aversive control
Summary
Aversive control is changing behavior with unpleasant stimuli, either by punishing a behavior to make it less likely or by negatively reinforcing one (escape or avoidance) to make it more likely. Negative reinforcement is not punishment: it increases behavior.
Detail
Meaning: Aversive control is the use of unpleasant stimuli to shape behavior in operant conditioning. It works in two directions. Punishment lowers the chance of a behavior; positive punishment adds an unpleasant stimulus (a shock after a lever press), and some texts also count negative punishment, removing a pleasant stimulus. Negative reinforcement raises the chance of a behavior because the behavior removes or prevents an aversive stimulus. Escape ends a stimulus already present; avoidance prevents it in advance.
On the MCAT: Passages describe an animal, child or worker and ask you to classify the contingency. Ask two questions: did the behavior increase or decrease, and was a stimulus added or removed? Increase means reinforcement, decrease means punishment; added means positive, removed means negative. Buckling a seat belt to stop a car's buzzer is negative reinforcement. Punishment may suppress a behavior without teaching an alternative and can produce fear, while avoidance learning can persist for a long time.
Common confusion: Negative does not mean bad. Negative reinforcement is not punishment, because it strengthens behavior by taking an aversive stimulus away. Check the direction of change in the behavior first.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Psychology (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner)
- Introduction to Psychology (Gleitman)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.