Theoretical

Since you understand the PM Since you understand the PM contingency, we now need to contingency, we now need to

explain why that contingency is explain why that contingency is effective in controlling behavior. effective in controlling behavior.

That brings us to:That brings us to:

The Theoretical The Theoretical ContingencyContingency

Estimated Time: 15 min.Estimated Time: 15 min.

First we have to determine First we have to determine whether or not we even whether or not we even

need the theoretical need the theoretical contingency…contingency…

If the outcome for the PM contingency is If the outcome for the PM contingency is delayed by more than 60 seconds, it delayed by more than 60 seconds, it means that it is indirect-acting. means that it is indirect-acting.

But behavior is controlled by direct-But behavior is controlled by direct-acting contingencies…acting contingencies…

So if the PM contingency is indirect-So if the PM contingency is indirect-acting, we need to add a direct-acting acting, we need to add a direct-acting theoretical contingency to directly theoretical contingency to directly control the behavior.control the behavior.

Paul is a waiter at Old Peninsula Brew Pub. His manager is trying to get the wait staff to suggest appetizer and drink items to up-sell to customers. At the end of the day, if Paul’s sales printout shows at least 25% total sales in appetizers and drinks sales, Paul will get a $5 bonus from his manager.

This contingency is Indirect-Acting, because Paul will not receive his bonus until the end of the day. This means we DO need the Theoretical Contingency. Now let’s see what that looks like…

Before Behavior After

Paul will notreceive a $5bonus at the

end of the day

Paul up-sellsone item

Paul willreceive a $5bonus at the

end of the day

Paul has givenlevel of daily sales

Paul up-sells oneitem

Paul hasInfinitesimally

higher daily sales


Paul will loseopportunity for a $5bonus at the end of

the day

Paul will not loseopportunity for a $5bonus at the end of

the day


Paul fears loss ofopportunity for a$5 bonus at the end of the day

Paul does not fearloss of

opportunity for a$5 bonus at the end of the day

Ineffective Natural Contingency

Direct-Acting Theoretical Contingency

Performance Management Contingency

What kind of contingency is this?

A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting


Noapplause fromvoice teacher

Lauren singsher soloperfectly

Applausefrom

voice teacher

#26

Back to the question!


A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting




Applausefrom

voice teacher

No. Lauren’s teacher immediately applauds

her good performance. There isn’t any delay, so

this is direct-acting.


A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting




Applausefrom

voice teacher

You’re exactly right! Lauren’s voice teacher applauds immediately after her performance, so this

contingency is direct-acting.




Applausefrom

voice teacher

Well then, do we need a theoretical contingency for this example?

A. Yes

B. No

#27



A. Yes

B. No




Applausefrom

voice teacher

Careful! This contingency is direct-acting. And when the

PM contingency is direct-acting, we don’t need a theoretical contingency.


A. Yes

B. No




Applausefrom

voice teacher

Yup! No theoretical contingency is needed because the applause

directly reinforces Lauren’s behavior.

We know that only direct-acting We know that only direct-acting contingencies control behavior; that’s contingencies control behavior; that’s

why we need the theoretical why we need the theoretical contingency to explain the indirect-contingency to explain the indirect-

acting PM contingency.acting PM contingency.

We need the contingency to pass theWe need the contingency to pass theDirect-Acting Test;Direct-Acting Test;

that is, the outcome must be that is, the outcome must be immediate to make it effectiveimmediate to make it effective


A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting


You fear getting a bad

grade

You startto study

You do not feargetting a bad grade

#28




grade

You startto study


This is a DIRECT-ACTING contingency. When you

start to study the fear of a bad grade is immediately terminated (or reduced). So it’s immediate, sizable,

and probable.


A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting



grade

You startto study


Very good!!! The outcome is immediate, sizable, and

probable, so this contingency is direct-acting!


A. Direct-acting

B. Indirect-acting

Next question:Next question:The Inferred TestThe Inferred Test

Is the contingency Is the contingency inferred or inferred or observable? observable?

We should be talking We should be talking about something we about something we can’t see (like fear or can’t see (like fear or guilt) as opposed to guilt) as opposed to something we can something we can see (like a toy, token, see (like a toy, token, or grade)or grade)

Is this contingency inferred?

A. Yes

B. No

#29



grade

You startto study




A. Yes

B. No



grade

You startto study


Hmm…think about it a little longer. Can you see “fear?”

If not, it is inferred.


A. Yes

B. No



grade

You startto study


Right!!! It is inferred because we can’t directly see

“fear” and “no fear”.

How about this one…is this contingency inferred or observable?

A. Observable

B. Inferred


You will get abad gradeon the testtomorrow

You startto study

You will not get a bad

grade on thetest tomorrow

#30





You startto study



This contingency is OBSERVABLE, because we can see it. We can look at

the bad grade.

A. Observable

B. Inferred




You startto study



Yup! We can see the bad grade. So this contingency is

observable.

A. Observable

B. Inferred

Is this contingency a theoretical contingency?

A. Yes

B. No

#31



You startto study





A. Yes

B. No



You startto study



We know that this contingency is NOT

inferred, and the outcome is NOT

immediate. So it can’t be a theoretical

contingency.


A. Yes

B. No



You startto study



You’re right! Since it is NOT inferred and the

outcome is NOT immediate, it is not a

theoretical contingency.

What type of contingency is it?

A. Ineffective natural contingency

B. Performance-Management contingency



You startto study


grade on thetest tomorrow#3

2





You startto study



Remember that to be the ineffective natural contingency, the outcome

must be small or improbable. And it CAN’T be planned or added. Look at

this outcome again, and see if it passes these tests.






You startto study



That’s right!! It’s a performance-management contingency!!!



Now we need the Now we need the contingency to pass the contingency to pass the

Linked to PM TestLinked to PM Test

The theoretical contingency The theoretical contingency should be linked to the should be linked to the

performance management performance management contingency, not the contingency, not the ineffective natural ineffective natural

contingencycontingency

You have given level

of knowledge

You startto study

You have infinitesimally

greater knowledge


You startto study



You fear getting a

bad grade on thetest

tomorrow

You startto study

You do notfear gettinga bad gradeon the test tomorrow

These SHOULD ALWAYS BElinked.

These ARE NEVER linked.

Is the theoretical contingency in this example linked to the PM contingency?

A. Yes

B. No

Julie has given level of

swimming ability

Julie practiceshard

Julie hasinfinitesimally

greater swimmingability

Julie will loseopportunity tolisten to musicat next practice

Julie practiceshard

Julie will not loseopportunity to listen

to music atnext practice

Julie fears loss ofopportunity to listen

to music

Julie practiceshard

Julie does notfear loss of

opportunity to listen to music

#33



swimming ability

Julie practiceshard




Julie practiceshard




to music

Julie practiceshard




The theoretical contingency IS linked to the PM contingency in this example. Julie fears the loss of the opportunity to listen to music, which is part of the PM

contingency.

A. Yes

B. No



swimming ability

Julie practiceshard




Julie practiceshard




to music

Julie practiceshard



Great! Julie’s fear of the lost opportunity for music is linked to the PM contingency – the opportunity for

music.

A. Yes

B. No

Which contingency is the theoretical contingency linked to in this example?

A. It’s linked to the PM contingency

B. It’s linked to the natural contingency

Mary has given level of piano playing ability

Mary practicesfor 30 minutes

Mary has infinitesimallygreater piano playing ability

Mary will lose opportunity for

discount on nextpiano lesson

Mary practices for30 minutes

Mary will not loseopportunity for

discount on next piano lesson

Mary fears losingthe opportunityto increase her

ability


Mary does notfear losing the opportunity to

increase her ability

#34











ability







This time, the theoretical contingency is linked to

the natural contingency. But it should be linked to

the PM contingency.











ability






Right. This time the theoretical contingency is

linked to the natural contingency. But it SHOULD

be linked to the PM contingency.

Is the theoretical contingency correct in this example?

A. Yes

B. No










ability



increase her ability#3

5



A. Yes

B. No










ability




No. In this example, the theoretical

contingency is linked to the natural

contingency. It SHOULD be linked to

the PM contingency. So this example is

incorrect.


A. Yes

B. No










ability




You got it! The theoretical contingency is

linked to the natural contingency. It SHOULD

be linked to the PM contingency. So this example is incorrect.

If the PM contingency is designed to increase or maintain performance,

the theoretical contingency should be an

escape contingency.

Here’s another rule,The Escape Contingency

Test:









Mary fears losingthe opportunityfor a discount


Mary does notfear losing the opportunity for

a discount

In this example, is the PM contingency designed to increase or maintain performance?

A. Yes

B. No

#36












a discount



A. Yes

B. No

It IS designed to increase or maintain performance. If Mary practices she will NOT lose the opportunity for a

discount. Try it again.












a discount


A. Yes

B. No

Very good. It’s an analog to avoidance. Mary avoids losing the opportunity for a discount by practicing for 30 minutes.

What kind of contingency is the theoretical contingency?

A. Analog to avoidance

B. Analog to penalty/punishment

C. Escape

D. Penalty/Punishment


#37

Mary fears losing discount

on nextlesson


Mary does notfear losingdiscount onnext lesson



on nextlesson




No. This can’t be an analog, because the outcome is immediate. Also, in

avoidance, the contingency isn’t contacted as long as the organism

does the behavior. But Mary already has fear in the Before condition.




C. Escape




on nextlesson




Behavior

No. First, it is NOT an analog, because there is not delay between the

behavior and the consequence. Also, the

fear is removed, not presented. Can you figure

it out?




C. Escape




on nextlesson




Behavior After

No. In this contingency, the aversive condition (fear) is

REMOVED contingent on practicing. Think about it again!




C. Escape





C. Escape



on nextlesson




That’s right, this is an escape contingency! The outcome is

immediate, and the fear present in the before condition is removed in

the after condition!

There is just one more test to put There is just one more test to put the Theoretical Contingency the Theoretical Contingency

through, thethrough, thePunishment Contingency TestPunishment Contingency Test

If the PM contingency is designed If the PM contingency is designed to decrease performance, the to decrease performance, the

theoretical contingency should be theoretical contingency should be a punishment contingencya punishment contingency

Tony has good medical treatment

Tony hits a nurse

Tony has infinitesimallyworse medical

treatment

Tony will get a tokenwithin 30 minutes

Tony hits a nurseTony will not get

a token within30 minutes

Tony does not fearlosing the

opportunity fora token

Tony hits a nurseTony fears losingthe opportunity

for a token

Is this PM contingency designed to increase or decrease Tony’s hitting?

A. It’s designed to increase performance

B. It’s designed to decrease performance

#38


Tony hits a nurse


treatment







for a token

Is this PM contingency designed to increase or decrease Tony’s hitting?

The PM contingency is an analog to penalty. Tony will lose the

opportunity for a token if he hits a nurse. So this should decrease the

frequency that he hits nurses.





Tony hits a nurse


treatment







for a token

Is this PM contingency designed to increase or decrease Tony’s hitting?Good! The PM is an

analog to penalty, so Tony’s hitting the nurses

should decrease.






C. Escape

D. Punishment


Tony doesnot fear losing

a token

Tony hits a nurse

Tony fearslosing a

token

#39




C. Escape

D. Punishment

What kind of contingency is this?Before Behavior After


a token

Tony hits a nurse

Tony fearslosing a

token

Oops! It’s not an analog because the outcome immediately follows the

behavior. And Tony’s fear (an aversive condition) follows the response, so it

would be punishment.




C. Escape

D. Punishment



a token

Tony hits a nurse

Tony fearslosing a

token

Careful! The outcome immediately follows the

response, so it is a punishment contingency,

not an analog.




C. Escape

D. Punishment



a token

Tony hits a nurse

Tony fearslosing a

token

No. In escape, an aversive condition is removed. But in this

contingency an aversive condition (fear) is presented.



C. Escape

D. Punishment



a token

Tony hits a nurse

Tony fearslosing a

token

Right!!! The fear is contingent on Tony’s hitting. The fear should punish the hitting

behavior.

Theoretical

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