Motivating Operations, Differential Reinforcement, Stimulus Class, and Verbal Behavior
Provide a long answer essay response to each of the questions below. For each question, you are encouraged to use the peer-reviewed resources provided throughout the units to support your responses. Please do not copy and paste the whole question into the document. Rather, provide the question number (1-4) and a brief heading that correlates with each section of the grading rubric.
(Ex. 1. Motivating Operations and Differential Reinforcement)
1. Discuss the differences between establishing and abolishing operations and explain why you might manipulate these Motivating Operations as part of planned behavior change. Next, explain each type of Differential Reinforcement (DRO/DRI/DRA/DRL), and provide a basic example of how two DR procedures can be used to promote changes in behavior. Finally, discuss how other procedures might be incorporated to support a differential reinforcement approach as part of a behavior reduction component to the plan.
2. First, define stimulus and stimulus class and provide an example that demonstrates your understanding of the concept. Next, define the concept of stimulus control and how stimulus control is established, differentiating between generalization and discrimination of stimuli. Finally, review Jasmine’s Case Example (transcript attached below) to examine how you would use response and stimulus prompt fading to transfer stimulus control to a more relevant stimulus, including the application of differential reinforcement, as part of a maintenance plan for a target behavior.
3. First, discuss the basic concept of Verbal Behavior as an operant paradigm. Next, discuss each of the elementary verbal operants, categorizing them according to their properties of point-to-point correspondence, formal similarity, and appropriate reinforcement according to each operant’s specific function. Finally, provide a unique example of each verbal operant to demonstrate your understanding of how each is applied to the development of language.
4. Discuss the concept of Derived Stimulus Relations as it applies to the development of language and cognition. Explain the similarities and differences of how derived stimulus relations and verbal behavior contribute to the development of an individual’s language and cognition. Finally, identify the three parts of stimulus equivalence, and explain how each part applies to the development of derived stimulus relations in language.
