Learning & Maladaptive Behavior Lecture 16
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 ~