ch 8 Definition: CONCEPTS

Initial behavior

•Behavior that resembles the terminal behavior

•along some meaningful dimension

•and occurs at least with a minimal frequency.

Intermediate behaviors

•Behavior that more closely approximates the terminal behavior.

Shaping with reinforcement

•The differential reinforcement of only the behavior

•that more and more closely resembles the terminal behavior.

Summing up: Use shaping with reinforcement when you want to bring about new responses. To shape with reinforcers, identify an initial behavior that resembles the terminal behavior along some meaningful dimension. The initial behavior must occur at least with a minimal frequency. Reinforce the initial behavior until it occurs frequently. Then abandon that response. Select and differentially reinforce another response that more closely approximates the terminal behavior. Continue this procedure until the terminal behavior occurs, and reinforce it until it occurs frequently.

QUESTION

1.Define and give an example of the following concepts:

•terminal behavior

•operant level

•initial behavior

•intermediate behaviors

For this post, I would like for us to discuss some event in our lives (of course that we feel comfortable discussing) that we have associated with either good or bad experiences or any examples.Let's organize our posts in the following fashion:

1). Discuss an event that you have had with which you associated good or bad experiences.  Some of you may have this experience with a dentist's office when you were younger (sorry folks who are studying dentistry ;), going to school, giving a speech, a driving test, or asking someone out on a date! While these tend to sound like possible negative experiences, you can also use pleasant experiences like the smell of apple pie, the sight of a loved one, or a particular brand of clothes or accessory you like to wear. The event must have had subsequent effects on the way you act in the presence of that situation or object following the event.  Talk about what occurred either with the initial exposure to the event or multiple exposures over time.

2). Apply your experience(s) to the theory of classical conditioning.  Make sure that you define your variables as is typically done when defining classical conditioning (e.g., UCS, UCR, NS, CS, & CR). How would you define and classify your experiences through this lens?

3) You can use the text and/or outside reputable research to find out how we can get ourselves to, let's say, be less fearful of asking someone out, becoming more accepting of others, or even to love creepy crawly spiders as pets! unlearning, counter-conditioning, and/or intensifying the association to this specific association?  You can think of this as Based on our knowledge of classical conditioning terminology, what is one way to enhance and/or change our previous experiences?

Identify and analyze the ethical complexities often faced by leaders

What is the significance of Kava blocking the re-uptake of nor-epinephrine and decreasing the activity of monoamine oxidase on it’s behavioral profile (i.e., the effects it has on anxiety or depression)? Briefly explain.

If you go online to look up the side effects of kava, you’ll find the following: Higher doses and long term use can lead to hypertension, shortness of breath, mild GI symptoms, enlarged pupils, and possible pulmonary hypertension. Assume that kava acts on the body in a similar way as it does in the brain. Please explain the side effects profile.

Why was the use of fire important in the evolution of the genus Homo?

Use the Expensive Tissue Hypothesis and the role that calories played in the development of many of our ancestors' human-like characteristics to answer the question.

Political scientists have categorized several different ways in which power is distributed among world states (or countries).  These systems include:  Multipolar, Unipolar, Counterweight, Stratified, and Globalized.  In your discussion, choose one of these systems and explain its strong points and its weak points. Does it describe todays current global system? Give an example of this system.

Go to the web and find a case concerning contract violations. Give a synopsis (at least 2 paragraphs) of the article, and give your opinion about the article (one paragraph). You should also include a working link to the article and any references that you use.

Describe aspects of adolescent drinking. What risk factors are involved in determining if a teen has a potential for alcohol addiction? What interventions can be taken to encourage teens to avoid underage drinking.

IN 350-400 WORDS

Showing support, empathy, and using active listening skills when working with clients are soft skills which are critical to being an effective counselor. How might you use counseling theory to develop these skills?

Define what a theoretical orientation is. Report the three theories that you matched most closely to and explain whether you think the assessment was accurate and why. State the theory that was indicated as the worst match for your view of human nature, explain what makes this theory so different from your point of view.

ch5 Research Methods

THE IMPORTANCE OF BASELINES

Let’s imagine what might happen if you don’t use a proper research design. Sometimes you need a good design, even when you’re not doing research—when you’re working as a practitioner. Consider the case of Frank, a young man who was referred to the Psychology Service. He spent so many hours slapping his face, the staff had to restrain him. Before we started a behavioral intervention, we collected baseline data on his unrestrained frequency of self-injurious slapping. It was a good thing we did.

During eleven 30-minute observation periods, his frequency of face slapping rapidly dropped from over 600 an hour to nearly 0. But we hadn’t done anything! This was just baseline.

Consider this hypothetical situation: Imagine we had used a pharmacological intervention in which Frank took a tranquilizer every day in the hope that this would get rid of his face slapping. And suppose we had used the drug without getting baseline data first. It would have looked as if the drug had caused the decrease in slapping. Then Frank might have unnecessarily been on that drug the rest of his life!

Moral: We often need to collect baseline data to make sure our intervention, our independent variable, is causing any changes we see in the dependent variable. It’s important to be sure of what’s causing what, both for scientific and practical reasons. So, as scientific researchers we need to collect baselines, and even as practitioners, we sometimes need to collect baselines (for example, physicians often withhold the prescription of antibiotics for a few days to be sure the antibiotics are needed to cure your sore throat). Practitioners may need to collect baseline data when they’re not sure whether an elaborate, expensive, or potentially hazardous intervention is needed.

QUESTION

1.Give an example of the importance of collecting baseline data and what might happen if you didn’t.