Laboratory 3

Results: Blocking & Superconditioning

Self-Monitoring 1:
Introduction to the project
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
Kahoot
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
 A Case of Taste Aversion
REMEMBER YOU:

• Ate Anchovies in the past and got a dodgy stomach each time
– Anchovies are excitatory stimulus – always predict dodgy stomach (+)

• Ate Beef in the past and never got a dodgy stomach

– Beef is inhibitory stimulus – always predicts absence of dodgy stomach (-)

• Never tried the other pizza toppings:

– Capsicum, Deep-Fried Prawns, Eggplant, Fresh Tomatoes
 BLOCKING
We don’t learn about a novel CS that is paired
with an excitatory CS
A Case of Taste Aversion
 A Case of Taste Aversion

Anchovies always predict

dodgy stomach
= BLOCKING
 SUPERCONDITIONING
Learning is faster if a novel stimulus is trained
together with an inhibitory stimulus
A Case of Taste Aversion
 A Case of Taste Aversion

Beef always predicts

absence of dodgy
stomach
 A Case of Taste Aversion

Beef always predict

absence of dodgy
stomach = SUPERCONDITIONING
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
Stocks/Commodities (e.g. Coffee, Silver)
 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
Stocks/Commodities (e.g. Coffee, Silver)

What was the unconditioned stimulus?

 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
Stocks/Commodities (e.g. Coffee, Silver)

What was the unconditioned stimulus?

Change in the Market
 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
Stocks/Commodities (e.g. Coffee, Silver)

What was the unconditioned stimulus?

Change in the Market

What were the dependent measures?

 STOCK MARKET GAME
What were the conditioned stimuli?
Stocks/Commodities (e.g. Coffee, Silver)

What was the unconditioned stimulus?

Change in the Market

What were the dependent measures?

Prediction Test and Likelihood Estimates Test
 STOCK MARKET GAME
TRAINING PHASE 1
– A (Excitatory CS [CS+])
– B (Inhibitory CS [CS-])
TRAINING PHASE 2
– A (Excitatory CS [CS+])
– B (Inhibitory CS [CS-])
– AC (Excitatory Pairing)
– BD (Excitatory Pairing)
– EF (Excitatory Pairing)
 STOCK MARKET GAME
PREDICTION TEST:
Did each individual CS (A, B, C, D, E, F) predict a change in the
market?

Answer: Yes or No

LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATES TEST:

To what extent did each individual CS (A, B, C, D, E, F) predict a
change in the market?

Answer: 0 – 100
 HYPOTHESES
H1: A is a very strong predictor of the US (excitatory CS)

H2: B is a very weak predictor of the US (inhibitory CS)

H3: C is blocked (because paired with A [CS+])

H4: D is superconditioned (because paired with B [CS-])

H5: E and F serve as a control baseline (never presented individually) to

compare C and D against

A > D > E/F > C > B

 RESULTS
TRAINING PHASE 1

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4

Stimulus A 0.65 0.93 0.91 0.97
Stimulus B 0.63 0.15 0.08 0.12

The data represent the proportion of responses for each stimulus that are
predictive of a change in the market over four trials.
 RESULTS
TRAINING PHASE 2

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4

Stimulus A 0.98 0.98 0.99 0.97
Stimulus B 0.09 0.06 0.12 0.08
Stimulus AC 0.93 0.92 0.95 0.98
Stimulus BD 0.29 0.72 0.95 0.88
Stimulus EF 0.75 0.82 0.93 0.94
 SUMMARY (so far)
• Training results:
– Learning over trials is evident
• A is a strong predictor of the US (change)
• B is a weak predictor of the US (or a strong predictor of
its absence)
• Each pairing (AC, BD, and EF) is excitatory
 QUESTION 1
Why does AC start higher in phase 2 than BD or
EF?
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4
Stimulus A 0.98 0.98 0.99 0.97
Stimulus B 0.09 0.06 0.12 0.08
Stimulus AC 0.93 0.92 0.95 0.98
Stimulus BD 0.29 0.72 0.95 0.88
Stimulus EF 0.75 0.82 0.93 0.94
 QUESTION 1
Why does AC start higher in phase 2 than BD or
EF?

A was the Excitatory CS (CS+), whereas B was

the Inhibitory CS (CS-), and E and F were both
novel stimuli
 QUESTION 2
Why does BD start low and change so rapidly?

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4

Stimulus A 0.98 0.98 0.99 0.97
Stimulus B 0.09 0.06 0.12 0.08
Stimulus AC 0.93 0.92 0.95 0.98
Stimulus BD 0.29 0.72 0.95 0.88
Stimulus EF 0.75 0.82 0.93 0.94
 QUESTION 2
Why does BD start low and change so rapidly?

B started out as an Inhibitory CS (CS-).

Combining it with a novel excitatory CS (CS+)
resulted in rapid learning (our hypothesised
superconditioning effect)
 Prediction scale 0-1 (0 = No, 1 = Yes)

A B C D E F
0.99 0.11 0.69 0.84 0.83 0.83

Likelihood Estimates (Range 0-100)

A B C D E F

92.37 13.05 59.12 73.86 66.43 65.38

 ARE THESE RESULTS STATISTICALLY
SIGNIFICANT?
Analysing the data
• We ran a series of t-tests to identify which
means (or sets of means) are statistically
different from one another.

• For example – Is A significantly more

predictive than D, or is there no significant
difference?
 RESULTS
PREDICTION TEST (YES or NO):
• MULTIPLE COMPARISONS:
– A>D=E=F>C>B

DO WE HAVE BLOCKING?

DO WE HAVE SUPERCONDITIONING?
 RESULTS
PREDICTION TEST (YES or NO):
• MULTIPLE COMPARISONS:
– A>D=E=F>C>B

DO WE HAVE BLOCKING?

DO WE HAVE SUPERCONDITIONING?
 RESULTS
LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATES TEST (0 - 100):
• MULTIPLE COMPARISONS: A > D > E = F > C > B

DO WE HAVE BLOCKING?

DO WE HAVE SUPERCONDITIONING?
 RESULTS
LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATES TEST (0 - 100):
• MULTIPLE COMPARISONS: A > D > E = F > C > B

DO WE HAVE BLOCKING?

DO WE HAVE SUPERCONDITIONING?
 RESULTS
Prediction Test
• E (0.83) and F (0.83) not significantly different
from D (0.84)

Likelihood Estimates Test

• E (66.43) and F (65.38) significantly different
from D (73.86)
 Why might we have observed blocking and
superconditioning on the likelihood estimates
test, but only blocking on the prediction test?
 Why might we have observed blocking and
superconditioning on the likelihood estimates
test, but only blocking on the prediction test?

The prediction test was dichotomous (yes or

no), and therefore less sensitive to differences
between these stimuli.
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice Questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
 Used to decide whether a
QUESTION stimulus is a conditioned
inhibitor

For an inhibitor to pass the retardation test, the

learning of an inhibitor must be:
A. Slower compared to the neutral stimulus
B. Equivalent to the neutral stimulus
C. Faster compared to the excitatory + neutral
stimulus
D. Faster compared to the neutral stimulus
 QUESTION
For an inhibitor to pass the retardation test,
learning of an inhibitor must be:

A. Slower compared to the neutral stimulus

B. Equivalent to the neutral stimulus
C. Faster compared to the excitatory + neutral
stimulus
D. Faster compared to the neutral stimulus
 ANSWER EXPLAINED
RETARDATION TEST: Used to determine whether a stimulus
is a conditioned inhibitor

1. A stimulus is trained to be inhibitory

2. The inhibitory stimulus is then repeatedly paired with a US
(i.e., trained to be excitatory).
3. A neutral stimulus is also trained to be excitatory
4. If acquisition of an excitatory CR is impaired for the inhibitory
stimulus relative to the neutral stimulus…

The inhibitory stimulus passes the retardation test

 QUESTION
What are the two types of Pavlovian
Conditioning?
 QUESTION
What are the two types of Pavlovian
Conditioning?

Answer:
– Excitatory Conditioning
• When the CS predicts the occurrence of the US
– Inhibitory Conditioning
• When the CS predicts the absence of the US
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice Questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
SELF-MONITORING ASSIGNMENT:
TUTORIAL 1 of 3
 OVERVIEW OF PROJECT
1. Select a behaviour
2. Define your behaviour
3. Monitor your behaviour.
4. Graph your quantitative monitoring data.
5. Analyse your qualitative monitoring data in a SORCK analysis.
6. Write a behavioural formulation to summarise your qualitative
data.
7. Based on the data, design and discuss a possible behavioural
intervention that could be used to affect your behaviour.

(You will not be implementing the intervention for this assignment)

 STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
LEVELS OF BEHAVIOUR:
1. Observable Behaviours
– Motor responses that can be observed by an external
observer.
2. Subjective Behaviour (non-observable)
– Thoughts and cognitive processes
– Feelings
3. Physiological Behaviour
– Autonomic responses (e.g. heart rate increases, changes
in secretion of stomach acids)
 STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
LEVELS OF BEHAVIOUR:
1. Observable Behaviours
– Motor responses that can be observed by an external
observer.
2. Subjective Behaviour (non-observable)
– Thoughts and Cognitive Processes
– Feelings
3. Physiological Behaviour
– Autonomic responses (e.g. heart rate increases, changes
in secretion of stomach acids)
 STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

CATEGORIES OF TARGET BEHAVIOUR:

CATEGORY DEFINITION

EXCESSES Behaviours that occur at an unusually high frequency,

intensity or duration

DEFICITS Behaviours that occur at an unusually low frequency,

intensity or duration

INAPPROPRIATE STIMULUS CONTROL Behaviours that occur at a reasonable frequency,

intensity or duration, and that are adaptive. However,
they are elicited by inappropriate stimuli.

ASSETS Behaviours that are developmentally and socially

appropriate and constructive.
 STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

CATEGORIES OF TARGET BEHAVIOUR:

CATEGORY DEFINITION

EXCESSES Behaviours that occur at such a high frequency,

intensity or duration, that they are problematic in the
setting in which they occur.

DEFICITS Behaviours that occur at such a low frequency,

intensity or duration, that they are problematic in the
setting in which they occur.

INAPPROPRIATE STIMULUS CONTROL Behaviours that occur at a reasonable frequency,

intensity or duration, and that are adaptive. However,
they are elicited by inappropriate stimuli.

ASSETS Behaviours that are developmentally and socially

appropriate and constructive.
STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
SOME TIPS FOR CHOOSING YOUR BEHAVIOUR:
• Choose an OBSERVABLE behaviour that is
EXCESSIVE
– For example, procrastination is something you
might want to reverse, but it is a deficit, not an
excess. It would be better to focus on what you do
excessively when you are procrastinating.
• Ask somebody – you may not always be aware
of your habits
STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
EXAMPLES:
• Bruxism (grinding teeth)
• Biting nails
• Looking at self in mirror
• Skin/face picking
• Chewing lips/mouth
• Rate of chewing/eating
• Drinking coffee or cola drinks
• Cracking knuckles/bones
• Swearing
• Use of filler words (“you know”, “like”, “uh”, “o.k.”, etc.)
• Hair twirling / hair pulling
• SMSing
• Compulsive checking (email / phone / facebook / wallet / phone / keys)
 STEP 1: SELECTING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

RECAP:
Your behaviour should be:
1. Observable
2. Excessive
3. Specific

You must get your behaviour approved by your

tutor (in class) before submitting an operational
definition draft!
 STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
• Identify and define a SPECIFIC behaviour in discrete rather than
global terms

– Global example: Study is a global term used to describe a collection of

behaviours (i.e. writing, reading, listening, thinking).
– Specific examples: “Said ‘Hello’” instead of “communicated well”, or “Ran
100 metres in 10 seconds” instead of “ran fast”

– When you are writing your operational definition, your first sentence
should be a general definition of the behaviour, and your second sentence
should be an elaboration which examples what one instance of the
behaviour looks like
 STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
TARGET BEHAVIOUR: Peer Interaction

DEFINITION: Peer interaction refers to a social relationship between age-

mates, such that they mutually influence each other.
ELABORATION: Peer interaction is scored when the child is (a) within one metre
of a peer and either (b) engages in conversation or physical
activity with the peer, or (c) jointly uses a toy or other play
object.
STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Your next sentence will need to be an example (putting the
behaviour in a real-world context, or using the example to
better communicate what one instance of the behaviour looks
like)

Finally, you will need to provide two questionable instances

(borderline instances) – one that is scored and one that is not
scored

OVERALL, A SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ALLOWS

OTHERS TO REPEAT YOUR MONITORING BASED ON YOUR
DEFINITION
STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
A questionable instance that will be counted:
• Behaviour looks slightly different but the
function is the same
– Going on a computer to check Facebook

A questionable instance that will not be counted:

• Behaviour looks the same but the function is
different
– Using Facebook to post an important question for an
assignment
 STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
EXAMPLE:
TARGET BEHAVIOUR: Peer Interaction

DEFINITION: Peer interaction refers to a social relationship between age-

mates, such that they mutually influence each other.
ELABORATION: Peer interaction is scored when the child is (a) within one metre
of a peer and either (b) engages in conversation or physical
activity with the peer, or (c) jointly uses a toy or other play
object.
EXAMPLE: • “Gimme a cookie” directed at a table mate
• Hitting another child
• Shouting to a friend across the playground (bad example…)
• Sharing a jar of paint
QUESTIONABLE INSTANCES: • Waiting for a turn in a group activity (scored)
• Not interacting while standing in line (not scored)
• Two children independently but concurrently talking to each
other (not scored)

From Gefland, D. M., & Hartmann, D. P. (1984). Child behaviour: Analysis and therapy (2nd ed.). Elmsford, NY: Permagon Press. Reproduced with permission.
 STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY:

HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION?

TARGET BEHAVIOUR: COMPULSIVE PHONE CHECKING

DEFINITION: EVERY TIME I CHECK MY PHONE WILL BE RECORDED

AS ONE INSTANCE OF COMPULSIVE PHONE CHECKING.

Remember the recommended structure: General definition,

elaboration, example, questionable instance that will be scored,
questionable instance that will not be scored
 STEP 2: DEFINING YOUR BEHAVIOUR
Once you have finished defining your behaviour, you
will test your definition by monitoring for 3 days (does
not count in your 10-day monitoring necessary for your
assignment)

Once you know your behaviour and definition is

suitable, you will then monitor for 10 consecutive days
(within no breaks in between)
 STEP 3: MONITORING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

WHY MONITOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR?

– To determine whether or not the behaviour is a problem
– To determine the function of the behaviour
– To gather information on how to manage or treat the
behaviour
– To obtain a baseline against which to compare treatment
– The recorded information may motivate the behaviour
modifier to carry out the treatment
– Recording information may act as a treatment by making
the behaviour more apparent.
 STEP 3: MONITORING YOUR BEHAVIOUR

HOW TO MONITOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR:

METHOD DEFINITION EXAMPLES

EVENT FREQUENCY Records every single instance of Cigarettes smoked

the behaviour in the period of Chocolate bars eaten
observation

EVENT DURATION Length of time the behaviour Tantrums

takes place Exercising
Hand-washing
 STEP 3: MONITORING YOUR
BEHAVIOUR
Once you have chosen how to monitor your behaviour, you can test
your behaviour and definition (3-day monitoring practice) and then
compete your 10-days monitoring. Monitoring in the following way
allows you to take note of important qualitative information (necessary
for completing your assignment):

– When the behaviour occurred

– Where the behaviour occurred
– Who you were with when it occurred
– What happened before it occurred (triggers)
– What happened after it occurred (consequences)

Also note that the three days of practice monitoring do not count in the
10 day monitoring period required for the assignment.
 STEP 3: MONITORING YOUR
BEHAVIOUR
HOW TO MONITOR YOUR BEHAVIOUR:

Date/Time Where Who Before After

 ASSIGNMENT STRUCTURE
• INTRODUCTION
• METHOD: a description of the participant, an operational definition of the
behaviour you have chosen, and a justification of the monitoring method.
• RESULTS: present and describe your findings. Graph of your self-monitoring data,
provide verbal description, make SORCK table that summarises your analysis, and
a behavioural formulation that verbally describes your table.
• DISCUSSION
• REFERENCES AND *APPENDIX
 ASSIGNMENT STRUCTURE

See the Course Handbook for detailed

information about the structure and
requirements of the self-monitoring project
 Operational Definition
• Submit your definition on Turnitin (twice) before
Friday 8th September.
– There are two inboxes - one for your first submission, and
one for your second submission. The deadline for
submission for any definition is 8th September.
– You must submit the first round of feedback by Monday 4th
September for us to have enough time to provide feedback
and submit your second definition by Friday 8th September.
– This means if you have submitted only one by 8th
September (or if you submit your first after 4th September)
then you will only get one round of feedback.
 AGENDA
• Kahoot
• Recap of blocking and superconditioning
• Interpret and discuss results of last week’s
experiment
• Practice Questions
• Self-Monitoring Part 1: Introduction to
Assignment
• Project consultation
Assignment questions?
 WHAT TO DO BY NEXT TUTORIAL:
1. Choose and define your behaviour and select
a monitoring method (e.g. event frequency)
- Get your chosen behaviour approved by your tutor
- Create an OPERATIONAL DEFINITION as a PARAGRAPH
not a table (including elaboration, questionable
instances, etc.) for a specific behaviour

2. Complete three days of practice monitoring

to see if behaviour and definition is suitable
 Learning objectives for this week

1) Identify and describe the experimental procedures of

some Pavlovian conditioning phenomena and to explain their
implications for Pavlovian conditioning
2) Understand how psychological research uses formal
models to explain behaviour
3) Understand the Rescorla-Wagner model, and the
predictions it makes
4) Understand how Pavlovian conditioning is used in research
5) Understand how Pavlovian conditioning can be applied to
everyday life and in clinical settings.