MODIFICATION OF ESCAPE RESPONDING IN HUMANS BY INCREASING THE MAGNITUDE OF AN AVERSIVE EVENT¹

Abstract

Escape responding of humans on an avoidance-escape schedule was replaced by avoidance responding by increasing the magnitude of the aversive stimulus. The aversive stimulus consisted of a point loss period. The shift from escape to avoidance responding was effected under a condition of response cost.

Handbook of Research Methods in Human Operant Behavior

“…Several studies (32%) provided no programmed consequences for responding (e.g., Azrin, 1958;Flanagan et al, 1958;Maltzman, Holz, & Kunze, 1965), or paid subjects an hourly rate that was independent of performance (e.g., Weiner, 1962Weiner, , 1963Weiner, , 1964a. A few studies (12%) used other positive reinforcers such as tokens exchangeable for privileges (Ayllon & Azrin, 1966), cigarettes (Herman & Azrin, 1964;Miller, 1970), and M&M's (Romanczyk, 1976).…”

“…Point and money loss was used as a negative reinforcer in 42% of studies in the sample (e.g., Baron & Kaufman, 1968;Cherek, Spiga, Steinberg, & Kelly, 1990;Matthews & Shimoff, 1974;Weiner, 1963Weiner, , 1964a. In a prototypical experiment (Baron & Kaufman, 1968), college students sat in front of a panel that could be lit with green or red light, and that contained a 4-cm square plastic push button with a force requirement less than 1 N. The stimulus light was green throughout each session except for 1-s periods (arranged on an RS 30-s SS 10-s schedule) when it was red.…”

“…Nonphysical punishers such as point or money loss were used in 50% of studies in the sample (e.g., Crosbie, 1990Crosbie, , 1993Weiner, 1962Weiner, , 1963Weiner, , 1964a. For example, in Weiner's (1963) study, after avoidance responding was stable, each button press lost 1 point from the total.…”

History-related effects upon human escape responding: Are induction or extinction processes involved?

“…Inter-S differences in response rates have been observed under escape schedules with humans (Weiner, 1963b(Weiner, , 1964. Such differences can be controlled experimentally by providing Ss with different histories of conditioning.…”

Extinção direta e derivada de respostas de esquiva em classes de equivalência

“…Uma possibilidade seria substituir o som por outros estímulos tais como, figuras e sons aversivos do IAPS e IADS como em Roche et al (2008) ou choque elétrico como em Dougher et al (1994) e Vervoort et al (2014). Outra possibilidade seria utilizar perda de dinheiro ou pontos (e.g., Baron & Kaufman, 1968;Cherek, Spiga, Steinberg, & Kelly, 1990;Galizio, 1979;Matthews & Shimoff, 1974;Ruddle et al, 1982;Weiner, 1963Weiner, , 1964Weiner, , 1969.…”