Biology Flashcards: Selectionism Concepts

Questions and Answers

What is a model?

An antecedent stimulus that evokes an imitative behavior.

What are planned models?

Prearranged antecedent stimuli that evoke an imitative behavior.

What are unplanned models?

Antecedent stimuli without prior arrangement that evoke imitative behavior.

What is an imitation training program?

A structured approach to teach imitative behaviors through models, assessments, and training sessions. Signup and view all the answers

Guidelines for imitation training suggest keeping sessions brief, typically _____ minutes long.

10 to 15 Signup and view all the answers

What is shaping?

The process of systematically and differentially reinforcing successive approximations to terminal behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is task analysis?

Breaking a complex skill into teachable units. Signup and view all the answers

What is chaining?

The teaching process by which discrete behaviors are linked together to form a complex behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What does NCR stand for?

Noncontingent reinforcement. Signup and view all the answers

What is an independent group contingency?

An arrangement where a contingency is presented to all members of a group, but reinforcement is delivered only to those who meet the outlined criterion. Signup and view all the answers

What does Phylogenic Selectionism refer to?

The history of natural evolution of a species. Signup and view all the answers

What is Ontogenic Selectionism?

The development of an individual organism during its lifetime. Signup and view all the answers

Cultural Selectionism is defined as:

Behavior passed on from one individual to another. Signup and view all the answers

What does Determinism refer to?

The presumption that the universe is lawful and orderly. Signup and view all the answers

What is Empiricism?

Observation independent from biases. Signup and view all the answers

Parsimony in behavior analysis means:

Simple explanations are favored before more complex ones. Signup and view all the answers

Pragmatism is associated with:

Inductive reasoning based on specific observations. Signup and view all the answers

What does an Environmental explanation of behavior focus on?

Measurable and observable events. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Mentalistic explanation of behavior?

Behavior explained using hypothetical constructs. Signup and view all the answers

What is Radical Behaviorism?

A focus on all human behavior, both public and private. Signup and view all the answers

What does Methodological Behaviorism refer to?

Focusing solely on public behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of Experimental Analysis of Behavior?

To conduct basic laboratory research focused on operant behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is Applied Behavior Analysis?

The science of analyzing and improving behavior using principles of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What are Behavioral technologies?

Defined operative procedures that can be replicated. Signup and view all the answers

What does Behavior encompass?

The activities of living organisms, including everything they say or do. Signup and view all the answers

What does behavioral momentum describe?

The rate of responding and its resistance to change in reinforcement conditions. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Response?

A specific instance of a behavior. Signup and view all the answers

Define a Response class.

A group of topographically different responses that generate the same consequence. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Environment include?

Everything inside and outside an organism's skin, excluding moving parts involved in behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Stimulus?

An energy change that affects an organism through its receptors. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Stimulus class?

The stimuli that evoke the same response. Signup and view all the answers

Define Stimulus equivalence.

The emergence of accurate responding to untrained and non-reinforced stimulus-stimulus relations. Signup and view all the answers

What are Respondent relations?

Respondent behavior that is unlearned and elicited by antecedent stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What does Respondent conditioning involve?

A neutral stimulus acquiring the eliciting property of an unconditioned stimulus through pairing. Signup and view all the answers

What defines Operant conditioning?

The effects of consequences on behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is Unconditioned reinforcement?

An unlearned response consequence that increases future frequency of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is Conditioned reinforcement?

A learned response consequence that increases future frequency of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is Unconditioned punishment?

An unlearned response consequence that decreases future frequency of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What is Stimulus control?

A response occurs more frequently in the presence of one stimulus than in another. Signup and view all the answers

What are Unconditioned motivating operations?

Unlearned stimulus conditions with value and behavior-altering effects. Signup and view all the answers

What are Conditioned motivating operations?

Learned stimulus conditions with value-altering effects. Signup and view all the answers

Define transitive motivating operations.

An environmental variable that establishes or abolishes the reinforcing effectiveness of another stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What does reflexive motivating operations signify?

A neutral stimulus paired with an aversive unconditioned motivating operation. Signup and view all the answers

What are surrogate motivating operations?

A neutral stimulus paired with unconditioned or conditioned motivating operations. Signup and view all the answers

What do behavioral contingencies refer to?

The ABC three-term contingency. Signup and view all the answers

What is contiguity?

Temporal contiguity occurs when two stimuli are experienced close together in time. Signup and view all the answers

Define functional relations.

Cause and effect exists in controlled experiments. Signup and view all the answers

What are conditional discriminations?

Reinforcing or punishing a response to an antecedent stimulus only if accompanied by other stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What does stimulus discrimination mean?

The occurrence of a response more frequently in the presence of one stimulus than in absence. Signup and view all the answers

What is response generalization?

The extent to which a learner emits untrained responses that are functionally equivalent to trained behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

Define stimulus generalization.

A response to a specific stimulus becomes associated with similar stimuli. Signup and view all the answers

What is behavioral contrast?

The phenomenon where a change in one behavior reinforces or punishes another behavior oppositely. Signup and view all the answers

What does extinction mean?

The withholding of reinforcers for previously reinforced behavior, leading to a decrease in that behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What are echoics?

A speaker repeats the verbal behavior of another speaker with point-to-point correspondence. Signup and view all the answers

What are intraverbals?

A speaker responds differentially to the verbal behavior of others without point-to-point correspondence. Signup and view all the answers

What does the matching law state?

Rates of responding across choices match the rate of reinforcement received. Signup and view all the answers

What is imitation?

A behavior-environment relation requiring a model for evoking the imitative response. Signup and view all the answers

What is rule-governed behavior?

Responses controlled by indirect contingency specifying stimuli or roles. Signup and view all the answers

What is contingency-shaped behavior?

Operant behavior controlled by direct reinforcement or punishment contingencies. Signup and view all the answers

What are mands?

Speakers ask for what they want or need, directly benefiting them. Signup and view all the answers

What are tacts?

A speaker names objects, actions, or private events. Signup and view all the answers

What is the distinction between SD and MO?

SD has a behavior-altering effect while MO has behavior and value-altering effects. Signup and view all the answers

What is the distinction between MO and reinforcement effects?

MO alters current behavior frequency and value, while reinforcement increases future behavior frequency. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes contingency-shaped behavior from rule-governed behavior?

Contingency-shaped behavior is under direct control of reinforcement, while rule-governed behavior is controlled indirectly. Signup and view all the answers

What differentiates forward and backward pairing in respondent conditioning?

Forward pairing involves the CS presented before the US, while backward conditioning reverses the order. Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between functional and topographical definitions of behavior?

Functional definitions identify responses by their effects while topographical definitions focus on their shape or form. Signup and view all the answers

What are the similarities between SD and MO?

Both have behavior-altering effects. Signup and view all the answers

What are the similarities between extinction and negative punishment?

Both decrease the future frequency and intensity of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

What are the similarities between negative punishment and negative reinforcement?

Both alter future behavior frequency or intensity; both involve stimulus removal. Signup and view all the answers

What are the types of conditioning?

Types include delayed conditioning, trace conditioning, simultaneous conditioning, and backward conditioning. Signup and view all the answers

What is Reflexivity?

Stimulus-to-stimulus relation where learners select a comparison stimulus identical to the sample stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What is Transitivity?

A derived stimulus-stimulus relation emerging from training two other relations. Signup and view all the answers

What are basic schedules of reinforcement?

The basic schedules include VI, FI, VR, and FR. Signup and view all the answers

What are the similarities between variable-interval and fixed-interval schedules?

Both require post-reinforcement pauses and increase future behavior frequency. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term Level refer to in behavior analysis?

The value on the vertical axis around which a series of behavioral measures converge. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Trend Line?

The overall direction taken by a data path in behavior analysis. Signup and view all the answers

What does Variability mean in behavioral measures?

The frequency and extent of differing outcomes from multiple measures. Signup and view all the answers

Define Duration in behavior analysis.

The amount of time a behavior occurs. Signup and view all the answers

What does Rate/Frequency refer to in behavior?

The ratio of count per observation period. Signup and view all the answers

What is Response Latency?

The time between the onset of stimulus and the initiation of a response. Signup and view all the answers

What is Inter-response time?

The amount of time elapsed between two consecutive responses. Signup and view all the answers

What is Momentary Time sampling?

Recording the presence or absence of behaviors at the moment an interval ends. Signup and view all the answers

What is Partial Interval Recording?

Recording whether the target behavior occurred at any time during an interval. Signup and view all the answers

Define Whole Interval Recording.

Recording whether the target behavior occurred throughout the entire interval. Signup and view all the answers

What does Verbal Behavior refer to?

Behavior reinforced through the mediation of other persons. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Matching Law equation express?

R1/(R1 + R2) = r1/(r1 + r2). Signup and view all the answers

What does a Variable-Interval (VI) Schedule indicate?

The first response after a variable amount of time is reinforced. Signup and view all the answers

What does a Fixed-Interval (FI) schedule signify?

The first response after a fixed amount of time is reinforced. Signup and view all the answers

What does a Variable Ratio (VR) schedule entail?

A reinforcer follows a variable number of responses. Signup and view all the answers

What does a Fixed Ratio (FR) schedule signify?

A reinforcer follows a fixed number of responses. Signup and view all the answers

What does a Concurrent Schedule imply?

Two or more independently operating contingencies for behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What is a Compound Schedule of Reinforcement?

Two or more basic schedules operating independently for different behaviors. Signup and view all the answers

What does Satiation refer to?

A decrease in operant behavior frequency due to continued contact with a reinforcer. Signup and view all the answers

What does Habituation indicate?

Gradual reduction in responsiveness to repeated presentations of a stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

What are Response prompts?

Extra stimulus cues added to an SD to enhance its salience. Signup and view all the answers

What are Antecedents and their role?

Antecedents make the SD salient and set the occasion for correct responses. Signup and view all the answers

What are Stimulus prompts?

Altering the SD to make it more noticeable. Signup and view all the answers

What is Prompt Fading?

Gradual removal of prompts to enable responses based solely on the SD. Signup and view all the answers

What does Graduated Guidance involve?

Following participant movement without direct contact but providing immediate assistance when needed. Signup and view all the answers

What does Time Delay refer to in learning?

An error-minimizing method to prevent mistakes by introducing a pause. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Phylogenic, Ontogenic, and Cultural Selectionism

Phylogenic Selectionism: Involves the evolutionary history of species' behaviors shaped by survival contingencies.
Ontogenic Selectionism: Refers to the developmental history of an individual organism, where behaviors are acquired through reinforcement and punishment over a lifetime.
Cultural Selectionism: Describes the transmission of behaviors within groups, where culture is shaped by group survival influences through reinforcement.

Key Concepts of Behaviorism

Determinism: Assumes the universe operates under consistent laws; there are clear cause-effect relationships between phenomena.
Empiricism: Advocates for objective observation of behavior, free from bias.
Parsimony: Encourages simple explanations over complex ones unless more intricate details are necessary.
Pragmatism: Focuses on practical outcomes derived from inductive reasoning and specific observations.

Behavioral Explanations

Environmental Explanation: Behavior is analyzed based on observable environmental events that impact actions.
Mentalistic Explanation: Involves hypothetical constructs explaining behavior as a function of internal mental states.

Behaviorism Approaches

Radical Behaviorism: Studies all forms of human behavior, both observable and internal.
Methodological Behaviorism: Focuses strictly on observable behaviors.
Experimental Analysis of Behavior: Engages in lab research to analyze operant behaviors.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): Utilizes behavioral principles to improve socially significant behaviors through experimentation.

Behavioral Definition and Concepts

Behavior: Encompasses all activities of living organisms, both verbal and non-verbal.
Response: A specific instance of behavior.
Response Class: A collection of different responses that result in the same outcome.

Conditioning Types

Respondent Conditioning: Involves establishing associations through stimulus pairing.
Operant Conditioning: Examines how consequences affect behavior.

Reinforcement and Punishment

Unconditioned Reinforcement: Naturally increases behavior frequency without prior learning.
Conditioned Reinforcement: Increases behavior due to learned associations.
Unconditioned Punishment: Reduces behavior frequency through inherent consequences.
Conditioned Punishment: Involves learned associations leading to decreased behavior frequency.

Stimulus Concepts

Stimulus Control: Behavioral responses are more frequent in the presence of specific stimuli.
Stimulus Class: Groups of stimuli that trigger the same response.
Stimulus Equivalence: Emerges from a learned association, demonstrating reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity through responses to stimulus relations.

Functional Relationships and Discriminations

Functional Relations: Identify cause and effect in controlled experiments.
Discrimination: Selectively responding to specific stimuli based on their presence or absence.
Generalization: Responding similarly to new, similar stimuli.

Behavioral Procedures and Measurements

Extinction: Withdrawal of reinforcement leading to behavior decrease.
Response Latency and Interresponse Time: Measure the time from stimulus to response and between consecutive responses, respectively.
Time Sampling Techniques: Momentary, partial, and whole interval recording methods for behavior assessment.

Verbal Behavior

Verbal Behavior: Behavior that is reinforced through interaction with others, can include gestures and spoken language.
Echoics and Intraverbals: Types of verbal behavior; echoics involve repeating what others say, while intraverbals require responding without direct correspondence.

Conditioning Techniques

Matching Law: Response rates align with reinforcement rates across alternatives.
Satiation and Habituation: Refer to reduced behavioral frequency due to continued exposure to a reinforcer or repeated stimuli.

Models in Learning

Modeling: Learning through observing others; can be planned or unplanned.
Imitation Training: Structured approach to teach imitation behavior through pre-assessment, model selection, and training.### Guidelines for Imitation Training
Training sessions should be brief (10-15 minutes) and active, occurring 2-3 times daily.
Maintain short intervals between trials with no more than a few seconds.
Reinforce both prompted responses and true imitative behaviors.
In early training stages, reinforce all occurrences within 3-5 seconds of the model.
Combine verbal praise and attention with tangible rewards for motivation.
If progress stalls, reassess, slow down, and revisit prior steps if necessary.
Keep a detailed record of sessions for objective evaluation and informed decision-making.
Gradually reduce verbal prompts and physical assistance as the learner progresses.
The decision to end imitation training should be based on the learner’s behavior and the set program goals.

Shaping

Involves systematic and differential reinforcement of successive approximations toward desired behavior.
The end result of shaping is termed the terminal behavior, which is the ultimate goal of the training process.

Task Analysis

Entails breaking down a complex skill into smaller, manageable teaching units.
Aims to identify the necessary sequence of behaviors for accomplishing a complex task.
Effective task analysis components should consist of skills the learner can already perform with some assistance, either verbal or visual, and/or through modeling.

Chaining

A teaching method that connects discrete behaviors to create a more complex behavior.
Each behavior acts as a link in a chain, leading to the completion of a functional skill.

NCR (Noncontingent Reinforcement)

Involves providing reinforcement based on a fixed-time (FT) or variable-time (VT) schedule, regardless of the learner's actions.
Aims to increase overall reinforcement availability without directly tying it to specific behavior.

Independent Group Contingency

A scenario where all group members are subject to the same contingency; however, only those who meet the criterion receive reinforcement.
Frequently utilized with token systems, as the reinforcement schedules do not depend on the performance of other group members.

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Test your knowledge on key concepts in biology with these flashcards on phylogenic and ontogenic selectionism. Understand how species and individual organisms evolve through natural selection and contingencies of survival. Perfect for biology students looking to deepen their understanding of evolution.