The Lorax

The Principles of Behavior AnalysisApplied

To:

The Lorax

By Dr. Seuss

Interpreted by

Paula Koskinen

PSY 3600

“The Lorax” reflects Geisel's observations about the population around him

in regards to their environment, and anti-consumerism as well.

In the time that “The Lorax” was published in the 1971, Ted Geisel

the political cartoonist had already made a successful name for himself as a childrens' author

under the moniker Dr. Seuss.

(The characters in his books “Yertle the Turtle” and “The Sneetches” are his voice to address social issues, such as the arms race and anti-consumerism, respectively.)

The story begins as a boy wanders to the edge of town where the old Once-ler lives, in a stilted shack on the top of a hill. The boy pays a small toll into a lowered bucket to hear the story of why the Lorax went away, and never ever came back to what was now ‘The Street of the Lifted Lorax’.

One day, the Once-ler brought his wagon to the land bearing the Truffula Trees, and was enthralled by their crop of beautfiul,

useful flora.

He unloads his wagon and sets up shop, thwhacking a

single tree for its mop.

The Ineffective Natural

Contingency

BeforeThe Once-ler will

have many Truffula Trees around

tomorrow

BehaviorHe cuts down one

Truffula Tree

AfterThe Once-ler will

have slightly fewer trees around

tomorrow

Out of the stump where the Truffula was cut, the Lorax appears and promptly begins to badger the

Once-ler at the top of his lungs.

He presents a rule that is

hard to follow:

which describes a small but

cumulatively significant outcome.

The Simple Reinforcement

Contingency

Before

No money BehaviorKnits one Thneed

AfterReceives money

At this time are two competing stimuli: the aversive condition of the Lorax calling him “Crazy! Greedy!”, and the reinforcer of somewho buying the sweater that he knit (occurred within 60 seconds).

So the Once-ler got right to work, building his business and calling upon the whole Once-ler family to join him

in the land bearing the Truffula.

The Punishment Contingency

BeforeNo sight of The

Lorax

BehaviorOnce-ler steps

outside of doorway

After: Crazy! Greedy!

The sight of the Lorax has become a conditioned stimulus: a stimulus that has aquired its eliciting properties through previous pairing with another stimulus. Even if the Once-ler was a nonverbal animal, the yelling and furious furry animal in his face would be aversive.

Rule: If you cut down the Truffula Trees, the Bar-ba-loots will leave. If you grow them, they will stay. Unfortunately, the true

reinforcer is the money from the Thneeds (sweaters).

Another Punishment

Contingency…

BeforeNo sight of starving

Bar-ba-lootsBehavior

Answers the door (under condition

that the Lorax knocks)

AfterSight of starving

Bar-ba-loots

The Lorax, because of this repeated instance, makes the sound of a dainty knock at the door become a:

warning stimulus: a stimulus that precedes an aversive condition and becomes a learned aversive stimulus.

discriminative stimulus: a stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will be reinforced or punished.

The behavior of we, the non-verbal animals, the Bar-ba-loots who are starving, and the Swomee Swans who cannot breathe the smoggy air, is under…

contingency control: direct control of behavior by a contingency, without the

involvement of rules.

They both leave the land bearing the Truffula in search of new fruits and clean air. The Lorax knows not where they go, and he stays.

Then the Once-ler does not see the Lorax for some time. Many chaps are coming to his door regarding his Thneed factory and his biggering business, and the sound of small knocks will not be paired with the sight of the Lorax at the door for some time. He sees him out and about down on the hill where is stilted shack is built. The pause caused:

respondent extinction: presenting the conditioned stimulus without pairing it with the conditioned stimulus, and the CS will lose its eliciting power.

Will lose opportunity

to make money soon

Knits one

Thneed

SD: (deadline) before demand surpasses supply

S-delta: after demand surpasses supply

Keep opportunity

to make money

Lose opportunity

to make money

Prevention of the loss of a reinforcer…

The Analog to Avoidance Contingency

During this lapse, the Once-ler chops down many more Truffulas in pursuit of biggering his money

Upon the third encounter with the Lorax, the furry yellow learned aversive condition barges into the his Thneed factory

He tells the Once-ler that every last one of his contraptions is foolish and selfish.

The Once-ler agresses toward the Lorax in an outburst of anger and tells him what's what.

The Escape Contingency

BeforeOnce-ler hears badgering from

the Lorax

BehaviorOutburst,

yelling

AfterNo more

badgering from the Lorax

Inevitably, one day, the last tree is thwacked. The Once-ler family packs up their wagons and leave town in search of greener pastures. They leave the land ravaged and polluted, no living things remain, except the Lorax and the Once-ler.

Mourning the loss of his home one last time, he glances at the Once-ler and takes leave of that place through a hole in the smog.

Now the Once-ler and his big empty factory remain, vacant and lonely, until the boy from the beginning of the story comes upon the elusive creature and hears of the tale.

He realizes that the relic left behind by the Lorax, the stone well reading “Unless”, has a meaning that was unknown to him before because of a metaphorical lens called ‘learned helplessness’. He figures out that the Lorax meant that unless someone cared for the land bearing the Truffula Trees a whole lot more that he had, the land had hope for prosperity.

I held the last hope in my pocket all of those years, the last Truffula seed, and had never

gone outside to plant and tend to it.

An Indirect-Acting Analog to

Avoidance Contingency…

BeforeThe Once-ler will

lose the opportunity to

alleviate his sadness and replant the

Truffula Trees

BehaviorTosses the

Truffula seed outside

SD: (deadline) While the boy is outside (before he leaves)

S-delta: When the boy leaves

Once-ler will lose his opportunity to alleviate sadness, trees will not be

replanted

Once-ler will not lose the

opportunity to alleviate his

sadness

The End