Behavior Modification

Reversal Without Remapping: What We Can (and Cannot) Conclude About Learned Associations From Training-Induced Behavior Changes

by Marc Coutanche

Coutanche, M. N., & Thompson-Schill, S. L. (2012) - Perspectives on Psychological Science

The “cognitive revolution” in psychology is often framed as a departure from associationist principles rooted in... more The “cognitive revolution” in psychology is often framed as a departure from associationist principles rooted in animal learning research, yet it is clear that these principles have immediate relevance for contemporary questions in cognitive and social psychology. Intuitions about the consequences of learning procedures can easily be misleading, making these principles particularly important. To illustrate this point, we identified recent examples of studies applying a particular learning paradigm—response-reversal training—to the study of three different psychological problems (e.g., why objects in the right side of space are preferred to those in the left in right-handed people). The strategy of each study was to alter a typically encountered contingency once in the laboratory, in order to reverse a hypothesized learned response. Yet, contrary to intuitions, we demonstrate that behavior changes can be observed without the reversal of a prior association. Further, many different associative changes can underlie response reversals. We focus on these examples of response-reversal training, but our broader aim is to help connect the animal learning literature to problems in cognitive and social psychology in an effort to strengthen the inferences that might be drawn about learned associations in these contexts.

O controlo e a disciplina na regulação do comportamento de crianças e jovens

by Ricardo Barroso

Published in "Psicologia, Educação, Cultura, 2011"

Preventing Recovery From Extinction and Relapse: A Product of Current Retrieval Cues and Memory Strengths

by Mario A. Laborda

Miller, R. R., & Laborda, M. A. (2011). Preventing recovery from extinction and relapse: A product of current retrieval cues and memory strengths. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 325–329.

When a cue (X) and an outcome are paired, X comes to elicit responding similar to that elicited by the outcome. This... more When a cue (X) and an outcome are paired, X comes to elicit responding similar to that elicited by the outcome. This potential
is lessened if X is later presented by itself (i.e., experimental extinction). Extinction is interesting both for theoretical reasons
and because it is a model for exposure therapy, which is used to treat numerous psychological disorders. Conventionally,
extinction has been viewed as an isolated phenomenon unrelated to other response-attenuating treatments, whereas it is
actually but one of several instances of associative interference that reduce conditioned responding. Although much has been
learned about extinction from direct study, the larger associative-interference literature provides additional insight. Here we view extinction as new learning that is inconsistent with previously acquired knowledge (i.e., retroactive outcome interference). We provide an account of whether the acquisition or extinction memory will be expressed depending on the relative strengths of these two memories and the relative efficacies of their respective retrieval cues.

Foubert, J. D. (2011). Answering the Questions of Rape Prevention Research: A Response to Tharp et al. (2011). Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication doi: 10.1177/0886260511416480

by John Foubert

Rape prevention programmers and researchers have long struggled to select the most appropriate theoretical models to... more Rape prevention programmers and researchers have long struggled to select the most appropriate theoretical models to frame their work. Questions abound regarding appropriate standards of evidence for success of program interventions. The present article provides an alternative point of view to the one put forward by seven staff members from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Tharp et al., 2011). Questions are posed for readers to consider regarding the appropriateness of the medical model for rape prevention programs, whether randomized control trials are the one and only gold standard, whether programs presented to groups should be evaluated at the group or individual level, whether subscribing to principles of prevention selected by the CDC for other disciplines translate well to rape prevention, what constitutes sufficient dosage, and what constitutes a rigorous research program studying an evolving rape prevention intervention.

Review of Marc Richelle's 'B. F. Skinner: A Reappraisal'

by Jim Farmelant

Support for Personal Carbon Allowances - Summary Report

by Andrew Wallace

Summary of PCA aspects of PhD research

This report presents the findings of research into people’s attitudes to household carbon emissions. A postal survey... more This report presents the findings of research into people’s attitudes to household carbon emissions. A postal survey of 334 households and face to face interviews of 15 households were conducted in Newark and Sherwood District. They showed that support for personal carbon allowances (PCAs) outweighed opposition, and that the level of support varied between certain population sub-groups which had differing views of a range of related issues, such as use of public transport. People are strongly motivated by financial savings as much as by carbon savings.

Reducing Carbon Emissions by Households: The Effects of Footprinting and Personal Allowances

by Andrew Wallace

PhD thesis, May 2009, De Montfort University. Socio-technical research. There's lots of interest for those interested in household energy efficiency.

[Also available at: https://www.dora.dmu.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/2086/2402 ( the university's website). On the bottom right of the university's webpage, there is a link called 'View / Open'. If you click it, it will download a PDF version of the document].
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Nearly half of Britain’s carbon dioxide emissions result from the activity of households, both within the home and... more Nearly half of Britain’s carbon dioxide emissions result from the activity of households, both within the home and from personal transport. This research examines how the carbon dioxide emissions of households can be reduced, particularly through the calculation of carbon footprints and testing the public’s reaction to the concept of personal carbon allowances (PCAs). Two data collection stages were used - a postal survey providing quantitative data, followed by semi-structured interviews producing mainly qualitative data. The research was carried out in a largely rural district which is run by a council noted for its work on sustainable energy, Newark and Sherwood. The survey looked at PCAs as well as a variety of contemporary issues that might influence household footprints such as energy efficiency grants and information, as well as relationships with gas and electricity suppliers. Each interview involved the calculation of a household carbon footprint, the identification of measures to reduce it, and the gathering of attitudes about personal carbon allowances, in order to identify challenges and opportunities with respect to reducing household carbon emissions. Support for PCAs was higher than anticipated, and tended to be associated with those who were prepared to use public transport or cycle more, or were supportive of renewable energy in homes. Interviewees had much to say about individual carbon reducing measures. Opposition was associated with those who envisaged that they would be unlikely to sell carbon units. Regarding personal transport, long commutes were common, and the cost of public transport was of concern. Specific findings were made about domestic heating, insulation, lighting, refrigeration, water use, commuting, public transport, and rail as an alternative to short-haul flights. There was more interest in monetary savings than carbon savings. Recommendations about policy and regarding further research are made.

S-R Associations, Their Extinction, and Recovery in an Animal Model of Anxiety: A New Associative Account of Phobias Without Recall of Original Trauma

by Mario A. Laborda

Laborda, M. A., & Miller, R. R. (2011). S–R associations, their extinction, and recovery: A new associative account of phobias without recall of original trauma. Behavior Therapy, 42, 153-169.

Associative accounts of the etiology of phobias have been criticized because of numerous cases of phobias in which the... more Associative accounts of the etiology of phobias have been criticized because of numerous cases of phobias in which the client does not remember a relevant traumatic event (i.e., Pavlovian conditioning trial), instructions, or vicarious experience with the phobic object. In three lick suppression experiments with rats as subjects, we modeled an associative account of such fears. Experiment 1 assessed stimulus-response (S-R) associations in first-order fear conditioning. After behaviorally complete devaluation of the unconditioned stimulus, the target stimulus still produced strong conditioned responses, suggesting that an S-R association had been formed and that this association was not significantly affected when the outcome was devalued through unsignaled presentations of the unconditioned stimulus. Experiments 2 and 3 examined extinction and recovery of S-R associations.
Experiment 2 showed that extinguished S-R associations returned when testing occurred outside of the extinction context (i.e., renewal) and Experiment 3 found that a long delay between extinction and testing also produced a return of the extinguished S-R associations (i.e., spontaneous recovery). These experiments suggest that fears for which people cannot recall a cause are explicable in an associative framework, and indicate that those fears are susceptible to relapse after extinction treatment just like stimulus outcome (S-O) associations.

Increasing compliance with a request: two touches are more effective than one.

by David Vaidis

Vaidis, D. C. F., & Halimi-Falkowicz, S. G. M. (2008). Increasing compliance with a request: two touches are more effective than one. Psychological Reports, 103, 82-92.

    Touch procedures have been shown to increase the likelihood of compliance with requests. But the effects... more     Touch procedures have been shown to increase the likelihood of compliance with requests. But the effects of subsequent touches following a classical touch procedure has not been investigated. It was predicted that two touches would lead to more compliance than one touch. 180 male and 180 female bystanders were asked to fill in a short or long questionnaire by a female confederate. They were touched by the confederate either once, twice, or not at all. Results showed that there was more compliance in the two-touch than in the one-touch condition, and when the participants were touched by the confederate. These findings support the hypothesis. Moreover, whereas participants were less likely to fill in the long questionnaire in the no-touch condition, touch procedures lead to more compliance whatever the questionnaire length. As a general result, touch was more effective when a female confederate made the request to a male participant.

Attitude et comportement dans le rapport cause-effet : Quand l’attitude détermine l’acte et quand l’acte détermine l’attitude.

by David Vaidis

Vaidis, D. (2006). Attitude et comportement dans le rapport cause-effet : Quand l’attitude détermine l’acte et quand l’acte détermine l’attitude. In Sophie Hamon et Mathieu Amy (coord.) Linx, La cause : approche pluridisciplinaire, n°54 (pp. 103-111). Paris : Presse Universitaire de Paris 10.

    Cet article se propose de traiter de la relation cause-effet entre les attitudes et les... more

    Cet article se propose de traiter de la relation cause-effet entre les attitudes et les comportements à travers deux champs théoriques classiques de la psychologie sociale expérimentale : la persuasion et la dissonance cognitive. La relation entre attitude et comportement occupe une place centrale dans la psychologie sociale. Cette discipline, majoritairement expérimentale aujourd’hui, étudie les comportements, les états mentaux et processus mentaux chez l’Homme en société. Conformément à la méthodologie expérimentale, seules quelques variables manipulées font l’objet d’une modification. Quand toutes choses égales par ailleurs, ces seules variables sont responsables d’une modification de l’état initial, il est possible de parler d’une relation de cause à effet. L’introduction volontaire de ces variables est appelée manipulation expérimentale. En psychologie sociale, l’établissement d’un lien entre les attitudes et les comportements permet différentes applications pratiques. Si l’expérimentateur manipule l’attitude d’un individu, il peut modifier ses comportements : on parle alors de manipulation persuasive. Les manipulations comportementales, telles qu’elles sont utilisées par la théorie de la dissonance cognitive, proposent quant à elle un cheminement contraire : En modifiant un comportement, l’expérimentateur génère un changement d’attitude. Ces deux processus sont illustrés.

Vers une nouvelle interprétation de la procédure d’acquiescement répété.

by David Vaidis

Halimi-Falkowicz, S., Marchand, M., Vaidis, D., & Guéguen, N. (accepted). Vers une nouvelle interprétation de la procédure d’acquiescement répété. Journal National de la Recherche en Institut Universitaire de Technologie, 2.

La procédure de l’acquiescement répété est une nouvelle procédure de soumission librement consentie (Joule &... more La procédure de l’acquiescement répété est une nouvelle procédure de soumission librement consentie (Joule & Beauvois, 2002). Suggérée par Cialdini et Sagarin (2005), elle consiste à amener le sujet à répondre « oui » à plusieurs questions successives, avant de formuler la requête cible, c’est-à-dire la requête portant sur le comportement attendu. Nous présenterons une expérimentation dans le prolongement direct de celles déjà réalisées. L’objectif, ici, était d’avancer dans l’interprétation théorique de la procédure. Les sujets étaient amenés à répondre à quelques questions impliquant chacune soit la réponse « oui » (condition acquiescement répété), soit la réponse « non » (condition négation répétée). On leur soumettait ensuite une requête cible : accepter de participer à une recherche fastidieuse d’une demi-heure. En condition contrôle, la requête cible était directement soumise aux sujets. Les résultats montrent que la succession de « oui » favorise l’acceptation de la requête (72% en condition d’acquiescement répété vs. 20% en condition contrôle, p = .01). Il en est de même pour la succession de « non » (52% en condition de négation répétée vs 20% en condition contrôle, p = .05). Les deux conditions expérimentales ne se différencient pas entre elles. Les implications de ces résultats seront discutées.

Mots-clés :
Soumission librement consentie, acquiescement répété.

What is the function of nail biting: An analog assessment study

by Tim Williams

Objective: To compare the frequency of nail biting in 4 settings (interventions) designed to elicit the functions of... more Objective: To compare the frequency of nail biting in 4 settings (interventions) designed to elicit the functions of nail
biting and to compare the results with a self-report questionnaire about the functions of nail biting.
Design: Randomised allocation of participants to order of conditions.
Setting: University Psychology Department.
Subjects: Forty undergraduates who reported biting their nails.
Interventions: Left alone (boredom), solving maths problems (frustration), reprimanded for nail biting (contingent
attention), continuous conversation (noncontingent attention).
Main Outcome measures: Number of times the undergraduates bit their nails.
Results: Nail biting occurred most often in two conditions, boredom and frustration.
Conclusion: Nail biting in young adults occurs as a result of boredom or working on difficult problems, which may reflect
a particular emotional state. It occurs least often when people are engaged in social interaction or when they are
reprimanded for the behavior.

Risk and enjoyment in powered two wheeler use

by Paul Broughton

Broughton, P.S. (2007), "Risk and enjoyment in powered two wheeler use", Transport Research Institute, Napier University.

Foubert, J. D., Newberry, J. T., & Tatum, J. L. (2007). Behavior differences seven months later: Effects of a rape prevention program on first-year men who join fraternities. NASPA Journal, 44, 728-749.

by John Foubert

First-year men at a midsized public university either saw
a rape prevention program or were in a control group... more First-year men at a midsized public university either saw
a rape prevention program or were in a control group and
were asked to complete attitude and behavior surveys at
the beginning and end of an academic year. Participants
were also asked whether they joined fraternities during
that year. With 90% of first-year men participating
throughout the duration of the study, results showed that
men who joined fraternities during the year and had seen
a rape prevention program at the beginning of the academic
year were significantly less likely to commit a sexually
coercive act during the year than control group men
who joined fraternities. Long-term attitude change was
also associated with program participation. Results are
discussed regarding effective program strategies for educating
fraternity men about rape on college campuses.