Deck 8: Theories and Research on Operant Conditioning

Question 1

When all behaviors can occur freely,a child spends 30 minutes playing with blocks,15 minutes playing with crayons,and 5 minutes playing with a truck.Premack's principle predicts that

A)playing with blocks will reinforce playing with crayons
B)playing with crayons will reinforce playing with the truck
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In the Miller and DiCara experiments on the operant conditioning of heart rate,the rats were given curare

A)to make them unconscious
B)to immobilize the skeletal muscles
C)as a pain-killer
D)all of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

One-factor theorists have suggested that reinforcement

A)is at work in both classical and operant conditioning
B)is at work in classical but not operant conditioning
C)is at work in operant but not classical conditioning
D)is at work in neither classical nor operant conditioning

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Using neurofeedback for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder involves giving the children

A)feedback to increase brain-wave patterns associated with relaxation
B)feedback to increase brain-wave patterns associated with alertness
C)feedback to reduce muscle tension in the forehead
D)feedback to reduce bodily movements

Question 5

The key feature of all types of biofeedback is the use of

A)progressive relaxation techniques
B)positive reinforcement
C)information about bodily processes a person normally does not have
D)measuring muscle tension

Question 6

An advantage of applying Premack's principle in behavior modification is that

A)one does not have to watch the patient to decide what reinforcer to use
B)one does not always have to use physical items as reinforcers
C)activities are stronger reinforcers than physical items
D)all of the above

Question 7

Which of the following groups was not included in the Tolman and Honzik experiment on latent learning-

A)reinforcement on every trial
B)no reinforcement on any trial
C)no reinforcement in the first part of the experiment,then reinforcement on every trial
D)reinforcement on every trial in the first part of the experiment,then no reinforcement in the second part

Question 8

Need-reduction theory cannot explain why

A)food is a reinforcer
B)water is a reinforcer
C)saccharine is a reinforcer
D)warmth is a reinforcer

Question 9

A problem with research on the use of EMG biofeedback to reduce tension headaches is that

A)some patients cannot learn to relax their forehead muscles with the EMG equipment
B)patients can only relax their forehead muscles when connected to the biofeedback equipment
C)the EMG biofeedback produced only temporary improvement
D)none of the above

Question 10

When all behaviors can occur freely,a child spends 30 minutes playing with blocks,15 minutes playing with crayons,and 5 minutes playing with a truck.Suppose the child is required to play with the blocks and the crayons for equal amounts of time.Premack's principle predicts that

A)the time spent playing with blocks will be more than 30 minutes
B)the time spent playing with crayons will be more than 15 minutes
C)the time spent playing with crayons will be less than 15 minutes
D)none of the above

Question 11

Drive-reduction theory cannot explain why

A)food is a reinforcer
B)water is a reinforcer
C)removal of a painful stimulus is a reinforcer
D)sexual foreplay is a reinforcer

Question 12

The fact that vitamin B₁ is not a reinforcer is evidence

A)supporting need-reduction theory
B)against need-reduction theory
C)supporting trans-situationality
D)against trans-situationality

Question 13

Tolman and Honzik concluded from their experiment on latent learning that reinforcement

A)is necessary for both learning and performance
B)is not necessary for either learning or performance
C)is necessary for learning but not performance
D)is necessary for performance but not learning

Question 14

Studies in which an animal subject is driven in a cart through a maze have demonstrated that

A)no learning occurs unless the animal makes its own responses
B)the animals can learn a simple T-maze,but not a more complex maze
C)the animals can learn about mazes with several choice points
D)the animals form "cognitive maps" of the maze

Question 15

Two-factor theorists have suggested that reinforcement

A)is at work in both classical and operant conditioning
B)is at work in classical but not operant conditioning
C)is at work in operant but not classical conditioning
D)is at work in neither classical nor operant conditioning

Question 16

Some one-factor theorists have claimed that visceral responses such as heart rate

A)can be controlled by operant conditioning
B)can be controlled by classical but not operant conditioning
C)can be controlled by punishment but not reinforcement
D)none of the above

Question 17

Evidence that animals learn to expect a certain type of reinforcer in an operant conditioning situation comes from studies that

A)trained two responses with two different reinforcers,then associated one of the two reinforcers with poison
B)trained two responses with two different reinforcers,then satiated the animals with one of the reinforcers
C)changed the type of reinforcer and found that animals looked "surprised"
D)all of the above

Question 18

In their experiments on the operant conditioning of heart rate,Miller and DiCara

A)were able to reinforce heart-rate increases
B)were able to reinforce heart-rate decreases
C)were able to control heart rate with a discriminative stimulus
D)all of the above

Question 19

The fact that sky diving can be a reinforcer contradicts

A)need-reduction theory
B)drive-reduction theory
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 20

Giving an animal a chance to drink sweetened water might reinforce a lower-probability behavior but not reinforce a higher-probability behavior.Such a finding would be evidence against

A)drive-reduction theory
B)trans-situationality
C)Premack's principle
D)response-deprivation theory

Question 21

One research finding that poses a problem for Premack's principle is that

A)a behavior that acts as a reinforcer in one context may not be a reinforcer in another context
B)a behavior that acts as a punisher in one context may not be a punisher in another context
C)more probable behaviors can sometimes reinforce less probable behaviors
D)less probable behaviors can sometimes reinforce more probable behaviors

Question 22

According to response-deprivation theory,a less probable behavior

A)can never reinforce a more probable behavior
B)can never punish a more probable behavior
C)may reinforce a more probable behavior if access to the less probable behavior is severely restricted
D)may reinforce a more probable behavior if access to the more probable behavior is severely restricted

Question 23

In conducting a functional analysis to determine why a child with a developmental disability frequently performs some bizarre behavior,a therapist might do all of the following except

A)give the child a tangible reinforcer when the bizarre behavior occurs
B)observe whether the bizarre behavior occurs when the child is alone
C)give the child attention when the bizarre behavior occurs
D)record the child's brain waves when the bizarre behavior occurs

Question 24

According to optimization theory,the best strategy for a predator searching for prey is to

A)pursue any prey it encounters when food is scarce
B)pursue any prey it encounters when food is plentiful
C)pursue only large prey when food is scarce
D)pursue only small prey when food is scarce

Question 25

Functional analysis of unusual behaviors,such as self-injurious behavior,has shown that these behaviors sometimes occur because

A)they are reinforced with attention
B)they may produce automatic reinforcement
C)they may be reinforced by escape from unpleasant tasks
D)all of the above