TOEFL Speaking Task 3

The concept of 'behavioral momentum' refers to the tendency of a behavior to persist even when the original reinforcement is removed or changed. Just as physical momentum keeps an object moving in the absence of a force, behavioral momentum suggests that behaviors performed frequently and consistently in the presence of specific environmental cues are more resistant to disruption. This resistance is built through a history of reinforcement in those contexts. When faced with challenges or changes in consequences, individuals with high behavioral momentum are more likely to continue the behavior, while those with low momentum may quickly abandon it.

Professor: To illustrate behavioral momentum, consider a study with rats in a laboratory. The rats were trained to press a lever to receive food pellets. In one condition, the rats were trained on a variable schedule where they received food after an unpredictable number of presses, but always within a short time. This created a high rate of consistent reinforcement in a specific cage with a distinct light and smell. In another condition, rats were trained on a different schedule where food was less frequent and more variable, and the cage cues were less consistent. After training, the researchers introduced a disruption: they stopped delivering food altogether. The rats in the first condition, with strong behavioral momentum, continued to press the lever vigorously for a long time, even though no food came. The rats in the second condition, with weaker momentum, quickly stopped pressing. The consistent reinforcement history and stable cues in the first condition built greater resistance to the change in consequences.