reinforcers and punishers versus incentives reinforcers and punishers refer to good and bad behavior...
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Reinforcers and Punishers versus Incentives• Reinforcers and punishers refer to good and bad
behavior consequences
Selecting versus Motivating Behavior• Reinforcers: behavioral consequences that select
behavior, i.e., increase the frequency of behavior• Punishers: behavioral consequences that deselect
behavior, i.e., decrease the frequency of behavior
Selecting versus Motivating Behavior, continued• Incentives: Anticipated external stimuli that
motivate behavior to occur • Positive incentives motivate approach behavior, i.e.,
behavior to attain the incentive • Negative incentives motivate avoidance behavior,
i.e., behavior to prevent the incentive from occurring
Past versus Future• Reinforcers and punishers are actual consequences
of behavior • Positive and negative incentives are anticipated
consequences
Objective and Subjective Incentive Value• Incentive value: attractiveness of an incentive based
on objective properties, e.g., number or amount• Utility: subjective value of an incentive, based on it
providing satisfaction, pleasure, and usefulness
Relationship between Objective and Subjective Value
• Fechner’s Law: relationship between objective and subjective incentive value (utility) such that equal increases in objective value, produce smaller and smaller increases in subjective value (utility)
Figure 10.1. Dollars and Utility.The relationship between the number of dollars and their utility is such that as the dollar amount increases, utility increases, but in smaller and smaller amounts. The graph is only an approximation of the true dollar-utility relationship.
Incentives as Losses and Gains
• Anticipated gains equal positive incentives• Anticipated losses equal negative incentives
Losses Loom Larger Than Gains
• Losses loom larger than gains: the loss of something is more dissatisfying than the gain of it
• Losing $10 is more dissatisfying than gaining $10 is satisfying
Figure 10.3. Loss/Gain and Seller/Buyer Behavior.
Typical median willingness-to-accept (sell) prices were greater than median willingness-to-pay (buy) prices for mugs, pens, and binoculars. When seller and buyer agreed on a price, money and goods exchanged hands. Source: “Experimental Tests of the Endowment Effect and the Coase Theorem” by D. Kahneman et al., 1990, Journal of Political Economy, 98, table 2, p. 1332, and table 3, p. 1334.
Factors that Affect Incentive Value• There are a number of variables that affect the
subjective value or utility of an incentive• More valuable incentives are described by more,
bigger, and better and less valuable incentives by less, smaller, and worse
Amount• Incentive amount: quantity or number of incentives
increases their value• A grade of A is valued more than a grade of B• $20 is more valued than $10• As incentive value increases, motivation increases
Rate of Reinforcement• As the rate of reinforcement increases, rate of
responding increases• Given a choice, an animal or person selects the
activity that produces a higher rate of reinforcement
Rate of Reinforcement, continued
• Melioration: the shift toward an activity that is more lucrative or provides a greater rate of reinforcement
Contrast of Incentive Amount• Contrast effect: change in motivation that depends on
how the current incentive differs from prior incentives• Positive incentive contrast: an upward shift in
incentive value, motivated behavior increases• Negative contrast: a downward shift in incentive value,
motivated behavior decreases
Temporal Motivation Theory• How far an incentive is situated in the future
determines the value or utility of that incentive
Incentive Utility from Amount and Delay, continued
• (Expected incentive value) (1 + Delay Interval)
• Incentive-delay interval is time when the incentive becomes available
Utility =
Delay Discounting• Delay discounting: process by which a future
incentive is represented in the present at a marked down value, e.g., $10 delayed by one month is discounted to be worth $1 right now
• Person decides between incentives based on their discounted values
Preference Reversal• Preference reversal: a change in preference from
one incentive to another as a result of a change in their discounted values based on changes in the incentive-delay intervals
Preference Reversal, continued• Decide between each of the eight choices1. $25 now versus $50 now2. $25 now versus $50 in 2 weeks3. $25 now versus $50 in 4 weeks4. $25 now versus $50 in 6 weeks5. $25 now versus $50 in 8 weeks6. $25 now versus $50 in 12 weeks7. $25 now versus $50 in 20 weeks8. $25 now versus $50 in 52 weeks (one year)
Figure 10.5. Changes in Incentive Value or Utility over Time.During time x, the larger incentive has greater utility than the smaller incentive. As the delay interval decreases, the smaller incentive attains a higher utility during time y. Preference reversal occurs at the division of time x and time y.
Procrastination
• Procrastination refers to delay in goal-directed behavior despite knowing that one will be worse off as a result
• For example, delay work on a paper knowing that a lower grade will be the result
Figure 10.7. Changes in Utility of Socializing versus Essay Writing.A student’s utility estimation of socializing versus writing an essay changes over the semester. The utility of socializing remains constant, since that is always available. The utility of writing an essay increases as its due date approaches (delay interval decreases). Source: “The Nature of Procrastination: A Meta-Analytic and Theoretical Review of Quintessential Self-Regulatory Failure” by P. Steel, 2007, Psychological Bulleting, 133, figure 2, p. 72. Copyright 2007 by APA. Reprinted by permission.
Intrinsic Motivation
• Motivated behavior that occurs when there is no obvious external consequence as a result of the behavior
Differences Between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation
• Extrinsic motivation: behavior is coerced by external sources, e.g., grades, money, or approval of others
• Intrinsic motivation: behavior is not coerced by external sources, motivation is inherent in the activity
Differences Between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation, continued
• Functional autonomy: outcome of a process that involved the transition from extrinsically motivated behavior to intrinsically motivated behavior
• For example, you started running for exercise but now run for the pleasure of it
Purpose of Intrinsically Motivated Behavior• Intrinsically motivated behavior may occur for
several reasons or be based on different sources: curiosity, effectance, and flow
Extrinsic Reward and Intrinsic Motivation• An extrinsic incentive can decrease the intrinsic value
or interest in an activity• Cognitive evaluation theory: person evaluates
reason for his/her behavior• If behavior is attributed to external incentive, then
when incentive is removed, intrinsic interest declines
Extrinsic Reward, Intrinsic Motivation, and Performance
• Although extrinsic incentives can decrease intrinsic interests, incentives can also increase performance
• Professional athletes play games because they enjoy doing so but also because they are paid well
• Students attend class because they enjoy the course and because of expecting a good grade