Negative Reinforcement Research Articles

Implementation of Reinforcement Skill in Teaching English in The Pandemic Situation

This study aimed to identify the types of reinforcement skills and investigate the implementation of reinforcement skills used during the online learning process at SMP Laboratorium Undiksha Singaraja. This study used a qualitative descriptive method as the research design. This study also used an English teacher as the research subject. In collecting data, this study used three methods, namely; observation, interviews, and questionnaires. This research was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the data obtained, this study found the results of the type of reinforcement and the implementation used by teachers during online learning. There are four types of reinforcement used by the teachers, such as; (1) positive verbal reinforcement in the form of praise and partial reinforcement, (2) positive non-verbal reinforcement in the form of gestures, (3) negative verbal reinforcement in the form of enforceable statements, questions, calling out the students' names, and (4) negative non-verbal reinforcement in the form of facial expressions and record the students' misbehavior. In addition, the reinforcement implementation were in line with theories suggested by experts by following the five principles in giving reinforcement.

Aggressive behavior: from theory to practice

The problem of aggressive behaviour predicting remains important after decades of studying aggression. A large quantity of aggression theories and models do not allow to fully explain the aggressive behaviour emergence. Unified theory of aggressive behaviour proposes to regard aggression as a balance of provoking and limiting factors, which are based on adaptive problems: retention of a sexual partner, co-opting the resources of others, defending against attack, inflicting costs on same-sex rivals, negotiating status and power hierarchies, deterring rivals from future aggression, deterring mates from sexual infidelity. Factors of aggressive behaviour include the level of physiological arousal, negative or positive reinforcement of aggressive behaviour in the past, a state of frustration, aversive stimuli and the dominant emotion. Based on the proposed theory, a aggressive behaviour predicting scale is proposed, which allows to calculate the probability of aggressive behaviour, as well as its dynamics. The aggressive behaviour predicting scale is easy to use, does not take much time and allows to quantify and assess the probability of aggression.

Pedagogical practices and challenges in cultivating moral values: A qualitative study of primary school teachers in Pakistan

ABSTRACT Holistic development is fostered when the education system allows learners to equip themselves with moral values, which is crucial in prospering a society. The current situation of moral disintegration among youth raises the importance of consolidation of moral values in education, and teachers play an important role in cultivating moral values among students. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the practices and challenges in imparting moral values by the teachers from primary schools in Karachi, Pakistan. A qualitative design was adopted, followed by semi-structured interviews and observations. All the interviews were voice-recorded, transcribed precisely, and analyzed through the thematic analysis technique. The views of teachers were confirmed by observing their classes for two days. The findings reveal that the teachers impart moral values by using different teaching practices, i.e. exemplary role, teamwork, storytelling, (positive and negative) reinforcement, and arranging activities. In contrast, most of the teachers were unaware of moral philosophies and the moral work of teaching. Results also revealed other challenges which highlight the importance of inclusion of moral education in curriculum and teaching practices by providing adequate opportunities for the professional development of teachers and allocate sufficient resources for the moral work of teaching.

Genetically identified amygdala-striatal circuits for valence-specific behaviors.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) plays essential roles in behaviors motivated by stimuli with either positive or negative valence, but how it processes motivationally opposing information and participates in establishing valence-specific behaviors remains unclear. Here, by targeting Fezf2-expressing neurons in the BLA, we identify and characterize two functionally distinct classes in behaving mice, the negative-valence neurons and positive-valence neurons, which innately represent aversive and rewarding stimuli, respectively, and through learning acquire predictive responses that are essential for punishment avoidance or reward seeking. Notably, these two classes of neurons receive inputs from separate sets of sensory and limbic areas, and convey punishment and reward information through projections to the nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle, respectively, to drive negative and positive reinforcement. Thus, valence-specific BLA neurons are wired with distinctive input/output structures, forming a circuit framework that supports BLA’s roles in encoding, learning and executing valence-specific motivated behaviors.

The limits of motivational influence in ADHD: no evidence for an altered reaction to negative reinforcement.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported a diminished response in the brain’s reward circuits to contingent cues predicting future monetary gain in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The situation with regard to monetary loss is less clear, despite recognition that both positive and negative consequences impact ADHD behaviour. Here, we employ a new Escape Monetary Loss Incentive task in an MRI scanner, which allows the differentiation of contingency and valence effects during loss avoidance, to examine ADHD-related alterations in monetary loss processing. There was no evidence of atypical processing of contingent or non-contingent monetary loss cues in ADHD — either in terms of ratings of emotional and motivational significance or brain responses. This suggests that the ability to process contingencies between performance and negative outcomes is intact in ADHD and that individuals with ADHD are no more (or less) sensitive to negative outcomes than controls. This latter finding stands in stark contrast to recent evidence from a similar task of atypical emotion network recruitment (e.g. amygdala) in ADHD individuals to cues predicting another negative event, the imposition of delay, suggesting marked specificity in the way they respond to negative events.

Behavioral reinforcement of pathological exercise in anorexia nervosa.

Pathological exercise in anorexia nervosa (AN) is a harmful behavior associated with a chronic course and poor prognosis. To date, no comprehensive theoretical model exists to describe pathological exercise in the context of AN, and as such, few treatments are effective at promoting direct and sustained pathological exercise extinction. Using a framework put forth by Wise & Koob (2014), debating the relative importance of positive and negative reinforcement in substance use, we present three hypotheses of behavioral reinforcement of exercise, encompassing biological, psychological, and environmental influences. Specifically, we argue that exercise is positively reinforced through receipt of biological and behavioral rewards, negatively reinforced through avoidance of aversive emotions, and that these two systems work in tandem over time to engrain pathological exercise as a habit. We then present suggestions for testing each of these hypotheses as future directions for the field.

Functional assessment of restrictive eating: A three-study clinically heterogeneous and transdiagnostic investigation.

Restrictive eating is common and associated with negative psychological outcomes across the life span and eating disorder (ED) severity levels. Little is known about functional processes that maintain restriction, especially outside of narrow diagnostic categories (e.g., anorexia nervosa). Here, we extend research on operant four-function models (identifying automatic negative, automatic positive, social negative, and social positive reinforcement functions) that have previously been applied to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), binge eating, and purging to restricting. We assessed restrictive eating functions in three samples: clinically heterogeneous adolescents (Study 1: N = 457), transdiagnostic adults (Study 2: N = 145), and adults with acute or recently weight-restored anorexia nervosa (Study 3: N = 45). Study 1 indicated the four-function model was a good fit for restricting (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .06, Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = .88). This factor structure replicated in Study 2 (comparative fit index [CFI] = .97, RMSEA = .07, TLI = .97, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = .09). Unlike NSSI, binge eating, and purging, which have been found to primarily serve automatic negative reinforcement functions, all three present studies found automatic positive reinforcement was most highly endorsed (by up to 85% of participants). In Studies 1 and 3, automatic functions were associated with poorer emotion regulation (ps < .05). In Study 1, social functions were associated with less social support (ps < .001). Across studies, automatic functions were associated with greater restriction ps < .05). Functions varied slightly by ED diagnosis. Across ED presentation, severity, and developmental stage, restrictive eating may be largely maintained by automatic positive reinforcement, with some variability across presentations. Continued examination of restrictive eating functions will establish processes that maintain restriction, allowing more precise treatment targeting for these problematic behaviors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

A critical assessment of Murray Sidman’s approach to coercion

Murray Sidman’s Coercion and its fallout (1989) is a classic on the behaviorist perspective to social issues. The book provided an operational approach to complex behavioral phenomena, paving the way for behavior analysts to address a wide range of human affairs. Nevertheless, the equivalence established by Sidman between coercion and the use of punishment and negative reinforcement (i.e., aversive control) is tricky, given that the very idea of aversive control is a matter of controversy to this day. Therefore, although innovative, Sidman’s approach to coercion is also problematic, and demands reassessment. This article has three goals: 1) to present a short summary of Sidman’s approach to coercion, 2) to evaluate the problems with such an approach, and 3) to comment on an alternative approach to coercion in behavior analysis. Although critical of Sidman’s approach to coercion, we are aligned with his remarks on the self-correcting, ever-evolving character of scientific research – which is precisely why we argue for his approach to be reassessed from a critical viewpoint.Keywords: Coercion, aversive control, punishment, Murray Sidman, social issues.

Accuracy of caregiver identification of demands for children with escape-maintained challenging behavior

BackgroundAlthough stimulus preference assessments are widely used to identify reinforcers and to inform positive reinforcement conditions in a functional analysis (FA), direct assessments of potential negative reinforcers are not as commonly employed. Demands are often selected from caregiver report alone. AimsThe purpose of the current study is to (a) replicate the Demand Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities (DAISD) indirect assessment interview for caregivers to identify demands that may evoke challenging behavior; (b), compare the correspondence of the DAISD in relation to an established direct assessment, the demand latency assessment (DLA); and (c) evaluate if the demands that caregivers identify as the most aversive are more likely to evoke challenging behavior and identify an escape function in an FA than those demands caregivers identify as least aversive and replicate validation of the DLA. Methods and proceduresThis study evaluated caregiver accuracy at identifying demands most likely to evoke escape-maintained challenging behavior for four children with developmental disabilities. Caregiver-informed aversiveness hierarchies from the DAISD were compared to child-informed aversiveness hierarchies from the DLA. Functional analyses included separate escape conditions with DAISD and DLA most and least aversive demands. Outcomes and resultsAlthough all caregivers identified at least eight demands, caregivers’ accuracy with demand aversiveness was variable as indicated by (a) a false negative FA outcome for one of four participants with the caregiver-nominated most aversive demand; (b) higher rates of challenging behavior with the caregiver-nominated least aversive demand than most aversive for three of four participants; and (c) lack of a strong positive rank order correlation between caregiver- and child-hierarchies for all participants (range, −0.76 to .48). Compliance was not a strong predictive variable of challenging behavior with either assessment. Conclusions and implicationsResults indicate that the DAISD interview is useful at identifying multiple demands presented in the natural environment, but should be followed up with direct assessment to determine demand aversiveness rather than used for caregivers to rank demand aversiveness.

A rein tension signal can be reduced by half in a single training session

Rein tension signals are, in essence, pressures applied on the horse’s mouth or nose, via the bit/noseband, by a rider or trainer. These pressures may feel uncomfortable or even painful to the horse and therefore it is important to reduce rein tension magnitude to a minimum. The aim of this study was to investigate the magnitude of a rein tension signal for backing up, using negative reinforcement. We wanted to assess how much the magnitude of rein tension could be reduced over eight trials and if the learning process would differ depending on headstall (bridle/halter). Twenty Warmblood horses were trained to step back from a rein tension signal with the handler standing next to the horse, holding the hands above the horse’s withers. As soon as the horses stepped back, rein tension was released. The horses were either trained with a bridle first (first treatment, eight trials) and then with a halter (second treatment, eight trials), or vice versa in a cross-over design. All horses wore a rein tension meter and behavior was recorded from video. The sum of left and right maximum rein tension from onset of the rein tension signal to onset of backing (signaling rein tension) was determined for each trial. Mixed linear and logistic regression models were used for the data analysis. In both treatments, signaling rein tension was significantly lower in trial 7–8 than the first trial (p < 0.02). Likewise, signaling rein tension was significantly lower (p < 0.01), and the horses responded significantly faster, (p < 0.001) in the second treatment compared to the first, regardless of headstall. The maximum rein tension was reduced from 35 N to 17 N for bridle (sum of left and right rein) and from 25 N to 15 N for halter in the first eight trials. Rein tension was then further reduced to 10 N for both bridle and halter over the eight additional trials in the second treatment, i.e. to approximately 5 N in each rein. There was no significant difference in learning performance depending on headstall, but the bitted bridle was associated with significantly more head/neck/mouth behaviors. These results suggest that it is possible to reduce maximum rein tension by half in just eight trials. The findings demonstrate how quickly the horse can be taught to respond to progressively lower magnitudes of rein tension through the correct application of negative reinforcement, suggesting possibilities for substantial improvement of equine welfare during training.

Differential reinforcement learning responses to positive and negative information in unmedicated individuals with depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by behavioral and neural abnormalities in processing both rewarding and aversive stimuli, which may impact motivational and affective symptoms. Learning paradigms have been used to assess reinforcement encoding abnormalities in MDD and their association with dysfunctional incentive-based behavior, but how the valence and context of information modulate this learning is not well understood. To address these gaps, we examined responses to positive and negative reinforcement across multiple temporal phases of information processing. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 47 participants (23 unmedicated, predominantly medication-naïve participants with MDD and 24 demographically-matched HC participants) completed a probabilistic, feedback-based reinforcement learning task that allowed us to separate neural activation during motor response (choice) from reinforcement feedback and monetary outcome across two independent conditions: pursuing gains and avoiding losses. In the gain condition, MDD participants showed overall blunted learning responses (prediction error) in the dorsal striatum when receiving monetary outcome, and reduced responses in ventral striatum for positive, but not negative, prediction error. The MDD group showed enhanced sensitivity to negative information, and symptom severity was associated with better behavioral performance in the loss condition. These findings suggest that striatal responses during learning are abnormal in individuals with MDD but vary with the valence of information.

Classifying Students With School Refusal Behavior and Their Relationship to Learning Strategies

Students with School Refusal Behaviour (SRB) are a diverse group, often associated with negative academic repercussions (e.g., low academic performance, learning difficulties or academic demotivation). The aims of this research were: 1) to identify school refusal behaviour profiles based on low and high scores on the four functional conditions assessed by the School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (SRAS-R) and 2) to examine the relationship between SRB profiles and learning strategies. The SRAS-R and the Inventory of Learning and Study Strategies-High School version were administered to 1,261 students aged to 14 to 18 (M = 16.51; SD = 1.84). Four SRB profiles were obtained: SRB by positive reinforcement, Low SRB, SRB by negative reinforcement and Mixed SRB. School refusers belonging to the Mixed SRB and SRB by negative reinforcement profiles are characterised by low scores on learning strategies, except for the Anxiety dimension. The practical implications of these findings suggest that implementing study techniques and learning strategies programmes, in addition to courses on anxiety management and self-care will help students improve their learning paths and reduce anxiety-based school refusal.

Thinking too much: rumination and psychopathology.

Thinking too much: rumination and psychopathology.

School Refusal Behavior Profiles, Optimism/Pessimism, and Personality Traits in Spanish Children

The relationship between school refusal behavior (SRB) profiles and personality traits has received little attention from investigators. Identifying the profiles of students with school attendance problems may improve the understanding of the characteristics defining these students. The aim of this study was to identify different SRB profiles and analyze the relationship between these profiles, and optimism/pessimism and personality traits. The School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised, the Youth Life Orientation Test, and the Big Five Questionnaire were administrated to 739 Spanish students aged 8–11 (Mage = 9.92; SD = 1.12). Pearson’s correlation coefficients revealed a significant association between personality dimensions and SRB. Three distinct profiles were identified: (1) SRB by negative reinforcement (high scores on avoiding school-related stimuli provoking negative affectivity), (2) SRB by positive reinforcement (high scores on pursuing positive tangible reinforcement outside of school), and (3) Low SRB. The SRB profile by positive reinforcement scored higher on Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Optimism, whereas the SRB profile by negative reinforcement scored higher on Neuroticism and Pessimism. More statically significant differences were found between the negative and positive reinforcement profiles. The role of negative personality traits and pessimism as risk factors for students who are truant or refuse to attend school are discussed.

SARS-CoV-2, Trait Anxiety, and the Microbiome.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, research on the relationships between the virus and its human host has become fundamental to understand this pathology and its effects. Attaining this profound understanding is critical for the effective containment and treatment of infections caused by the virus. In this review, we present some possible mechanisms by which psychopathological symptoms emerge following viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS). These proposed mechanisms are based on microbial communication and the induced priming of microglial antibody activation within the CNS through Toll-like receptor signaling. In this process, chronic microglial activation causes increased glutamate release in virally-altered, high-density neuronal structures, thereby modulating cognitive networks and information integration processes. This modulation, in turn, we suggest, affects the accuracy of sensory integration and connectivity of major control networks, such as the default mode network. The chronic activation of immunological responses and neurochemical shifts toward an elevated glutamate/gamma-aminobutyric acid ratio lead to negative reinforcement learning and suboptimal organismic functioning, for example, maintaining the body in an anxious state, which can later become internalized as trait anxiety. Therefore, we hypothesize that the homeostatic relationship between host, microbiome, and virome, would be decisive in determining the efficiency of subsequent immunological responses, disease susceptibility, and long-term psychopathological effects of diseases that impact the CNS, such as the COVID-19.

Cortical hemodynamic mechanisms of reversal learning using high-resolution functional near-infrared spectroscopy: A pilot study

ObjectivesReversal learning is widely used to analyze cognitive flexibility and characterize behavioral abnormalities associated with impulsivity and disinhibition. Recent studies using fMRI have focused on regions involved in reversal learning with negative and positive reinforcers. Although the frontal cortex has been consistently implicated in reversal learning, few studies have focused on whether reward and punishment may have different effects on lateral frontal structures in these tasks. MethodsDuring this pilot study on eight healthy subjects, we used functional near infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS) to characterize brain activity dynamics and differentiate the involvement of frontal structures in learning driven by reward and punishment. ResultsWe observed functional hemispheric asymmetries between punishment and reward processing by fNIRS following reversal of a learned rule. Moreover, the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) were activated under the reward condition only, whereas the orbito-frontal cortex (OFC) was significantly activated under the punishment condition, with a tendency towards activation for the right cortical hemisphere (r-DLPFC and r-IFG). Our results are compatible with the suggestion that the DLPFC is involved in the detection of contingency change. We propose a new representation for reward and punishment, with left lateralization for the reward process. ConclusionsThe results of this pilot study provide insights into the indirect neural mechanisms of reversal learning and behavioral flexibility and confirm the use of fNIRS imaging in reversal-learning tasks as a translational strategy, particularly in subjects who cannot undergo fMRI recordings.

Negative urgency as a risk factor for hazardous alcohol use: Dual influences of cognitive control and reinforcement processing

Negative Urgency (NU) is a prominent risk factor for hazardous alcohol use. While research has helped elucidate how NU relates to neurobiological functioning with respect to alcohol use, no known work has contextualized such functioning within existing neurobiological theories in addiction. Therefore, we elucidated mechanisms contributing to the NU–hazardous alcohol use relationship by combining NU theories with neurobiological dual models of addiction, which posit addiction is related to cognitive control and reinforcement processing. Fifty-five undergraduates self-reported NU and hazardous alcohol use. We recorded EEG while participants performed a reinforced flanker task. We measured cognitive control using N2 activation time-locked to the incongruent flanker stimulus, and we measured reinforcement processing using the feedback-related negativity (FRN) time-locked to better-than-expected negative reinforcement feedback. We modeled hazardous drinking using hierarchical regression, with NU, N2, and FRN plus their interactions as predictors. The regression model significantly predicted hazardous alcohol use, and the three-way interaction (NU × N2 × FRN) significantly improved model fit. In the context of inefficient processing (i.e., larger N2s and FRNs), NU demonstrated a strong relationship with hazardous alcohol use. In the context of efficient processing (i.e., smaller N2s and FRNs), NU was unrelated to hazardous alcohol use. Control analyses ruled out the potential impact of other impulsivity subscales, individual differences in dimensional negative affect or anxiety, and use of substances other than alcohol, and post hoc specificity analyses showed that this effect was driven primarily by heavy drinking, rather than frequency of drinking. This analysis provides preliminary evidence that brain mechanisms of cognitive control and reinforcement processing influence the relationship between NU and hazardous alcohol use, and confirms a specific influence of negative reinforcement processing. Future clinical research could leverage these neurobiological moderators for substance misuse treatment.

Prevention of glutamate excitotoxicity in lateral habenula alleviates ethanol withdrawal-induced somatic and behavioral effects in ethanol dependent mice

Ethanol withdrawal commonly leads to anxiety-related disorder, a central factor toward negative reinforcement leading to relapse. The lateral habenula (LHb), an epithalamic nucleus, has emerged to be critical for both reward and aversion processing. Recent studies have also implicated the hyperactivity of LHb, adding to the emergence of negative emotional states during withdrawal from addictive drugs. Herein, we have studied the effects of glutamate transporter inhibitor (PDC), GluN2B-containing NMDAR antagonist (Ro25-6981), and intracellular calcium chelator (BAPTA-AM) injection in LHb on ethanol withdrawal symptoms. We found that ethanol 4 g/kg 20 % w/v intragastric (i.g.) for 10 days followed by 24 h of withdrawal showed a significant increase in somatic signs characterized by vocalization, shaking, and scratching. It also increased locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior, collectively showing expression of ethanol withdrawal symptoms. The intra-LHb administration of PDC (0.5 ng) worsened the effect of ethanol withdrawal, whereas Ro25-6981 (2 and 4 ng) and BAPTA-AM (6.5 and 13 ng) significantly reversed ethanol withdrawal-induced behavior evident by a decrease in somatic signs, locomotor activity, and anxiety-like behavior. Further, pretreatment of Ro25-6981 and BAPTA-AM reduced the neuronal loss, whereas PDC increased it compared to the vehicle-treated group, as evidenced by NeuN staining. Altogether, our results suggest that increased glutamate, GluN2B activation, and likely calcium increase indicative of glutamate excitotoxicity-induced neuronal loss in LHb possibly endorse the emergence of ethanol withdrawal symptoms, while their inhibition might help in alleviating the ethanol withdrawal symptoms.

Adolescent cocaine induced persistent negative affect in female rats exposed to early-life stress

RationaleThe combination of several risk factors (sex, a prior underlying psychiatric condition, or early drug initiation) could induce the emergence of negative affect during cocaine abstinence and increase the risk of developing addiction. However, most prior preclinical studies have been centered in male rodents, traditionally excluding females from these analyses.ObjectivesTo ascertain the behavioral and neurochemical consequences of adolescent cocaine exposure when the combination of several risk factors is present (female, early-life stress).MethodsWhole litters of Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed to maternal deprivation for 24 h on postnatal day (PND) 9. Cocaine was administered in adolescence (15 mg/kg/day, i.p., PND 33–39). Negative affect was assessed by several behavioral tests (forced swim, open field, novelty-suppressed feeding, sucrose preference). Hippocampal cell fate markers were evaluated by western blot (FADD, Bax, cytochrome c) or immunohistochemistry (Ki-67; cell proliferation).ResultsMaternal deprivation is a suitable model of psychiatric vulnerability in which to study the impact of adolescent cocaine in female rats. While adolescent cocaine did not alter affective-like behavior during adolescence, a pro-depressive–like state emerged during adulthood, exclusively in rats re-exposed to cocaine during abstinence. FADD regulation by cocaine in early-life stressed female rats might contribute to certain hippocampal neuroadaptations with some significance to the observed induced negative affect.ConclusionsAdolescent cocaine induced persistent negative affect in female rats exposed to early-life stress, highlighting the risk of early drug initiation during adolescence for the emergence of negative reinforcement during abstinence likely driving cocaine addiction vulnerability, also in female rats.

Using Functional Communication Training to Reduce Self-Injurious Behavior for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a high risk of developing self-injurious behavior (SIB), which is often a result of deficits in communication skills. The use of functional communication training (FCT) to address SIB maintained by negative reinforcement among children with ASD is supported by an emerging trend of behavioral research. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of FCT on the SIB of children with ASD and to find out if the results would be maintained during periods of nonreinforcement. The results indicated significant reduction in SIB for all three participants and maintained for over two weeks following the withdrawal of the intervention. However, resurgence of SIB occurred when extinction was implemented for all participants.