty, the **reinforcement contingency** maintaining the response will be: And the **differential penalty** **contingency** will be: **b.)** What’s the common confusion?  **ANSWER:** People tend to forget that there needs to be a **separate reinforcement contingency** maintaining a response if a penalty contingency is going to suppress that response above or below a specific value along some dimension (in our example, all lever presses weaker than 20g are suppressed). The usual error that people make when comparing a differential reinforcement procedure and a differential penalty procedure is to simply “flip” the outcomes of the differential reinforcement procedure and believe that they have demonstrated an example of a differential penalty procedure.
 * Differential Reinforcement:**
 * People **mistakenly** think there needs to be a separate maintaining reinforcement contingency.
 * People **mistakenly** flip the outcomes of differential reinforcement and call it differential penalty.

(//Please refer to following diagram as an example of this **INCORRECT** attempt to demonstrate a differential penalty procedure.This diagram need not be part of your answer given in class, but is only provided to illustrate the “flip” we are speaking of.)//

**??Penalty??**

**??Recovery??** //(This is INCORRECT because there is no separate reinforcement contingency maintaining the response. This ISN’T an example of penalty and recovery, but of reinforcement (on the bottom) and extinction (on the top). In the correct example given in 3a, water is used as a reinforcer to maintain the lever press, while the differential withholding of food is the outcome for the differential penalty procedure.)//