Learning & Maladaptive

BehaviorLecture 16

Maladaptive Behavior Detrimental to well-being/survival How is it acquired?

Normal learning mechanisms Operant (Instrumental) conditioning

overt behaviors Pavlovian conditioning

CERs physiological responses covert behaviors ~

Maladaptive Learning: Pavlovian

Conditioned Emotional Responses fear/anxiety anticipatory pain

Phobias Depression Panic Disorder

With agoraphobia Post-traumatic stress-disorder ~

Conditioned Emotional Responses

Acquired Motivation Motivates maladaptive behaviors covert behavior: Fear & Anxiety Pavlovian

Self-medication Addictive behaviors Mood modification Via behavior or substance use acquisition by operant ~

Maladaptive Learning: Instrumental

Eating Disorders Anorexia nervosa; Bulimia Obesity

Substance abuse & addiction Abusive relationships Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Learned Helplessness

Related to depression ~

Maladaptive Eating Behaviors Higher incidence of

depression & anxiety OCD & substance abuse women: relationship problems

Maintained via reinforcement self-medication

Obesity positive & negative reinforcement health problems ~

Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa little or no eating

Bulimia binge & purge

Motivation? Negative body image anxiety lack of control

Control eating RFT ~

Substance Abuse & Addiction

Abused/Addictive drugs Positive reinforcers Negative reinforcers Aversive aftereffects

Normal reinforcement mechanisms Same as natural reinforcers

Strengthens drug-taking behavior Addiction: compulsive use ~

Abusive Relationships Why do women stay with men who

physically abuse them? Pain as punishment

Honeymoon phase as Pos RFT Initially later following abuse

History of punishing behavior early weak later severe habituation ~

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessions Persistent, intrusive thoughts Produce anxiety

Compulsions Repetitive behaviors Reduce anxiety

Acquired & maintained by… Negative reinforcement ~

Learned Helplessness

Animal model of depression No contingency b/n behavior &

aversive outcomes Saversive : B no effect

Global expectancy develops ineffectiveness of behavior Failure to respond even when it

may be successful ~

Experimental procedure

Master response can terminate shock

Yoked shocked w/ master no control over shock ~

Master rat Yoked rat

Give all avoidance training

Transfer all to shuttlebox training Standard escape / avoidance task

Will they learn to escape? Master? Yoked? ~

Master vs Yoked

Difference in escape learning, but Both shocked

Same number Same intensity Same duration

How do they differ? Control of shock ~

Conclusions

Yoked rat develops expectation no response will terminate shock generalizes to other situations

Global expectancy of ineffectiveness ~

Uncontrollable Aversive Events

LearnedHelplessness

Stress-induced Analgesia

Decrease in pain sensitivity Occurs in rats in uncontrollable

circumstances Use same rats from learned

helplessness Test for analgesia Tail Flick Test ~

Results

Master no analgesia stress is controllable

Yoked rat analgesic stress is uncontrollable

Less sensitive to pain May stay in contact with painful

stimulus longer Injury more likely ~

Kids & Math Problems

Dweck & Rapucci (1973) 5th graders given series of math

problems Give easy problems

performance good Give unsolvable problems Give easy again

difficulty doing easy problems ~

Adjunctive Behavior Excessive behavior

Byproduct of intermittent RFT of another behavior

moderate FI schedules Distractive behaviors: excessive…

TV viewing, talking, hobbies, etc Deleterious behaviors

Aggression, substance abuse, OCD, eating, hyperactivity, etc. ~

Adjunctive Behavior: Polydypsia

Falk (1961) Food-deprived rats Bar press, FI1 min for food RFT Water available, no deprivation

Response patterns Expected FI pattern for bar press Unexpected: excessive drinking ~

Drank up to ½ body wgt in 3 hours Not being reinforced Drinking immediately after RFT

Also for Attack behavior, overeating And in several species

SR deprivation adjunctive behavior Can act as RFT for other behaviors

Premack Principle ~

Adjunctive Behavior: Polydypsia

Adjunctive Behavior: Conflict Between

Obtaining valued RFT And abandoning situation e.g., work vs family; hi risk jobs

Rate of RFT important Too rich or lean No conflict

Rich: stay and respond Lean: abandon

Moderate adjunctive behavior Conflict ~

Adjunctive Behavior: Conflict

Displacement Activity Irrelevant behavior (e.g.,killing time) when confronted by conflict Or thwarted from attaining goal

How could it be adaptive? response variation Remain in situation where valued RFT

might occur ~

Case Study: B.S.

24-year-old male Moderate mental retardation & BD Aggression: others, objects, self

Activity Schedule toileting every hour (FI1 hr) SIB after toilet

Change of schedule to VI1 hr

almost completely eliminated SIB ~