Download AVERSIVE CONTROL The Dark Side of Behaviorism

AVERSIVE CONTROL
The Dark Side of Behaviorism
Tristram Jones, Ph.D.
Kaplan University PS517 Unit V
There are two basic ways to apply
AVERSIVE CONTROL:


WITHDRAW A REINFORCER (or)
DELIVER A PUNISHMENT!
“Most people report ‘not liking’ aversive
control” (Your TEXT, p 463)
Aversive Control uses the same 4
contingencies as Reinforcement!
When you think about it, ONLY POSITIVE
REINFORCEMENT IS NOT A FORM OF
AVERSIVE CONTROL! (Mostly!  )
So what are the other varieties?
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT:
Negative Reinforcement strengthens a behavior
because a behavior is increased (or maintained) in
order to escape or avoid a stimulus .
In this
FASTER!
depiction
It’s
a beloved
Disney
Aversive
character is
encouraged
to move
more
quickly! 
PUNISHMENT always REDUCES
a behavior—or is at least meant to!

It is punishment by contingent
stimulation if it PRESENTS a stimulus!
In this
depiction,
the young
lady is being
discouraged
from gossip
through the
presentation
of a
stimulus!
Think
positive!! 
It’s 
Aversive!
It is PUNISHMENT by contingent
withdrawal if it withdraws a
stimulus!

NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT occurs when something
desired is taken away as a consequence of a certain
BEHAVIOR!
YOU CAN HAVE
THESE BACK WHEN
YOU STOP GETTING
DRUNK AND
RUNNING OVER
PEDESTRIANS!
It’s Aversive!
So there are four types of
contingencies….
INCREASE A BEHAVIOR
PRESENT STIMULUS: Positive Reinforcement*
WITHDRAW STIMULUS: Negative Reinforcement
DECREASE A BEHAVIOR
PRESENT STIMULUS: Positive Punishment
WITHDRAW STIMULUS: Negative Punishment
IF IT DECREASES BEHAVIOR IT’S PUNISHMENT!
IF IT INCREASES BEHAVIOR IT’S REINFORCEMENT!
*Only non-aversive method of control 
BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS USE
AVERSIVE CONTROL
STRATEGIES ONLY WHEN THEY
CAN’T GET POSITIVE
REINFORCEMENT TO WORK!
THREE TACTICS OF ADVERSIVE
CONTROL

TACTIC ONE:
Decrease
undesirable
behavior through
“punishment by
contingent
STIMULATION”
(Positive Punishment)
THREE TACTICS OF ADVERSIVE
CONTROL

TACTIC TWO:
Decrease
undesirable
behavior
through
punishment by
“contingent
WITHDRAWAL”
(Negative Punishment)
THREE TACTICS OF ADVERSIVE
CONTROL

TACTIC THREE:
INCREASE a
desirable behavior
through
NEGATIVE
REINFORCEMENT
YES???
ALWAYS USED AS A LAST RESORT.
AS RODDY IS DEMONSTRATING
IN THE ABOVE SCENE FROM
“CLASS OF ’84”
This brings us to FUNCTIONAL
ANALYSIS! 

THIS IS BASIC ADLERIAN or
GLASSERIAN theory! ALL BEHAVIOR
HAS A MOTIVE AND A PAYOFF even if
people don’t think about it!
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS = UNDERSTANDING THE PAYOFFS!
People who choose poorly
usually wind up with undesired
consequences!
EACH OF THESE PEOPLE LOST SOME POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
Let’s talk about CUTTING—it’s not
just for BORDERLINES any more!
Iwata (1994) found that 26% of
cutters were motivated by
misused positive social
attention. Also, 38% of the
cases resulted from learned
behavior (caregivers giving into
these behaviors). Sensory
stimulation accounted for the
remaining 26%. THIS IS a kind
of meta- functional analysis of
self cutting! So what do we do
with these insights?
What’s to be done?



First instance, reinforcement is being misused by
parents or authorities when attention is sought—
withhold attention for self injury and increase it for
alternatives!
Second instance, caregiver’s behavior is somehow
aversive to the subject. Too demanding? Too nasty?
Too intimidating? Cutting removes them from the
situation. Fix this by teaching caregiver new
methods, and subject ways to limit the aversive
aspect of the caregiver’s methods (Say stop!)
Third instance—difficult! Eliminate the sensory
stimuli and/or teach simple skills for creating
healthier stimuli!
Say Aloha to Brian Iwata!

Using positive
reinforcement,
extinction, and
differential
reinforcement, Iwata
claims his team at U of
Florida scored an 85%
success rate with
cutters of every type.
What do you think?
But weren’t we discussing
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS?

Oh yeah. Functional analysis is the application of the
laws of operant conditioning to establish the
relationships between stimuli and responses. To
establish the function of a behavior, one typically
examines the "three-term contingency.”

Identify the antecedent or trigger of the behavior, A, the
behavior itself, B, (as it has been operationalized), and
identifying the consequences of the behavior, C. which
continue to maintain it.

Functional analysis in BEHAVIORISM employs
principles derived from BEHAVIORISM, right???
“Now, you listen to me….!”
PLEASE don’t tie
yourself to the
BEHAVIORAL
model at this
stage, unless
you happen to
have a shrine to
Burrhus Frederic
in your den!
Think deeper!
There are other keys to behavior!
And while we’re on the subject…

Is BEHAVIORISM the key to a paradise on earth as men like
Iwata and Skinner have long argued? Do you with agree with
“Movements for freedom…are in
essence escape behaviors!”
Richelle that
Who the heck
is this RICHELLE
dude, Ben?