Concurrent Contingencies

What are concurrent contingencies?

In most situations, we have the option of performing more than just one type of behavior. At home, for example, we have many behavior options available: watching TV, reading, studying, eating, talking, etc. Each of these behaviors is subject to its own reinforcement or punishment contingencies.

Concurrent contingencies are said to occur when more than one contingency of reinforcement or punishment is available at the same time.

A key word is "available." Contingencies may be available, but not be operating at a given moment in time. 

For example, if Mary is talking the her friend on the phone and eating, the contingencies for these behaviors are not only available but also _____________ .
present
operating

Concurrent contingencies may be naturally present for some individual and also determine his behavior. However, those interested in behavioral change also use their knowledge of contingencies to add new contingencies to a situation to modify someone's behavior.

A natural contingency is a contingency available prior to performance management. It is usually built-in, not added.

A performance-management contingency is a contingency designed to manage behavior when the natural contingencies either produce undesirable behavior or are ineffective in producing desirable behaviors.

Hilda talks to her friends every night instead of doing her homework. Her mother tells Hilda that if she does not do her homework, she will be grounded for the upcoming weekend. In this example, talking to friends is a ___________ contingency.
performance-management contingency
natural contingency

The requirement that she do her homework in order to avoid being grounded is a ____________ contingency.
performance-management contingency
natural contingency

Four types of concurrent contingencies

Compatible responses
Two contingencies may be available at the same time for two physically compatible behaviors; i.e., two behaviors that can be engaged in at the same time.

Compatible contingencies
Two compatible contingencies may be available for the same response. This response may lead to more than one reinforcer or more than one punisher.

Incompatible contingencies
Just as two compatible contingencies can exist for the same response, so also could 2 or more incompatible contingencies exist for the same response. For example, a behavior may be both reinforced and punished.

Incompatible responses
Concurrent contingencies may be available for 2 physically incompatible responses. In this case, one cannot do both responses at the same time.

George quietly works on his assignment in class. This behavior not only leads to a good grade, but praise from his teacher. This would be an example of which type of concurrent contingency?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

Louise talks on the phone when she should be studying. This would be an example of which type of concurrent contingency?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

Franklin eats while he studies. This would be an example of which type of concurrent contingency?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

Elmore acts out in class, earning the admiration of his fellow students and the scorn of his teacher. This would be an example of which type of concurrent contingency?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

LouLou drunkenly drives her car into a parked police car, demolishing her car and getting herself arrested. This would be an example of which type of concurrent contingency?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

Concurrent contingencies sometimes interfere with language learning. For example, the behavior of a child who says "milk" is reinforced by the delivery of milk by his parents. On the other hand, disruptive behavior by this child may also be reinforced by the delivery of milk by parents who want to calm him down.

Which of the types of contingencies does this represent?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

Sometimes verbal behavior is suppressed by punishment. For example, in Contingency 1: a child makes a request for a cookie and is given a cookie. Contingency 2: a child makes a request for a cookie and the parent angrily says "What!!"

Which of the types of contingencies does this represent?
compatible responses
compatible contingencies
incompatible contingencies
incompatible responses

What determines what response is engaged in when concurrent contingencies are in play?

A number of factors determine which concurrent contingencies will be operative in a given situation. In other words, when a person has several behavior options available to her, several factors determine which of these behaviors she will engage in.

• magnitude of reinforcement --- We are more likely to engage in a response that produces a larger reinforcer rather than a smaller reinforcer.
• immediacy of reinforcement or punishment----We are more influenced by reinforcers or punishers that are close in time than are distant in time.
• response effort of various options----Easy responses are preferred to difficult responses.
• frequency of reinforcement----We prefer frequent to less frequent reinforcement.

Jane has the option of watching TV or studying for an upcoming exam. She ends up watching TV instead of studying. Which factor(s) is responsible for making TV-watching operative?
higher magnitude of consequence
more immediacy of reinforcement
lower response effort
b and c

Let's analyze smoking in terms of concurrent contingencies. 
The pleasure from smoking is small, but _________, while the punishing consequences of smoking (lung cancer, emphysema) are _________, but distant. Therefore, most smokers find it hard to quit.
distant; large
immediate; small
immediate; large
distant; small

Exposure therapy quick review

Exposure therapies help reduce anxiety and fear through exposure under controlled, safe conditions to the situations that make us fearful. The goal is to reduce anxiety to a level which allows the client to feel comfortable and function effectively.

Types of exposure therapies

Exposure therapies fall into two general categories: brief/graduated exposure therapy and prolonged/intense exposure therapy.

Brief/graduated exposure therapy has two characteristics:
1. Exposure to the threatening event is brief (a few seconds to a few minutes).
2. The exposure is graduated, or incremental, beginning with event-related aspects that evoke minimal anxiety and progressing to more anxiety-evoking aspects.

Prolonged/intense exposure therapy also has two characteristics:
1. More length exposure to the event (10-15 minutes up to an hour).
2. From the beginning, the client is exposed to aspects that evoke intense anxiety.
Each of these types of exposure therapies can also vary along several other dimensions, one of which is mode of exposure.

Mode of exposure

How real are the events to which the client is exposed?

At one end of the continuum is in vivo exposure. Here, the client is exposed to the actual event.

At the opposite extreme is imaginal exposure which takes place entirely within the client’s imagination.

Between these two are virtual reality in which technology and computer simulations produce an effect close to in vivo.

Closer to imaginal is verbal or visual depictions of the fear-producing events.

Rank modes of exposure from the least to the most reality.
verbal or visual descriptions, virtual reality, in vivo exposure
imaginal exposure, virtual reality, in vivo exposure, verbal or visual descriptions
in vivo exposure, virtual reality, verbal or visual descriptions, imaginal exposure
imaginal exposure, verbal or visual descriptions, virtual reality, in vivo exposure

Brief/graduated exposure therapies

Systematic desensitization

Systematic desensitization involves gradual exposure to anxiety-producing events, in the client’s imagination, while the client practices deep muscle relaxation.

Specifically, there are 3 steps:

1. The therapist helps the client construct an anxiety hierarchy—a list of 20 to 25 anxiety-provoking events related to the feared stimulus.
   
   These events are ordered from the least to the most anxiety-provoking. Often this process involves rating these events in terms of subjective units of discomfort (SUDs).
   
   0 is the least anxiety-provoking. 100 is reserved for an event which produces the highest level of anxiety that the client can imagine. Most events fall in between these two extremes.
    
2. In the next phase, the client learns a deep muscle relaxation procedure.
    
3. The actual therapy begins.
   
   The client sits or reclines in a comfortable position and relaxes completely. The therapist then describes in detail the lowest scene on the hierarchy and the client imagines this scene for about 15 seconds at a time.
   
   If the client experiences any anxiety, he or she signals the therapist by raising a finger. When this happens the therapist tells the client to stop “visualizing” and instead practice relaxation until completely relaxed. The purpose is for the relaxation to replace the anxiety.
   
   Each scene is repeatedly visualized until the client experiences little or no discomfort. Then, the client moves on to the next scene and so on.

In vivo exposure therapy

This form of therapy is exactly like systematic desensitization except that exposure is to actual events. Exposure is brief, graduated, and deep muscle relaxation is used to compete with anxiety.

Prolonged/intense exposure therapy

The brief/graduated exposure therapies that we have just discussed all try to minimize a client’s anxiety during treatment by starting with low anxiety evoking events and brief exposure and gradually increasing the intensity of the stimuli over time.

In contrast, prolonged/intense exposure involves exposing the client to stimuli that elicit high levels of anxiety over a prolonged period.

These therapies are called flooding because the client is flooded with anxiety at the very beginning.

Although the client experiences uncomfortably high levels of anxiety, the feared negative consequences do not occur and anxiety is eventually reduced.

In vivo flooding

“In vivo” means in real life. Therefore, in vivo flooding involves exposure to actual anxiety-provoking events.

Anxiety will be intense but since exposure is prolonged, the anxiety will eventually peak and then decline.

Imaginal flooding

Imaginal flooding follows the same basic procedures as in vivo flooding, but the flooding occurs in the client’s imagination.

A(n) ___________ is a list of items that elicit anxiety arranged in order of increasing anxiety.
SUD scale
tower of fear
anxiety hierarchy
gradation of anxiety

In which exposure technique does the client practice relaxation while being exposure to a hierarchy of actual events?
in vivo flooding
systematic desensitization
in vivo exposure
imaginal flooding

In which exposure technique is a client exposed all at once to intense fear-producing events in the client’s imagination?
in vivo flooding
systematic desensitization
in vivo exposure
imaginal flooding

Which exposure technique involves imagination, relaxation and an anxiety hierarchy?
in vivo flooding
systematic desensitization
in vivo exposure
imaginal flooding

Which exposure technique might be expected to produce the most intense initial experience of anxiety?
in vivo flooding
systematic desensitization
in vivo exposure
imaginal flooding

In which techniques is exposure intense and prolonged?
in vivo exposure and imaginal flooding
imaginal flooding and in vivo flooding
in vivo flooding and in vivo exposure

Which exposure technique might be expected to create the least discomfort to the client?
in vivo flooding
systematic desensitization
in vivo exposure
imaginal flooding

What is the unit of measure when anxiety hierarchies are created?
SUD
unit of fear
unit of fear avoidance

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