Deck 5: Burrhus Frederic Skinner

Question 1

The scientific philosophy adopted and advanced by Skinner is

A)elementism
B)radical behaviorism
C)nativism
D)rationalism

Answer 1

radical behaviorism

Question 2

Operant conditioning is distinguished from respondent conditioning because in operant conditioning the:

A)stimulus is unknown
B)stimulus is too complex to classify
C)response is caused by hereditary factors
D)response cannot be classified

Answer 2

stimulus is unknown

Question 3

According to Skinner, the environment behavior.

A)selects
B)encourages
C)restricts
D)restrains

Answer 3

selects

Question 4

Which of the following is similar to the game of "you're hot, you're cold"?

A)chaining
B)extinction
C)operant conditioning
D)shaping

Question 5

The rate at which a response occurs before reinforcement is introduced is:

A)spontaneous activity
B)noncontingent activity
C)the operant level
D)all of the above

Question 6

Renewed responding during a second extinction session after a delay is called:

A)spontaneous recovery
B)generalization
C)superstitious behavior
D)none of the above

Question 7

When a certain stimulus becomes the occasion for a certain response we have:

A)operant conditioning
B)a discriminative operant
C)type S conditioning
D)type R conditioning

Question 8

A discriminative stimulus is also a:

A)primary reinforcer
B)secondary reinforcer
C)contingent stimulus
D)none of the above

Question 9

The principle of secondary reinforcement is:

A)a stimulus that is not originally a reinforcing one can become reinforcing through repeated association with a primary reinforcer
B)responses close to the desired one should also be reinforced
C)reinforce only the second correct response
D)reinforce all responses because one of them might be correct

Question 10

One response acts as a cue for another response in:

A)classical conditioning
B)operant conditioning
C)chaining
D)shaping

Question 11

According to Skinner, punishment:

A)has no effect on the extinction procedure
B)is a negative reinforcer
C)decreases the number of responses observed in the extinction process
D)decreases the rate with which extinction occurs but not the total number of responses to extinction

Question 12

Skinner's main argument against the use of punishment was that it:

A)is evil
B)is too effective
C)causes aggression
D)is ineffective in the long run

Question 13

The best way to discourage undesirable behavior is to it.

A)punish
B)reinforce
C)ignore
D)shock

Question 14

The reinforcement schedule in which the administration of a reinforcement follows a response occurring some definite time period after the previous reinforcement is called a:

A)fixed ratio schedule
B)fixed response schedule
C)fixed reinforcement schedule
D)fixed interval schedule

Question 15

Slot machines are based upon which schedule of reinforcement?

A)continuous
B)fixed interval
C)variable interval
D)variable ratio

Question 16

If Response A is reinforced on a VI 10 minute schedule and Response B is reinforced on a VI 20 minute schedule one would expect the animal to:

A)make Response A and B with about the same frequency
B)make Response A about twice as frequently as Response B
C)make Response B about twice as frequently as Response A
D)make Response B almost all of the time

Question 17

Herrnstein's Equation is a mathematical expression that:

A)predicts the Matching Law
B)describes complex choice behavior
C)describes a learning curve for one operant behavior
D)predicts the effects of various reinforcement

Question 18

According to Herrnstein's equation, the effect of extraneous reinforcement is to:

A)delay acquisition of the "target" operant response
B)delay acquisition of extraneous behavior
C)prolong the retention of the "target" operant behavior
D)delay extinction of the "target" operant response

Question 19

Whereas _____schedules of reinforcement are used to investigate simple choice behavior,_____ schedules are used to investigate complex choice behavior.

A)fixed interval ...variable interval
B)fixed ratio ...variable ratio
C)concurrent-chain ...concurrent
D)concurrent ...concurrent-chain

Question 20

With a progressive ratio reinforcement schedule:

A)the ratio of reinforcements to responses varies randomly
B)ratio and interval schedules are exchanged systematically
C)there is no relationship between reinforcements and response output
D)the ratio of responses to reinforcements is increased systematically

Question 21

Which of the following best exemplified Skinner's attitude toward theories of learning?

A)they are wasteful and misleading
B)they were never as important as they are now
C)only those with physiological components are useful
D)only the hypothetico-deductive type are useful

Question 22

Opportunity to engage in a frequently occurring activity can be used to reinforce a less frequently occurring activity.This describes:

A)vicarious reinforcement
B)the matching law
C)the Premack principle
D)Herrnstein's Law

Question 23

According to Timberlake's Disequilibrium Hypothesis

A)only primary reinforcers are effective
B)all reinforcers are actually secondary reinforcers
C)only responses or activities at equilibrium can be reinforcing
D)any deprived response or activity can be reinforcing

Question 24

Radical behaviorism rejects explanations that refer to:

A)reinforcement
B)overt behavior
C)human behavior
D)mentalistic events

Question 25

Operant behavior can also be called behavior.

A)respondent
B)emitted
C)elicited
D)instinctive

Question 26

On a cumulative recording the slope of the line indicates:

A)schedule of reinforcement
B)what kind of response is being made
C)when a response is not being made
D)rate of responding

Question 27

An animal receives a reinforcer regardless of what it is doing.This is:

A)type R conditioning
B)contingent reinforcement
C)noncontingent reinforcement
D)successive approximation

Question 28

Which of the following develops through noncontingent reinforcement?

A)extinction
B)superstitious behavior
C)chaining
D)shaping

Question 29

A cue indicating which response is appropriate:

A)is an S^D
B)is a discriminative stimulus
C)becomes a secondary reinforcer
D)all of the above

Question 30

Money exemplifies a:

A)primary positive reinforcer
B)primary negative reinforcer
C)secondary negative
D)generalized reinforcer

Question 31

Which of the following procedures would give reinforcement every fourth response?

A)fixed interval
B)variable interval
C)fixed ratio
D)variable ratio

Question 32

Response rates slow down after each reinforcement under a:

A)variable ratio schedule
B)fixed ratio schedule
C)variable interval schedule
D)continuous schedule

Question 33

The relative rate with which responses are made equals or almost equals the relative rate with which responses are reinforced.This statement summarizes the:

A)partial reinforcement effect
B)misbehavior of organisms
C)matching law
D)Premack Principle

Question 34

According to Herrnstein's equation, the sum of the rates of all possible behaviors in a specific situation:

A)is equal to the operant rate of any single behavior
B)is a constant (k)
C)is determined by extraneous reinforcement
D)matches the relative frequency of any single reinforcer

Question 35

According to Herrnstein's equation, a single target operant behavior will be acquired more quickly if:

A)there is little extraneous reinforcement
B)the operant rate matches the rate of reinforcement
C)reinforcement is small and immediate
D)reinforcement is large but delayed

Question 36

With a------ reinforcement schedule, an animal's choice in the initial phase of an experiment determines what choices are available to it in the next phase of the experiment.

A)variable interval
B)concurrent
C)concurrent-chain
D)partial

Question 37

The demand for a reinforcer is said to be inelastic if an animal:

A)is willing to make more and more responses to earn the reinforcer
B)prefers the reinforcer when it is inexpensive but not when costs increase
C)only works for the reinforcer under continuous reinforcement
D)only works for the reinforcer under partial reinforcement

Question 38

Whose name is associated with the concept of the "relativity of reinforcement"?

A)David Premack
B)Noam Chomsky
C)William Estes
D)Edward Thorndike

Question 39

According to Timberlake, response or activity deprivation produces

A)unfortunate emotional by-products
B)motivation
C)negative reinforcement
D)instinctual drift