Question 1

Geoff's friends tease him for visiting the public library during summer holidays. As a result, Geoff stops visiting the library. In this example, the teasing acted as:
A) positive punishment.
B) negative punishment.
C) positive reinforcement.
D) negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Teasing acted as positive punishment because it added an unpleasant stimulus (teasing) in response to Geoff's behavior (visiting the library), which led to a decrease in that behavior. Positive punishment involves adding an aversive consequence after an undesired behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Question 2

________ occurs when a parrot that has been trained to peck at a picture of a circle also pecks at a picture of an oval.
A) Stimulus discrimination
B) Shaping
C) Stimulus generalization
D) Instinctive drift

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes stimulus generalization, which is when a learned response to one stimulus (in this case, the circle) is also elicited by a similar, but not identical, stimulus (the oval). Stimulus discrimination is the opposite, when an organism learns to respond to only one specific stimulus and not to others. Shaping involves teaching a behavior gradually by reinforcing successive approximations to the final desired behavior. Instinctive drift refers to the tendency for animals to return to innate behaviors over learned ones.

Question 3

B. F. Skinner rigged the cages of eight pigeons so that food was delivered every 15 seconds. Within a short time, most of the pigeons were practising some sort of consistent ritual, even though the ritual did not have the least effect on the delivery of the reinforcer. The birds were ________.
A) demonstrating spontaneous recovery
B) developing phobias
C) trained by vicarious conditioning
D) behaving superstitiously

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is known as superstition. The pigeons have associated their random actions with the delivery of food, even though there is no causal relationship between the two. This is an example of operant conditioning, where behavior is strengthened or weakened by the consequences that follow it.

Question 4

Margaret gives her son a quarter every time he makes his bed; she is using ________.
A) continuous reinforcement
B) negative punishment
C) intermittent reinforcement
D) scheduled reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement is the strategy of rewarding every single occurrence of a behavior, which in this case is Margaret giving her son a quarter every time he makes his bed.

Question 5

A basic principle governing operant conditioning is that:
A) conditioned stimuli must precede unconditioned stimuli.
B) behaviours are controlled by their consequences.
C) animals can only be conditioned to perform behaviours that appear spontaneously.
D) behaviours are controlled by thoughts and mental processes.

Accepted Answer

The basic principle governing operant conditioning is that behaviors are controlled by their consequences. This means that if a behavior is followed by a desirable consequence (such as a reward), the behavior is more likely to be repeated in the future. On the other hand, if a behavior is followed by an undesirable consequence (such as punishment), the behavior is less likely to be repeated in the future.

Question 6

A response will be easiest to extinguish if the animal has been trained:
A) on an intermittent reinforcement schedule.
B) on a partial reinforcement schedule.
C) on a continuous reinforcement schedule.
D) on a variety of reinforcement schedules.

Accepted Answer

Animals trained on a continuous reinforcement schedule receive a reward every time they perform the desired behavior. This creates a strong association between the behavior and the reward, making it easier to extinguish the behavior if the reward is removed. In contrast, animals trained on intermittent or partial reinforcement schedules may continue to exhibit the behavior even when the reward is no longer present, as they have learned that the reward may come at any time.

Question 7

Joan begs her father for a frosted cookie at the bakery, but he refuses to buy her one. Joan continues to whine and complain until finally he breaks down and gets her the cookie. For her dad, the cessation of Joan's whiny behaviour is a ________.
A) positive reinforcer
B) negative reinforcer
C) negative punisher
D) positive punisher

Accepted Answer

The father giving into Joan's whining and buying her the cookie is an example of negative reinforcement because he is taking away the aversive experience of her complaining. The cessation of her whiny behavior is the desired outcome of the negative reinforcement.

Question 8

A(n) ________ stimulus signals when a particular response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence.
A) extinguished
B) discriminative
C) standard
D) neutral

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus is a signal that indicates when a particular response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence, such as a reward or punishment. This helps an organism learn to discriminate between different situations and choose the appropriate response. The other answer choices are not relevant to this definition.

Question 9

In operant conditioning, when a response is first acquired, learning is usually most rapid if the response is reinforced:
A) once every few responses on an intermittent schedule.
B) on a continuous reinforcement schedule.
C) once every few minutes on an intermittent schedule.
D) randomly on an intermittent schedule.

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement schedules provide reinforcement every time the desired behavior occurs, making the learning process most rapid. Intermittent schedules, which provide reinforcement only some of the time, can be effective in maintaining the behavior but may not result in as rapid learning as a continuous schedule. Additionally, random intermittent schedules can be unpredictable and may not be as effective as consistent schedules of reinforcement.

Question 10

William takes an aspirin to relieve a minor headache. This is an example of ________.
A) positive reinforcement
B) negative reinforcement
C) positive punishment
D) negative punishment

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. In this case, William takes the aspirin to remove the aversive stimulus of the headache.

Question 11

Joan begs her father for a frosted cookie at the bakery, but he refuses to buy her one. Joan continues to whine and complain until finally he breaks down and gets her the cookie. For Joan, the cookie is a ________.
A) positive punisher
B) positive reinforcer
C) negative reinforcer
D) negative punisher

Accepted Answer

The frosted cookie serves as a positive reinforcer because it increases the likelihood of Joan engaging in the behavior of whining and complaining in the future, as she learned that doing so results in getting what she wants.

Question 12

Kyla wants to make sure that her dog Axel does not beg for food from the table. Every time that Axel begs, Kyla says, "No," in a sharp, scolding voice and she never gives in. Kyla is using ________.
A) positive punishment
B) negative reinforcement
C) stimulus generalization
D) negative punishment

Accepted Answer

Kyla is using positive punishment by adding an unpleasant stimulus (saying "No" in a sharp, scolding voice) in response to Axel's begging behavior, with the aim of decreasing that behavior. Positive punishment involves adding something to decrease a behavior.

Question 13

In operant conditioning, the tendency of a response to occur in the presence of one stimulus, but not in the presence of another similar stimulus that differs from it on some dimension is called ________.
A) stimulus generalization
B) stimulus discrimination
C) intermittent reinforcement
D) partial reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination is the concept where a person learns to respond differently to stimuli that are distinct from one another. This occurs when an individual learns to differentiate between a conditioned stimulus and other similar stimuli that are not associated with the same response. The correct response is chosen based on the presence of specific cues or differences among stimuli. In contrast, stimulus generalization is the extension of a learned response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus, and it does not involve discrimination. Intermittent reinforcement and partial reinforcement are both terms that refer to schedules of reinforcement, and they are not related to stimulus discrimination.

Question 14

When 4-year-old Aileen goes to the store with her dad and whines for candy at the checkout, she gets the candy. When she goes with her mom, however, her whining never results in getting candy. Before long, Aileen only whines when she is at the store with her dad. This is called ________.
A) successive approximation
B) stimulus discrimination
C) continuous reinforcement
D) stimulus generalization

Accepted Answer

Stimulus discrimination is the ability to differentiate between similar stimuli and respond accordingly. In this scenario, Aileen is able to discriminate between the presence of her dad versus her mom at the store and adjust her behavior accordingly (whining for candy only with her dad).

Question 15

Mary arrives home to find her son washing the dirty dishes left from his party the night before. When she discovers his first-semester grade report on the table and sees that he got straight A's, Mary rewards him by relieving him of the unpleasant task of finishing the dishes. Which operant process does the example illustrate?
A) positive punishment
B) negative punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) positive reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the task of washing dishes) following a desired behavior (achieving straight A's), which increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again.

Question 16

The week after she earns her driver's licence, 16-year-old Hannah arrives home an hour after curfew. As a consequence, Hannah must wash the car on Saturday and is not allowed to drive it for a week. Washing the car is a ________ and losing driving privileges is a ________.
A) positive punisher; positive punisher
B) negative punisher; positive punisher
C) negative punisher; negative punisher
D) positive punisher; negative punisher

Accepted Answer

Washing the car is a positive punisher because it adds an undesirable task. Losing driving privileges is a negative punisher because it removes the desirable opportunity to drive.

Question 17

B. F. Skinner used a chamber equipped with a device that delivers food or water when an animal makes a desired response. This device is called a(n):
A) reinforcement unit.
B) puzzle box.
C) Skinner box.
D) air crib.

Accepted Answer

The device described in the question is specifically associated with B.F. Skinner's experimental apparatus, and it is commonly referred to as a Skinner box. The other answer choices (reinforcement unit, puzzle box, air crib) either do not accurately describe this device or are not directly associated with Skinner's work in the same way that the Skinner box is.

Question 18

________ reinforcement occurs when you take a pill to eliminate pain.
A) Positive
B) Compound
C) Neutral
D) Negative

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal or avoidance of an aversive (unpleasant) stimulus in response to a behavior, which strengthens or increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. Taking a pill to eliminate pain is an example of negative reinforcement because the behavior of taking the pill (response) removes the unpleasant stimulus of pain (aversive), which increases the likelihood of taking the pill again in the future.

Question 19

If a rat has learned to press a lever to obtain pellets of food and, all of a sudden, the response permanently ceases to produce any food, then _______ will occur.
A) acquisition
B) extinction
C) generalization
D) discrimination

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process by which a learned behavior stops producing the desired outcome (in this case obtaining food pellets) when the behavior is no longer reinforced. This is the most appropriate choice for the scenario described.

Question 20

Intermittent reinforcement results in ________.
A) faster extinction
B) faster learning
C) slower extinction
D) intermittent responding

Accepted Answer

Intermittent reinforcement, also known as partial reinforcement, results in slower extinction compared to continuous reinforcement. This means that the behavior is more likely to persist even when the reinforcement is no longer provided.

Quiz 7: Learning and Conditioning

Geoff's friends tease him for visiting the public library during summer holidays. As a result, Geoff stops visiting the library. In this example, the teasing acted as:

________ occurs when a parrot that has been trained to peck at a picture of a circle also pecks at a picture of an oval.

B. F. Skinner rigged the cages of eight pigeons so that food was delivered every 15 seconds. Within a short time, most of the pigeons were practising some sort of consistent ritual, even though the ritual did not have the least effect on the delivery of the reinforcer. The birds were ________.

Margaret gives her son a quarter every time he makes his bed; she is using ________.

A basic principle governing operant conditioning is that:

A response will be easiest to extinguish if the animal has been trained:

Joan begs her father for a frosted cookie at the bakery, but he refuses to buy her one. Joan continues to whine and complain until finally he breaks down and gets her the cookie. For her dad, the cessation of Joan's whiny behaviour is a ________.

A(n) ________ stimulus signals when a particular response is likely to be followed by a certain type of consequence.

In operant conditioning, when a response is first acquired, learning is usually most rapid if the response is reinforced:

William takes an aspirin to relieve a minor headache. This is an example of ________.

Joan begs her father for a frosted cookie at the bakery, but he refuses to buy her one. Joan continues to whine and complain until finally he breaks down and gets her the cookie. For Joan, the cookie is a ________.

Kyla wants to make sure that her dog Axel does not beg for food from the table. Every time that Axel begs, Kyla says, "No," in a sharp, scolding voice and she never gives in. Kyla is using ________.

In operant conditioning, the tendency of a response to occur in the presence of one stimulus, but not in the presence of another similar stimulus that differs from it on some dimension is called ________.

When 4-year-old Aileen goes to the store with her dad and whines for candy at the checkout, she gets the candy. When she goes with her mom, however, her whining never results in getting candy. Before long, Aileen only whines when she is at the store with her dad. This is called ________.

The week after she earns her driver's licence, 16-year-old Hannah arrives home an hour after curfew. As a consequence, Hannah must wash the car on Saturday and is not allowed to drive it for a week. Washing the car is a and losing driving privileges is a .

B. F. Skinner used a chamber equipped with a device that delivers food or water when an animal makes a desired response. This device is called a(n) :

________ reinforcement occurs when you take a pill to eliminate pain.

If a rat has learned to press a lever to obtain pellets of food and, all of a sudden, the response permanently ceases to produce any food, then _______ will occur.

Intermittent reinforcement results in ________.