RESPONSE COST AND THE AVERSIVE CONTROL OF HUMAN OPERANT BEHAVIOR<sup>1</sup>

Weiner, Harold

doi:10.1901/jeab.1963.6-415

Cited by 66 publications

(44 citation statements)

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“…In a similar manner, Baron and Kaufman (1966) studied the aversive properties of timeout from monetary reinforcement using a schedule in which each response postponed termination of a payment signal. Other experiments have demonstrated the aversive properties of such events as loss of points (Weiner, 1963) and timeout from a cartoon movie for nursery school children (Baer, 1960 rather than electric shock, as the aversive event. For this reason, they provide relatively little systematic information about the variables controlling human avoidance of loss or timeout.…”

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FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

Baron

Kaufman

1968

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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A 15-sec stimulus followed by unavoidable monetary loss was presented to human subjects who were avoiding loss on a free-operant schedule. As has been observed in studies where shock is the aversive event, initial reactions to the pre-loss stimulus were transient increases in overall and stimulus rates. Unlike shock studies, continued training produced decreased rates, in the presence of the 15-sec stimulus, which were maintained in two of three subjects. Subsequent observations indicated that lowered rates were a function of the subject's rate of avoidance responding, the duration of the stimulus, and the scheduling of avoidable losses. Increasing the duration of the stimulus eliminated lowered rates in the presence of the stimulus and subsequent exposures to conditions which previously produced lowered rates did not result in recovery of the phenomenon. Introduction of the pre-loss stimulus on an extinction baseline (avoidable losses were omitted), however, reinstituted lowered rates. It is proposed that the pre-loss stimulus assumed discriminative control over low rates because responding in the presence of the stimulus was ineffective in avoiding the unavoidable loss. Recovery from lowered rates is attributed to the occurrence of avoidable losses during the stimulus period, and maintenance of lowered rates on the extinction schedule to the omission of such avoidable losses.Free-operant avoidance behavior of human subjects can be effectively maintained by "loss" of or "timeout" from positive reinforcement. Stone (1961), for example, trained subjects to avoid the disappearance of pennies from a magazine displayed before them. If the subject did not respond, pennies disappeared at a fixed rate; each response postponed the next disappearance of a penny for a fixed time period. In a similar manner, Baron and Kaufman (1966) studied the aversive properties of timeout from monetary reinforcement using a schedule in which each response postponed termination of a payment signal. Other experiments have demonstrated the aversive properties of such events as loss of points (Weiner, 1963) and timeout from a cartoon movie for nursery school children (Baer, 1960 rather than electric shock, as the aversive event. For this reason, they provide relatively little systematic information about the variables controlling human avoidance of loss or timeout. A notable exception, however, is the finding that avoidance rates increase as an inverse function of the interval by which loss or timeout is postponed (Baron and Kaufman, 1966;Stone, 1961).The present study was designed to identify other variables controlling loss-avoidance by human subjects. The procedures were suggested by studies in which animal subjects were trained to avoid shock, in particular, a study by Sidman, Herrnstein, and Conrad (1957). In that experiment, while monkeys were avoiding electric shock, a stimulus was concurrently presented and followed by unavoidable shock. Heightened rates of avoidance behavior resulted with the most marked increases occurring in the ...

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FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

Baron

Kaufman

1968

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…In a preliminary training phase, the Ss participated in a direct replication of a previous study (Weiner, 1963b). Details concerning the apparatus, task, instructions, aversive contingencies, and experimental procedures used in this preliminary phase are included in the earlier study.…”

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“…In a previous study (Weiner, 1963b), a number of escape responses were emitted by normal human subjects on an avoidance-escape schedule under a response cost condition. The present study attempted to shift such escape behavior to avoidance behavior by increasing the magnitude of the aversive event maintaining the behavior.…”

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

Weiner

1964

J Exper Analysis Behavior

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“…1971;Weiner, 1962;Weiner, 1963). The response cost procedure, however, has seldom been investigated in vocational settings with a retarded population.…”

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The Modification and Maintenance of Time Spent Attending Using Social Reinforcement, Token Reinforcement and Response Cost in an Applied Restaurant Setting

Rusch

Connis

Sowers

1978

J Spec Educ Technol

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The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate a series of program variables used to modify the time a subject spent attending in an experimental restaurant setting. Selective behaviors of a mildly retarded. female young adult were evaluated, based on combinations of three treatment variables (social reinforcement, token reinforcement and response cost) in modifying the time spent attending to task. Further, the addition of an intermittent schedule of cost contingency, delayed token exchange, delayed performance feedback. and a final weekly pay check were evaluated, and resulting levels of response maintenance were investigated. Combinations of social reinforcement, tokens and response cost were found less effective in increasing percent of time spent attending to task than were simultaneous application of all treatment variables. Relationships were established between maintenance of appropriate attending behavior and the selective withdrawal of both token reinforcement and cost contingency. Data collected suggested that an intermittent schedule of response cost, weekly token exchanges. minimal feedback on performance earning and weekly checks. in that order, were effective in maintaining response gains. Follow-up measures indicated that treatment gains were maintained after all contingencies were removed. Limitations of the present investigation and future areas of research were outlined.Descriptors: Response cost, token economy. social reinforcement. response maintenance. mentally retarded. vocational training.

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RESPONSE COST AND THE AVERSIVE CONTROL OF HUMAN OPERANT BEHAVIOR¹

Cited by 66 publications

References 6 publications

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

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

The Modification and Maintenance of Time Spent Attending Using Social Reinforcement, Token Reinforcement and Response Cost in an Applied Restaurant Setting

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RESPONSE COST AND THE AVERSIVE CONTROL OF HUMAN OPERANT BEHAVIOR1

Cited by 66 publications

References 6 publications

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS1

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS1

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

The Modification and Maintenance of Time Spent Attending Using Social Reinforcement, Token Reinforcement and Response Cost in an Applied Restaurant Setting

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Resources

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RESPONSE COST AND THE AVERSIVE CONTROL OF HUMAN OPERANT BEHAVIOR¹

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

FACILITATION AND SUPPRESSION OF HUMAN LOSS‐AVOIDANCE BY SIGNALED, UNAVOIDABLE LOSS¹

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