Problem 3 - An Introduction to Theories of Personality

Question

Give an example from real life or from fiction to illustrate each of the following Skinnerian concepts: (a) response shaping, (b) partial reinforcement, (c) stimulus generalization, (d) discrimination, (e) extinction.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

1. Response Shaping: A dog learns to roll over through progressive rewarding of desired behavior. 2. Partial Reinforcement: Slot machines reward users occasionally, enforcing gambling behavior. 3. Stimulus Generalization: A child fears all animals after being bitten by a dog, generalizing the reaction to one stimulus to a broader range. 4. Discrimination: A person may respond to one stimulus (a bell) and not another (a buzzer), showing they can tell the difference. 5. Extinction: A lab rat stops pressing a lever when it no longer provides food, showing extinction of the learned behavior.

Step 1: Understanding the Skinnerian Concepts

Firstly, let's understand each of the Skinnerian concepts: (a) Response shaping is a gradual learning process which involves reinforcement of each successive step that moves the individual closer to the desired response. (b) Partial reinforcement is where a response is reinforced only part of the time. (c) Stimulus generalization refers to the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli. (d) Discrimination is the ability to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other stimuli that have not been paired with an unconditioned stimulus. (e) Extinction is the disappearance of a previously learned behavior when the behavior is not reinforced.

Step 2: Generating Real life or Fictional Examples

Next, we must generate examples for each concept. For example: (a) A dog being trained to roll over would be an example of response shaping, starting with rewarding the dog for lying down, then only rewarding when it rolls partially, and finally when it fully rolls over. (b) A slot machine is an example of partial reinforcement, where the reward (money) occurs only occasionally when the lever is pulled. (c) If a child has been bitten by a dog and then becomes scared of all animals, that demonstrates stimulus generalization. (d) If a person salivates to the sound of a bell but not to the sound of a buzzer, this is an example of discrimination. (e) A rat in a lab stops pressing a lever when it no longer results in food, thus demonstrating extinction.

Step 3: Presenting and Concluding Examples

Finally, write down the examples for each concept. Make sure they clearly illustrate the concept they are meant to represent. After each example, briefly explain how it serves as a representation of the concept.