Escape! The Elements of Behavior Module #4 "Let's get out of here!" You're faced with an avalanche, flood, lightning storm, vice-principal, or other natural or unnatural disaster. What happens next? You do something, you act, you behave, you escape! Your behavior increases (remember, a procedure that increases behavior is reinforcement, in this case negative reinforcement, which has confused the world since it was invented). Escape looks like this: Escape situations are common in nature (heat, rain, etc.), but also in much of so-called civilized life (as is a related procedure, avoidance, which we will avoid until a later module). It's not just rain, or a hot stove, that prompts escape; we also often act to escape from other people's unpleasant behavior. Negative reinforcement works, sort of. Remember the crying child? If the parent let him into her bed, he stopped crying. Why did the child cry? Positive reinforcement. Why did the parent let him into the bed? To escape from the aversive crying. Setting up an escape contingency worked for the child, but locked in what Malott calls a "sick social cycle," ultimately not good for anyone. What about among adults? Nagging, a form of aversive, often "works" pretty well--the naggee often eventually complies to escape. The only thing is, the person who nags becomes associated with the nagging,and then the naggee may try to escape from the person who nags, too. And the overall tone of the relationship slips, as nagging escalates. That warm, gentle person your significant other fell in love with (you?) becomes increasingly like that pit bull. You wanna be a pit bull or a chocolate sundae? Should we always avoid the use of escape contingencies? Maybe. Highly aversive escape contingencies are almost always a problem. There are some related procedures that involve escape from a possible future penalty, that may be OK if the penalty is fairly easy to escape, and agreed to by the person herself. (There are lots of complexities in the last sentence, but let's let it be for now). Add a deadline to a mild-mannered, kindly positive reinforcement situation, and escape from negative images and self-talk about losing the possible reward may actually be the motor driving our behavior. Even a pleasant request from someone you care about may set up a slightly aversive condition until you respond. We want to make the world as non-aversive as possible, but . . . we think of positive reinforcement as the "prime directive"--adding mild escape contingencies if--but only if--they really contribute to ultimate "quality of life." Technical details: Many behavior analysts, beginning with Skinner, have discussed the potential problems with excesses of negative reinforcement (hypervigilance, "guilt" and so forth); space precludes complete discussion here. It is the aversive stimulus that is defined as the "negative reinforcer," incidentally. Covert stimuli (images, self-talk) probably often function as negative reinforcers, particularly in "rule-governed" behavior, which will be discussed in future modules. There is also a good deal of controversy in the field as to the desirability of eliminating all negative reinforcement and other aversives to the maximum possible extent. We have taken a middle course here, but ultimately, this is an empirical question that can be tested. Please complete the following: 1. Give an example, from your own life, of an aversive condition or event ("before"), the behavior you performed to escape it, and the outcome ("after"): 2. Can you think of an example when someone (yourself, or someone you know) set up an unpleasant situation in order to get someone else to change (e.g., "I asked my girlfriend to clean up the kitchen every 5 minutes in an unpleasant way"): 3. Can you think of a less aversive way to get the same, or a better outcome? 4. One "sick" behavior analyst says, "I like to be negatively reinforced!" Why might he (it is a male) say that? For further information, see: Malott, R. W., Whaley, D. L., & Malott, M. E. (1997). Elementary principles of behavior (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Sidman, M. (1989). Coercion and its fallout. Boston: Authors Cooperative. If you would like feedback on your answers, provide your email address and click on the submit button! Email Address: Cancel and Return to BFSR Home Page Copyright 1999 Walden Fellowship, Inc.
The Elements of Behavior Module #4
Escape situations are common in nature (heat, rain, etc.), but also in much of so-called civilized life (as is a related procedure, avoidance, which we will avoid until a later module). It's not just rain, or a hot stove, that prompts escape; we also often act to escape from other people's unpleasant behavior. Negative reinforcement works, sort of. Remember the crying child? If the parent let him into her bed, he stopped crying. Why did the child cry? Positive reinforcement. Why did the parent let him into the bed? To escape from the aversive crying. Setting up an escape contingency worked for the child, but locked in what Malott calls a "sick social cycle," ultimately not good for anyone.
What about among adults? Nagging, a form of aversive, often "works" pretty well--the naggee often eventually complies to escape. The only thing is, the person who nags becomes associated with the nagging,and then the naggee may try to escape from the person who nags, too. And the overall tone of the relationship slips, as nagging escalates. That warm, gentle person your significant other fell in love with (you?) becomes increasingly like that pit bull. You wanna be a pit bull or a chocolate sundae?
Should we always avoid the use of escape contingencies? Maybe. Highly aversive escape contingencies are almost always a problem. There are some related procedures that involve escape from a possible future penalty, that may be OK if the penalty is fairly easy to escape, and agreed to by the person herself. (There are lots of complexities in the last sentence, but let's let it be for now). Add a deadline to a mild-mannered, kindly positive reinforcement situation, and escape from negative images and self-talk about losing the possible reward may actually be the motor driving our behavior. Even a pleasant request from someone you care about may set up a slightly aversive condition until you respond. We want to make the world as non-aversive as possible, but . . . we think of positive reinforcement as the "prime directive"--adding mild escape contingencies if--but only if--they really contribute to ultimate "quality of life."
Technical details: Many behavior analysts, beginning with Skinner, have discussed the potential problems with excesses of negative reinforcement (hypervigilance, "guilt" and so forth); space precludes complete discussion here. It is the aversive stimulus that is defined as the "negative reinforcer," incidentally. Covert stimuli (images, self-talk) probably often function as negative reinforcers, particularly in "rule-governed" behavior, which will be discussed in future modules. There is also a good deal of controversy in the field as to the desirability of eliminating all negative reinforcement and other aversives to the maximum possible extent. We have taken a middle course here, but ultimately, this is an empirical question that can be tested. Please complete the following:
1. Give an example, from your own life, of an aversive condition or event ("before"), the behavior you performed to escape it, and the outcome ("after"):
2. Can you think of an example when someone (yourself, or someone you know) set up an unpleasant situation in order to get someone else to change (e.g., "I asked my girlfriend to clean up the kitchen every 5 minutes in an unpleasant way"):
3. Can you think of a less aversive way to get the same, or a better outcome?
4. One "sick" behavior analyst says, "I like to be negatively reinforced!" Why might he (it is a male) say that?
For further information, see:
Malott, R. W., Whaley, D. L., & Malott, M. E. (1997). Elementary principles of behavior (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Sidman, M. (1989). Coercion and its fallout. Boston: Authors Cooperative.
If you would like feedback on your answers, provide your email address and click on the submit button!
Email Address: