AB539 S&HB Study Guide Unit 5 Ch 19-21 Fall 2013

Study guide for “ Science and Human Behavior ”, Skinner, 1953 Unit 5, Ch 19-21, Items 163-192. Place your original answer immediately following each numbered item below and use red or blue font for your answers. SECTION IV: THE BEHAVIOR OF PEOPLE IN GROUPS IX SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (p 297) 163. How does Skinner define social behavior? a. Behavior that is socially mediated (affected by another person/organism). 164. “Social behavior arises because one organism is useful to another as part of its environment.” (p 298) 165. Does Skinner view socially-mediated behavioral interactions as a separate domain from the natural sciences? Explain. a. No. the contingencies that control behavior in the natural setting also control behavior in social settings. 166. What are some of the ways that behavior reinforced via social mediation may differ from behavior reinforced through a mechanical environment? a. Social mediation reinforcement is complex and not easily predicted via the typical means of analysis. b. Subtle social cues 167. How does Skinner define a social episode and how do we provide an account of it? a. “An interaction between two organisms where the behavior of one affects the behavior of the other.” b. Leading and following: two or more people are reinforced when an action occurs that requires both of them. 168. Why might social contingencies prove less stable over time than “apparently comparable contingencies in inanimate nature.” (p 301) a. Because the evolving needs of a person. Eventually the social contingencies change due to history of reinforcement and increasing amounts needed to achieve reinforcement due to habituation. 169. Give an example of how subtle social stimuli may occur to make two people believe that they have a special “connection” or “understanding” that people without scientific training or skepticism might be tempted to explain by non-physical or metaphysical “causes”. a. Someone smiling at me when I say something funny may make me think that they believe I am funny and like me. 170. How does Skinner suggest simplifying an analysis of a “social episode”? a. Focusing on one organism at a time. 171. How might coordinated responding between two birds be established? a. Using the same social principles of leading and following. The pigeons must both peck the buttons simultaneously in order to receive reinforcement.

172. Describe the contingencies involved in the coordinated responding of two individuals with proper learning histories in which person A emits a request and person B responds appropriately. a. A provides adequate stimuli and reinforcement for B and vice versa. 173. Identify an example in which a reciprocal interchange between two individuals exemplifies an interlocking social contingency that illustrates an enduring cultural practice. a. “Each individual has something to offer by way of reinforcing the other, and once established this interchange sustains itself (pp 310).” b. Telling the truth, being helpful, reading bible verses, going to church. 174. Give an example of how the “Golden Rule” specifies a social contingency that is sometimes observed by members of our culture. a. “The golden rule is a generalized statement of the behavior thus supported by the group (pp 310).” 175. Explain what is meant by the oft-stated “mutual back scratch” contingency. a. You do something for me, I’ll do something for you. b. Reinforcing group behavior 176. When is competition likely to arise? Give an example. (p 311) a. When the behavior of one can be reinforced at the cost of the reinforcement for the other. 177. Explain, from a behavioral perspective, what needs to happen to induce most people to engage in a concerted group effort related to the overall welfare of the culture, e.g., paying into the Affordable Healthcare Act (i.e., “Obama care”) or mitigating global warming by “decreasing their ‘carbon footprint’ ” ? a. There would have to be a mutual contingency of reinforcement. The benefits of the group should be reinforcing for each individual to partake in the group effort. XX PERSONAL CONTROL (p 313) 178. Does an organism that has learned how to respond in a way that reliably brings it into contact with reinforcement necessarily have awareness of its behavior? Explain. a. An organism may not understand the cause and effect of its own behavior. 179. So, if organism A has learned to control the behavior of organism B, does A “know” or “understand” what the cause and effect of its behavior is? Explain. a. No. organism A may not understand or know the cause and effect of its own behavior. 180. In techniques of personal control, “limitations in personal control” have resulted in a “standard practice”; what is that standard practice? (p 314) a. Available variables are first manipulated in order to establish and maintain contact between controller and controlee. 181. What is the principal process for prolonging contact used by those with weak sources of initial control? a. Reinforcement 182. What methods are available to (and often used) by those with the necessary power? What are some of the shortcomings of such approaches? What is the likely result of using such methods in the “long run”?

189. Although group control can be great, what likely leads to limits that prevent the group from exerting or achieving its maximum degree of control? a. “The group seldom acts efficiently enough to press its advantages to the limit.” 190. What sorts of ethical questions does this topic raise for most of us or, more specifically, for you personally? What is Skinner’s reply to such concerns? a. How do we justify what is good or bad? He says that we use our science to describe the behavioral contingencies in place and separate them into what it good or bad based on the practices of a group. 191. Your opinion here: Should the criterion for successful deployment of a behavior analytically managed society be “that greatest good for the greatest number”, “happiness” of members of the culture, or the “survival of the culture”? Explain. a. I think that the criterion should focus on the good for the greatest number. Those other variables are subjective, and happiness does not necessarily equate to the functionality of controlling behavior. 192. Your opinion here: Would you prefer the culture you currently find yourself in or can you imagine a “designed culture” that would be better than the one we currently have? Explain. a. I think a culture that takes into account the greatest good and can reinforce all people within the group, is a culture I would rather be in. I would rather be in a culture where reinforcement is available for all, and punishment is not used to force others into confinement of their personal identity.