Question

An examples involving escape, avoidance, and punishment are outlined in the following paragraphs. Identify components and processes underlying the behavior.

Bobby the mousewas trained that a light signaled a very loud and scary noise. He could stop the noise if he pressed the lever, and he learned this pretty quickly. At first, he would press the lever as soon as the noise came on. After a while, he would press the lever when he saw the light.  

1. Which process makes Bobby press the lever after the loud noise? ______________________________
2. Which process makes Bobby press the lever when he sees the light? ___________________________

Using the two-process theory of avoidance, describe the scenario described above.  Include notation.

First Process:

Second Process:

Nicole wanted her teenage son to stop cursing. So when he would, she took his phone away for the rest of the day. In the future, her son stopped cursing around her.   He still cursed in front of his friends, though.

1. Why is he still cursing around his friends and not his mom?
2. Fill in the table to identify the ups and downs of using punishment to modify behavior.

   Potential Results	Potential Problems

Answer 1

Escape, avoidance, and punishment

The Case Of Bobby The Mouse - Escape & Avoidance: Reinforcement Strategies

Which process makes Bobby press the lever after the loud noise?

This is an escape strategy displayed by the mouse, Bobby. The noise is unpleasant and Bobby has been conditioned to learn that pressing the lever stops the noise. Therefore, Bobby presses the level upon hearing the noise to stop the unpleasant experience. It is an escape mechanism because the unpleasant scenario is already in place. This is an instrumental or operant conditioning response.

Which process makes Bobby press the lever when he sees the light?

Bobby the mouse has associated the light with the sound. Bobby sees that light comes before the loud and scary sound and there has formed an association between the two. Bobby realizes that if there is light before the sound then lack of light should mean no sound. Therefore, Bobby presses the lever on seeing the light so that the unpleasant sound can altogether be avoided. This is an avoidance mechanism, stopping the sound before the unpleasant scenario even plays out. This is a classically conditioned response.

First Process: Bobby the mouse hears the noise and decides to stop it by pressing the lever. It is voluntary. This is an example of Escape, a reinforcement strategy that escapes the unpleasant stimulus. This is also called operant conditioning where the response is a mechanism to escape the unpleasant stimulus, which eventually becomes reinforcement.

Second Process: Bobby the mouse associates light coming before the noise as something that is a cause of the noise. This is an avoidance mechanism where Bobby learns to associate that when there is light an unpleasant noise will follow. Therefore bobby actively avoids the unpleasant stimulus by pressing the lever on seeing the light.

The Case Of Nicole - Punishment Strategy

Why is he still cursing around his friends and not his mom?

Because cursing is Nicole's reward due to the Negative Punishment enforced by his mother. Usage of the phone is a rewarding experience and something that Nicole looks forward to. When attempting to rectify his ways, Nicole's mom removes the reward thereby enforcing negative punishment. Nicole is aware that his mom can only restrict his cursing behavior when she is around and therefore feels no need to stop cursing around his friends. There is no negative punishment around his friends and therefore he continues to curse around his friends.

Fill in the table to identify the ups and downs of using punishment to modify behavior.

Potential Results Potential Problems
Lack of reduction in undesirable behavior           Punishment was not administered immediately following the behavior
Undesirable behavior persists Inconsistency in applying punishment
The reappearance of undesirable behavior         Withdrawing punishment too early, not mentioning desirable behavior
Undesirable behavior worsens Potential abuse of punishment mechanism