1. Name: ____________________ __ _____ Instructor: ______ ______Grade: _ LO: 68_____
Chapter 6:
Conceptual Work Sheets for
Extinction After Reinforcement and Recovery
from Punishment
Please finish the following questions, fill in the blank con-
tingencies and analyze complete diagrams. Life in the Skinner Box Revisited
Definition: REVIEW Even though water-deprived Rudolph presses the lever,
Reinforcement you no longer give him a drop of water. As a result, he
 The response-contingent stops pressing.
 presentation of 3. Please analyze Rudolph’s behavior and put this ex-
 a reinforcer ample in the contingency diagram.
 resulting in an increased frequency of that response.
Before Behavior After
Definition: Principle
Extinction
 Stopping the reinforcement or escape contingency
 for a previously reinforced response
 causes the response frequency to decrease
Life in the Skinner Box 4. What is this a diagram of?
Each time water-deprived Rudolph presses the lever, you A.extinction
give him a drop of water. As a result, he presses the lever B.reinforcement
frequently. C.escape
D.punishment
1. Please analyze Rudolph’s behavior and put his ex-
ample in the contingency diagram. 5.What will happen to the future frequency of Ru-
Before Behavior After
dolph’s behavior?
A.increase
B.decrease
C.stays the same
The Real World -- Part I.
Every time my dog, Snickers, wants me to play with him,
2. What type of contingency is this? he will sit in front of me and whine. Eventually I give in
A.reinforcement and give him the attention he is begging for.
B.punishment
C.escape
D.penalty
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2. 6. Please diagram Snickers’ contingency. 11. Analyze my behavior and put this example in the
contingency diagram.
Before Behavior After
Before Behavior After
7. What is this a contingency diagram of?
A.reinforcement 12. What is the contingency?
B.escape A.reinforcement
C.punishment B.punishment
D.penalty C.extinction
D.recovery
Eventually, if I ignore Snickers and don’t give him any at-
tention, he will go entertain himself.
8. Please diagram Snickers’ contingency.
The Advice Giver-Part 2
Before Behavior After
In faculty meetings with my colleagues, I also used to sug-
gest similar brilliant though time-consuming ways we
could change our programs to get better long-term results
because in the past, my colleagues also gave me approval.
But then my colleagues stopped agreeing and never com-
mented on the brilliance of my insights, at least not favora-
bly. So I gradually stopped making those suggestions in the
faculty meetings.
9. What is this a diagram of?
A.reinforcement Here is what one student gave as an analysis:
B.extinction Before Behavior After
C.punishment
D.penalty
I no longer
I’m not agreed I make a
make
with suggestion
suggestions
10.What will happen to the future frequency of Snickers’
behavior?
A.increase
B.decrease 13.What Criterion does this contingency example violate
C.stay the same on the pink sheet?
A.the action test
B.the deadman test
The Advice Giver-Part 1 C.the related-outcomes test
In staff meetings with my graduate assistants, I often sug- D.the response-unit test
gest brilliant though time-consuming ways we can change
our courses to get better results. My assistants all heartily 14. Now it’s your turn. Analyze the contingency when
agree, even commenting on my great insights as a behav- my colleagues stopped agreeing and making com-
ioral systems analyst. ments:
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3. Before Behavior After 18.Please diagram Rudolph’s new “contingency”.
Before Behavior After
I make a
suggestion
15.What is this a diagram of?
A.reinforcement 19.What is this a diagram of?
B.punishment A.reinforcement
C.escape B.punishment
D.extinction C.penalty
D.extinction
Harsh Life in the Skinner Box 20.What will happen to the future frequency of Ru-
Escape Contingency dolph’s lever press behavior?
 The response-contingent A.increase
 removal of B.decrease
 an aversive stimulus C.stay the same
 resulting in an increased frequency of that response.
Harsh Life in the Baby Crib
Every now and then, as Rudolph sits in his Skinner box, a Every now and then, as Eric lies in his crib, he wets his di-
mild, but aversive electric shock is turned on. And when he apers and then experiences the resulting aversiveness. And
presses the lever, you remove the aversive electric shock. when he cries, his mother immediately removes the wet di-
aper along with its aversiveness.
16.Please diagram Rudolph’s contingency.
21. Please diagram the contingency for Eric’s crying.
Before Behavior After
Before Behavior After
17.What type of contingency is this? 22.What type of contingency is this?
A.reinforcement A.reinforcement
B.escape B.escape
C.punishment C.punishment
D.penalty D.penalty
But now, even though Rudolph presses the lever, you fail The above contingency is tricky but lets take a closer look.
to remove the shock. (Of course, this hypothetical example If you read the problem again, you can see that we are re-
is just for illustration; in reality, you would never do this… moving an aversive condition (the wet diaper), not present-
would you?) ing a reinforcer.
But now Eric’s mother is stoned; she’s so whacked out of
her head that she either doesn’t hear him or maybe she just
can’t get it together to rescue her son from his discomfort.
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4. 23.Please diagram this new “contingency” for Eric’s 27.Please diagram the reinforcement contingency in
crying. your example:
Before Behavior After Before Behavior After
24.What is this a diagram of? 28.Please diagram the extinction “contingency” for
A.reinforcement your example:
B.punishment Before Behavior After
C.penalty
D.extinction
25.What will happen to the future frequency of Eric’s
crying? (Yeah, the answer to this last question may
be debatable; but assume the only reason Eric’s been
crying is because of the escape contingency.)
A.increase 29. Is this extinction after
B.decrease A.reinforcement
C.stay the same B.escape
Original Example of Extinction Definition: Review
Punishment Contingency
One exceptional student example:  The response-contingent
- Reinforcement: No “Thank you”; Hold door for  presentation of
someone; “Thank you”  an aversive stimulus (negative reinforcer)
 resulting in a decreased frequency of that response
- Extinction: No “Thank you”; Hold door for someone;
No “Thank you” Definition: Principle
– After a while, you won’t hold the door open for peo- Recovery From Punishment
ple if no one ever says thank you.  Stopping the punishment or penalty contingency
 for a previously punished response
26.Please describe an original example of extinction.  causes the response rate to increase
 to its rate before the punishment or penalty contin-
gency
Back in the Skinner Box
Now, every time Rudolph presses the lever, he not only
gets a drop of water, but also a mild electric shock.
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5. 30. Please diagram the contingencies for Rudolph’s behav-
ior of pressing the lever. The Real World Two
Reinforcement or Escape Little Jimmy loves to see the products of his artistic talent
Contingency on the white walls of Mom and Dad’s bedroom. But, every
Before After time Mom catches him in the middle of his artistic frenzy,
she gives him an aversive scolding.
Behavior 35. Please diagram Jimmy’s contingency.
Reinforcement or Escape
Contingency
Before After
Before After
Behavior
Punishment or Penalty
Contingency Before After
31. What will happen to the future frequency of Rudolph’s
pressing the lever, now that the shock has been added?
A.increase
B.decrease
C.stay the same Punishment or Penalty
Contingency
32. Now you no longer shock Rudolph when he presses the 36. What will happen to the future frequency of Jimmy’s
lever. Please diagram this contingency. behavior?
Reinforcement or Escape A.increase
B.decrease
Before After C.stay the same
By definition, a punishment contingency decreases the re-
Behavior sponse. Now for the next question, let’s get realistic: It
isn’t likely that Jimmy’s mother will usually catch him in
the act and be able to scold him right away.
Before After 37. Which Contingency-Diagramming Criterion does this
fail?
A.the Deadman Test
B.the Sixty Second Test
C.the Stimulus Test
D.the Related-outcome Test
Recovery
33. What is the bottom diagram called? The Real World -- Part Three
A. punishment Sarah, a four year old autistic child exhibits extreme self-
B. penalty stimulatory behavior and extreme self-destructive behavior.
C. recovery from Punishment In other words, the stimuli resulting from self-stimulation
D. extinction were reinforcers for Sarah; and for some reason, the results
34. What will happen to the frequency of Rudolph press- of her self-destructive behavior, for example hitting her-
ing the lever? self, were also reinforcing, though the reinforcing results
A. increase might have been the typical reactions of the surrounding
B. decrease adults. Every time Sarah exhibited these behaviors, you
C. stay the same remove her opportunity to play (of course, play is a strong
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6. reinforcer for her). (By the way this is a time-out contin-
gency).
38. Please diagram the contingency for Sarah’s behavior.
Reinforcement or Escape
Original Example of Recovery
Contingency 42. Give an original example of recovery from punishment
Before After or penalty. The diagram in #43 includes the underly-
ing reinforcement or escape contingency that main-
Sarah has sensory tains the punished response. Please describe your ex-
Behavior stimulation. ample here:
Before After
Punishment or Penalty 43. First diagram the contingencies.
Contingency Reinforcement or Escape
To prove that time-out was actually reducing self- Contingency
stimulatory and self-destructive behaviors, the behavior Before After
analyst stopped the time-out contingency.
39. Please diagram this procedure, that is, the recovery Behavior
from punishment or penalty contingency, described
above in the bottom contingency, not the reinforce-
ment or escape contingency. Before After
Before Behavior After
Opportunity to
play Punishment or Penalty
Contingency
44. Now, please diagram the recovery procedure for your
example. Again, diagram the punishment/penalty con-
tingency and not the reinforcement/escape contingen-
40. With recovery from punishment we stop cy.
A. the self-stimulation
B. the time-out contingency Before Behavior After
41. What is this an example of?
A.extinction
B.recovery from either punishment or penalty
C.punishment
D.escape
45. Is this recovery from…
A.punishment
B.penalty
Please put one of your original examples on a transparency
to share with the rest of the class.
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