PENALTY

Chapter 5

PENALTY CONTINGENCY

• The immediate, response-contingent REMOVAL of a REINFORCER resulting in a decreased frequency of that response

BEFORE BEHAVIOR AFTER

Penalty Contingencies

Before Behavior After

Mark has all his points

Mark threatens Mark loses 50 points

Jo has 25 cents Jo swears Jo loses 25 cents

Bob has 10 M&M’s

Bob raises his hand

Bob loses an M&M

Graph

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

None Traditional Penalty

Threats

Threats

Interventions

Penalty Principle

• A response becomes less frequent if loss of a reinforcer or a decrease in a reinforcer has immediately followed it in the past.

Punishment, penalty, or escape?

Before Behavior After

Ed has painful rock in shoe

Ed shakes rock out of shoe

Ed has no painful rock

Jo has no dust in eyes

Jo blows on dusty surface

Jo has painful dust in eyes

Bill has $2 Bill jumps on furniture

Bill loses $1

What contingency?

Before Behavior After

Shock Lever press No shock

No shock Lever press Shock

Food pellets Lever press No food pellets

Contingency Table

Stimulus, event, or condition Present Remove

Reinforcer Reinforcement Penalty

Aversive Condition

Punishment Escape

Specific Penalty Contingencies

• Response cost

• Time out from positive reinforcement

Response-Cost Contingency

• The immediate response-contingent removal of a tangible reinforcer resulting in a decreased frequency of the response

Response Cost

Behavior:

Sam bounces a basketball off of mother’s head

Before:

Sam has new basketball

After:

Sam no longer has new basketball

Time-out ContingencyThe immediate response-contingent removal of

access to a reinforcer resulting in a decreased frequency of that response.

Diagram this contingency. What do you need to know?

Need to Know?

• The target behavior (response)– YELLING OUT

Time Out

Behavior:

Frank yells out

Before:

Frank has access to attention/toys

After:

Frank has no access to attention/toys for 3 minutes

Response Cost vs. Time-Out

• Response Cost– Removal of the

reinforcers themselves

– Loss of earned reinforcers

– Lost forever

– tangibles

• Time-Out– Removal of access to

reinforcers

– Loss of opportunity to earn reinforcers

– Lost temporarily

– Activities

Time-Out

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Baseline Reinforcement Time-Out

Yelling Out

Intervention

% of time

Law of Effect

• The effects of our actions determine whether we will repeat them.

results

E. L. Thorndike

Cats in a puzzle box

• Responses made just prior to “pleasant events” are more likely to be repeated, while responses made just prior to “unpleasant” events are more likely to diminish.

Pleasant events

• Satisfiers

Unpleasant events

• Annoyers

Rolling Over the Dead Man

• Not being tardy

• Not eating junk food

• Not speeding

Basic Behavioral Contingencies

R e in fo rce m e nt E sca pe

R e in fo rce m e ntF req u en cy In cre ases

P u n ish m e nt

R e spo n se C o st T im e -O ut

P en a lty

P u n ish m e ntF re qu en cy D ec re ases

B a sic B eh av io ra l C on tin ge n cies

Penalty & Reinforcement

Before:

Sam has no attention

Before:

Sam can play with toys

After:

Sam has attentionBehavior:

Sam bounces ball off his mother’s head

Inappropriate Natural Reinforcement Contingency

Performance-Management Penalty Contingency

After:

Sam can’t play with the toys

Review

• Contingency Table

Contingency Table

Remove

Contingency Table

Stimulus, Event, or Condition

Remove

Contingency Table

Stimulus, Event, or Condition

Remove

Contingency Table

Stimulus, event, or condition Reinforcer Aversive

condition

Remove Penalty Escape

Present Reinforcement Punishment

Contingency Table

Stimulus, event, or condition Present Remove

Reinforcer Reinforcement Penalty

Aversive Condition

Punishment Escape

Reversal Designs

An experimental design in which we reverse between intervention and baseline conditions to assess the effects of those conditions.

Definition of ABA Design

An experimental design in which the intervention and baseline conditions are reversed to assess the effects of those conditions

0

20

40

60

80

100

days

nu

mb

er

of tim

es A B A

Before Behavior After

Ed has painful rock in shoe

Ed shakes rock out of shoe

Ed has no painful rock

Jo has no dust in eyes

Jo blows on dusty surface

Jo has painful dust in eyes

Bill has $2 Bill jumps on furniture

Bill loses $1