Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) is a nonprofit membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

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11th International Conference; Dublin, Ireland; 2022

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Paper Session #19
Implementing Punishment in an Evolutionary Theory of Behavior Dynamics
Friday, September 2, 2022
10:30 AM–10:55 AM
Meeting Level 2; Wicklow Hall 2A
Area: PCH
Chair: Jack J McDowell (Emory University)
 
Implementing Punishment in an Evolutionary Theory of Behavior Dynamics
Domain: Theory
JACK J MCDOWELL (Emory University)
 
Abstract: A comprehensive theory of adaptive behavior is a desirable goal for a science of behavior. The evolutionary theory of behavior dynamics is one candidate for such a theory. It is a complexity theory that instantiates the Darwinian principles of selection, reproduction, and mutation in a genetic algorithm. The algorithm is used to animate artificial organisms that behave continuously in time and can be placed in any experimental environment. This presentation explains how punishment may be implemented in the theory. A key feature of this implementation is that when punishment is superimposed on reinforced responding, the suppressive effect of punishment depends on the amount of reinforcement generated by the target response. The suppressive effect is greater when less reinforcement is generated by the target response than when more is generated. This is a form of reinforcement loss aversion, or “fear of missing out,” as it is sometimes referred to colloquially. Relevant empirical evidence from experiments with live organisms is reviewed, including data from studies that superimpose punishment on concurrent and single alternative schedules. Findings from these studies support this implementation of punishment in the evolutionary theory.
 
 

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