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1
Gomez, Francisco M. Rosales-Ruiz Jesus. "Topographical analysis of reinforcement produced variability generalizations across settings and contingencies /." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2007. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3973.
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Wennmacher, Pamela L. Rosales-Ruiz Jesus. "Effects of click + continuous food vs. click + intermittent food on the maintenance of dog behavior." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2007. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3598.
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Gomez, Francisco. "Topographical analysis of reinforcement produced variability: Generalizations across settings and contingencies." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2007. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3973/.
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This study evaluated the effects of programming a variability contingency on one object and the generalization of variability across other objects and contingencies when the defining features of the variable responses were topographical differences. A dog's interactions with five different objects were measured under both ANY (where any physical contact with the object would be reinforced on a fixed ratio schedule) and the VAR contingencies (where only the novel responses per trial would be reinforced). The ANY contingency produced stereotyped responding of behavior with all objects. When one of the dog-object interactions was changed to the VAR contingency, a marked decrease in stereotypic behavior and an increase in novel responses in the form of topographical combinations were observed across both contingencies.
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Murrey, Nicole A. Rosales-Ruiz Jesus. "The effects of combining positive and negative reinforcement during training." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2007. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3636.
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Wennmacher, Pamela L. "Effects of Click + Continuous Food Vs. Click + Intermittent Food on the Maintenance of Dog Behavior." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2007. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3598/.
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There is disagreement among clicker trainers on whether or not food should be delivered every time the clicker (conditioned reinforcer) is used. However, presenting a conditioned reinforcer without food can weaken the strength of the conditioned reinforcer and also disrupt its discriminative stimulus function. A within subjects reversal design was used with 2 dogs to compare the behavioral effects of continuous pairings (C+F condition) vs. intermittent pairings (C+C+F condition) of the clicker with food. Results show that the C+C+F condition affects the frequency, accuracy, topography, and intensity of the behavior, and increases noncompliance and other unwanted behaviors. This study adds to the literature by evaluating the effects of conditioned reinforcement in an applied setting using discrete trials without undergoing extinction.
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Murrey, Nicole A. "The Effects of Combining Positive and Negative Reinforcement During Training." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2007. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3636/.
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The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effects of combining negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement during teaching with the effects of using positive reinforcement alone. A behavior was trained under two stimulus conditions and procedures. One method involved presenting the cue ven and reinforcing successive approximations to the target behavior. The other method involved presenting the cue punir, physically prompting the target behavior by pulling the leash, and delivering a reinforcer. Three other behaviors were trained using the two cues contingent on their occurrence. The results suggest that stimuli associated with both a positive reinforcer and an aversive stimulus produce a different dynamic than a situation that uses positive reinforcement or punishment alone.
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Kenzer, Amy L. "Dishabituation of operant responding in humans /." abstract and full text PDF (free order & download UNR users only), 2007. http://0-gateway.proquest.com.innopac.library.unr.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3276957.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Nevada, Reno, 2007."May, 2007." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-64). Online version available on the World Wide Web. Library also has microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich. : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [2007]. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm.
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Rouse, Susan L. "A Comparison of Points Versus Sounds as Reinforces in Human Operant Research." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1999. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278951/.
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Research shows that human operant behavior typically differs from non-human operant behavior on schedules of reinforcement. These differences in performance may be related to differences between the experimental preparations used to study human and non-human operant behavior. One such difference is the type of reinforcer used. This experiment analyzed the differential effects of points alone, points backed up by money, and sounds on schedule performance of human subjects. Results show that sounds generated moderate rates of responding, capable of change in either direction. When points backed up with money were the reinforcers, however, high rates of behavior were generated, disrupting the previously established baseline performance. This suggests that while points may be effective in generating high rates of behavior, they may be ineffective in producing sensitive baselines needed to study human operant behavior on schedules of reinforcement.
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O'Daly, Matthew. "Influence of temporal context on value : an exploration of various operant conditioning procedures /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC IP addresses, 2005. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3159872.
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Alvey, Debi A. "A Behavioral Economic Analysis of Different Reinforcers: Sound-Clips Versus Points Exchangeable for Money." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2000. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2738/.
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Human operant studies frequently use points exchangeable for money as reinforcers. Some studies employ more immediately consumable reinforcers to emulate properties of food reinforcers. This study examined demand for points/money and for sound-clips to compare their economic characteristics. Across four participants, demand was often higher and less elastic for points/money than for sounds. During subsequent exposures at each response requirement, demand for sounds often decreased to a greater degree than demand for points/money. Thus, sound-clips seem less durable than points/money across prices and across repeated exposure to the same price. Response rates for points/money were often higher than for sounds, suggesting that reinforcers that generate higher response rates may be less elastic than reinforcers that generate lower response rates.
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Seymour, Kail H. "The Effects of Reinforcing Operant Variability on Task Acquisition." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2002. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3273/.
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Neuringer, Deiss, and Olson (2000) was replicated and extended to determine the effect of variability contingencies on task acquisition for twelve 7-9 year old children. Subjects first learned to press a computer's shift keys with increasing response variation. Each subject was then exposed to one of three experimental conditions during which they received a point for target responses. Variability condition subjects received additional points on a variable interval schedule for nontarget responses occurring less than 3% of the time. The any condition subjects received additional points on a variable interval schedule for any nontarget response. Control subjects received points only for target responses. All variability condition and two control subjects learned the target response. All any condition subjects and two control subjects did not.
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Hunter, Chad S. "Analyzing Contingencies of Behavioral and Cultural Selection." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2010. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30471/.
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A choice paradigm was used to evaluate allocation of interlocking behavior of two groups of two participants between responses having operant consequences only and responses having cultural consequences. In a discrete trial BABABAB design, each participant could select one of three options, which delivered either 3 or 5 points. In B (cultural consequence) conditions, two of the options had additional effects: the 3-point option also added 3 points to the other participant's earnings, and one of the 5-point options also subtracted 5 points from the other participant's earnings. The third option was unchanged in both conditions and delivered 5 points to the participant who selected it. Results indicated that participants in both groups initially frequently produced response combinations that earned 8 points for one or the other individual (and 0 or 3 points for the other), but allocation of responding increasingly changed to combinations that produced 6 points for each individual. This shift in performances away from maximum individual reinforcement towards maximum group reinforcement indicates cultural contingencies did not act in concert with operant contingencies, suggesting they are different mechanisms of selection.
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Kieta, Andrew. "Reinforcing Variability Produces Stereotypic Behavior." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984163/.
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Behaving in novel ways is essential to the development of the types of complex performances described by the term creativity, problem solving, and perseverance. Some research suggests that response variability is an operant and a critical component of novel behavior. However, other account of novel behavior may be more parsimonious. Topographical variability has rarely been examined, nor has operant variability with organisms with baselines featuring stereotypic responding. This study examined the effects of a variability-specifying contingency on the cumulative novel responses of undergraduate students. Using the PORTL apparatus, participants interacted with a ball with a single hand. When the variability-specifying contingency was in effect, novel topographies were reinforced. When a reinforce every response condition was implemented, the participants did not emit any novel responses. When variability-specifying contingencies were in effect, novel responses were rarely followed by subsequent novel responses. They were mostly followed by repeated emission of the same topography, or by other previously emitted topographies. Novel responding did not persist long, although the variability-specifying contingency remained in effect and the potential for novel responding was great. The variability-specifying contingency often resulted in stereotypic response chains. Each of these findings call into the question the assertion that variability is an operant and suggests other possible explanations for the observed novelty.
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Parsons, Teresa Camille. "Effects of Concurrent Fixed Interval-fixed Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement on Human Responding." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4846/.
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The present study contributes an apparatus and research paradigm useful in generating human performances sensitive to concurrent schedules of reinforcement. Five participants produced performances observed to be under temporal and ratio control of concurrent fixed interval-fixed ratio schedules. Two aspects of interaction between FI and FR schedules were distinguishable in the data. First, interaction between two schedules was observed in that changes in the value of one schedule affected behavior reinforced on another schedule. Second, switching from one pattern to the other functioned as an operant unit, showing stability during schedule maintenance conditions and sensitivity to extinction. These effects are discussed in the context of current views on behavior under concurrent schedules of reinforcement, and some implications for the conceptualization, measurement, analysis, and treatment of complex behavior are presented.
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Jenkins, Juliet. "The Effects of Two Types of Consequence Delivery on Task Acquisition." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4868/.
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The effects of two consequence delivery methods on task acquisition were evaluated within a multi-element design. A typical 3 year-old child and a 4 year-old child with autism participated in this study. The task for both children was to select a picture after the experimenter said its name. The consequence in one condition consisted of the experimenter handing the edible item to the children. The consequence in the other condition consisted of the children retrieving the edible item directly from the apparatus, located in a crevice underneath each picture. Results show slightly quicker acquisition in the condition where children retrieved the edible consequence. However, it is possible that other variables had greater influence on the task acquisition.
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Kassif-Weiss, Sivan O. "Do Shared S-minus Functions Among Stimuli Lead to Equivalence?" Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4863/.
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We examined the claim that equivalence classes contain all positive elements in a reinforcement contingency by asking whether negative stimuli in a reinforcement contingency will also form an equivalence class, based on their shared function as S-minus stimuli. In Experiment 1, 5 subjects were tested for equivalence for positive and negative stimuli. Testing of positive stimuli preceded testing of negative stimuli. Two of five subjects demonstrated equivalence for positive stimuli, and three subjects demonstrated equivalence for negative stimuli. In Experiment 2, order of testing was reversed. Four of six subjects demonstrated equivalence for positive stimuli, and none demonstrated equivalence for negative stimuli. In Experiment 3, positive and negative stimuli were tested together. Only one of five subject demonstrated equivalence for positive and negative stimuli. These data suggest that negative stimuli may enter an equivalence class, and so Sidman paradigm should be expanded. Order of testing was found as a meaningful variable.
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Clay, Andrea Wolstenholme. "Habituation and Desensitization as Methods for Reducing Fearful Behavior in Singly-Housed Rhesus Macaques." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/19831.
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Operant conditioning using positive reinforcement techniques has been used extensively in the management of nonhuman primates in both zoological and laboratory settings. Based on a large body of previous research that demonstrates the utility of such techniques in reducing stress, abnormal behavior, and aggression, this research project was intended to develop and test the usefulness of habituation and counter-conditioning techniques in reducing the fear-responses of singly-housed male rhesus macaques living in the laboratory environment. Additionally, we investigated the variable of temperament as it relates to the reduction of fear-responsivity and overall training success. Based on a Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Sign Test, we found that animals exposed to desensitization training were significantly likely to show a reduction in the rate at which they engaged in cringing toward humans (exact significance = .016, one-tailed, N ties = 6), cringing in general (exact significance = .016, one-tailed, N ties = 6), and in stress-related behaviors (exact significance = .016, one-tailed, N ties = 6). Animals exposed to basic husbandry training or exposed to no training at all were not significantly likely to show a reduction in the rates of these behaviors. When these same behaviors were analyzed in terms of duration of behavior, desensitization-exposed animals were significantly likely to show reduction in the amount of time spent cringing toward humans (exact significance = .016, one-tailed, N ties = 6), but not in cringing behaviors in general or in stress-related behaviors. Neither the husbandry-exposed group nor the group exposed to no training showed a significant number of subjects exhibiting a reduction in duration of any of these behaviors. Additionally, initial temperament assessments were found to significantly predict the relative ability of subjects exposed to training to acquire trained behaviors such that animals generally ranked as more inhibited in terms of temperament also ranked as slower learners based on a Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks test, z = -.316, p = .752 (two-tailed). Results of this study could enhance both laboratory animal welfare and laboratory animal research, and could be a first step in developing techniques for reducing fearful behavior in rhesus monkeys in the laboratory environment.
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"Is the Click the Trick? The Efficacy of Clickers and Other Reinforcement Methods in Training Naïve Dogs to Perform New Tasks." Master's thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.57135.
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abstract: A handheld metal noisemaker known as a “clicker” is widely used to train new behaviors in dogs; however, evidence for the superior efficacy of clickers as opposed to providing solely primary reinforcement or other secondary reinforcers in the acquisition of novel behavior in dogs is almost entirely anecdotal. Three experiments were conducted to determine under what circumstances a clicker may result in acquisition of a novel behavior more rapidly or to a higher level compared to other readily available reinforcement methods. In Experiment 1, three groups of 30 dogs each were trained to emit a novel sit and stay behavior of increasing duration with either the delivery of food alone, a verbal stimulus paired with food, or a clicker with food. The group that received only a primary reinforcer reached a significantly higher criterion of training success than the group trained with a verbal secondary reinforcer. Performance of the group experiencing a clicker secondary reinforcer was intermediate between the other two groups, but not significantly different from either. In Experiment 2, three different groups of 25 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose targeting behavior and then perform that behavior at increasing distances from the experimenter using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as in Experiment 1. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. In Experiment 3, three groups of 30 dogs each were shaped to emit a nose-targeting behavior upon an array of wooden blocks with task difficulty increasing throughout testing using the same three methods of positive reinforcement as previously. No statistically significant differences between the groups were found. Overall, the findings suggest that both clickers and other forms of positive reinforcement can be used successfully in training a dog to perform a novel behavior, but that no positive reinforcement method has significantly greater efficacy than any other.Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Psychology 2020
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Robillard, Christina Lauren. "Learning from experience: a longitudinal investigation of the consequences, frequency, and versatility of nonsuicidal self-injury." Thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/1828/11962.
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Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to direct and deliberate damage of one’s bodily tissue without the intent to die. Although NSSI abates over time for most young people, 8-32% of those with a history of NSSI exhibit a severe pattern of engagement characterized by high or increasing NSSI frequency (i.e., number of episodes) and versatility (i.e., number of methods). Unfortunately, despite these markers of NSSI severity conferring risk for psychosocial dysfunction and suicidal behaviour, the mechanisms that explain why NSSI increases in frequency or versatility are poorly understood. Behavioural models of NSSI propose that experiencing desirable emotional and social consequences following NSSI is a key mechanism that increases the intensity/strength of the behaviour. Yet, behavioural models of NSSI do not specify whether experiencing more desirable consequences relative to other people (i.e., between-person) or experiencing more desirable consequences relative to one’s own average (i.e., within-person) more strongly predicts future NSSI severity. To address this gap in theory, the present study investigated the influence of between- and within-person desirable NSSI consequences on the frequency and versatility of NSSI over four lags spaced three months apart. 210 adolescents and adults (93.81% female, Mage = 22.95 [SD = 7.17]) with a history of NSSI were recruited from NSSI communities on social networking websites and completed self-report surveys assessing the desirable consequences, frequency, and versatility of NSSI every three months for one year. At the within-person level, time-lagged hierarchical linear models revealed that experiencing more desirable emotional consequences following NSSI at TimeT, relative to one’s own average, was unrelated to NSSI frequency at TimeT+1, but predicted a rise in NSSI versatility at TimeT+1. Conversely, experiencing more desirable social consequences following NSSI at TimeT, relative to one’s own average, predicted a decrease in NSSI frequency at TimeT+1, but was unrelated to NSSI versatility at TimeT+1. At the between-person level, neither desirable emotional consequences nor desirable social consequences of NSSI predicted NSSI frequency or versatility during the study. While only partially consistent with behavioural models of NSSI, these results suggest that: (1) desirable emotional and social consequences of NSSI exert opposing influences on NSSI severity, (2) within-person increases in desirable emotional consequences of NSSI portend periods of elevated NSSI risk, and (3) empirical tests of behavioural models of NSSI should consider not only how many times but how many ways a person self-injures. By enhancing our understanding of why some individuals persistently self-injure, this study provides a springboard for refining behavioural models of NSSI, advancing longitudinal research on the contingencies that maintain self-injury, and ameliorating intervention efforts that draw on the principle of operant conditioning to reduce NSSI.Graduate
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Verplaetse, Terril Lee. "Effects of Prazosin Treatment on Ethanol- and Sucrose-Seeking and Intake in P Rats." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/2970.
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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Background: Previous studies show that prazosin, an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, decreases alcohol drinking in animal models of alcohol use and dependence and in alcohol-dependent men. These studies extended previous findings by using a paradigm that allows for separate assessment of prazosin on motivation to seek versus consume ethanol or sucrose in selectively bred rats given acute or chronic prazosin treatment. Methods: Alcohol-preferring P rats were trained to complete an operant response that resulted in access to either 2% (Exp. 1) or 1% (Exp.2) sucrose or 10% ethanol. In Experiment 1, a 4-week consummatory testing phase consisted of rats bar-pressing to “pay” a specified amount up front to gain access to unlimited ethanol (or sucrose) for a 20-minute period. A 4-week appetitive testing phase examined how much the rats would bar-press for ethanol in an extinction session when no reinforcer could be obtained. In Experiment 2, during testing, the response requirement was dropped to a 1 and daily session cycles of drug (3 weeks/ 14 sessions from Tues to Fri) or vehicle (2 weeks/ 9 sessions from Tues to Fri) treatment were alternated per drug dose for a total of 3 drug doses (3 cycles) per rat. After each drug cycle, a single non-reinforced extinction session was conducted with no drug ‘on board’ and no reinforcer access. On test days, rats were given IP injections of either vehicle or one of three doses of prazosin (Exp 1: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg; Exp 2: 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg; balanced design; -30 min). Results: In Experiment 1, prazosin significantly decreased ethanol-seeking at all doses tested. The highest dose decreased ethanol intake and increased the latency to first lever-press and first lick. Sucrose-seeking and intake were decreased by the same doses of prazosin. In Experiment 2, prazosin significantly decreased reinforcer-seeking at the lowest and highest doses while ethanol intake was not decreased by prazosin. Conversely, sucrose-seeking was decreased at the highest dose of prazosin tested while sucrose consumption was decreased by all doses. Latency to lever-press for sucrose was increased by the lowest dose of prazosin compared to vehicle. Conclusions: These findings extend previous research and indicate that prazosin decreases motivation to seek ethanol and sucrose. The specificity of prazosin on different behaviors and over different reinforcers suggests that these findings are not due to prazosin-induced motor-impairment or malaise. These data suggest that prazosin may work by decreasing the reinforcing properties of reinforcers in general.