Question 1

The matching law of choice behavior states that, given two responses that are reinforced on different VI schedules, an organism will:

Accepted Answer

The matching law of choice behavior, specifically the generalized matching law, suggests that the proportion of responses allocated to a particular option matches the proportion of reinforcements obtained from that option. Thus, organisms distribute their responses in a way that reflects the relative rates of reinforcement for each choice available.

Question 2

Negative punishment involves _____ an outcome to _____ a behavior.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Question 3

A baseball player gets a hit approximately every third time at bat. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement because the reinforcement (getting a hit) is based on an unpredictable number of responses (times at bat). Unlike fixed schedules, variable schedules provide reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, making them highly effective at maintaining consistent behavior.

Question 4

A pigeon is given a choice between pecking an upper key on a VI 2' schedule and pecking a lower key on a VI 4' schedule. According to the matching law of choice behavior, the pigeon should:

Accepted Answer

The matching law of choice behavior suggests that the rate of responding is typically proportional to the rate of reinforcement. Since the VI 2' schedule offers reinforcement twice as often as the VI 4' schedule, the pigeon should peck the upper key (VI 2') twice as frequently as the lower key (VI 4').

Question 5

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie. The cessation of the child's whining would be _____ of the parents' behavior of giving the cookie.

Accepted Answer

The cessation of the child's whining acts as a negative reinforcement for the parents' behavior of giving the cookie. It removes an unpleasant stimulus (the whining), which increases the likelihood that the parents will give a cookie in the future to stop the whining.

Question 6

Suppose a man has his driver's license revoked due to several unpaid traffic tickets. The taking away of his license would be _____ of the man's behavior of not paying tickets.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior. In this case, the driver's license (a desirable stimulus) is taken away to decrease the behavior of not paying tickets.

Question 7

A professor gives her class donuts every Monday. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement because the professor gives donuts at a consistent, specified interval (every Monday), regardless of the students' behavior.

Question 8

Suppose a person is trying to save for a new television, but his friends are pressuring him to go out with them tonight to the new club in town. He is MOST likely to stay home and save his money if he:

Accepted Answer

Automatic deposit into a savings account is a practical financial management strategy that can help someone resist spending temptations, such as going out, by making the process of saving more effortless and less susceptible to impulsive decisions.

Question 9

Children may misbehave in order to get the attention that is associated with being punished. In this example, the attention serves as _____ for misbehavior.

Accepted Answer

The attention received from misbehavior acts as a positive reinforcement because it increases the likelihood of the behavior recurring by adding a desirable outcome (attention) following the behavior.

Question 10

The study of how organisms allocate their time and resources among possible options is known as:

Accepted Answer

Behavioral economics is the field that examines how organisms, including humans, allocate their time and resources among various options, incorporating principles from both psychology and economics.

Question 11

A hotel maid is allowed to take a 15-minute break every time she cleans three rooms. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The maid receives a break after a fixed number of responses (cleaning three rooms), which is characteristic of a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Question 12

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie. The cookie would be _____ of the child's behavior of whining.

Accepted Answer

The cookie acts as a positive reinforcement because it is a reward given to increase the likelihood of the child's whining behavior in the future.

Question 13

A postreinforcement pause is seen when _____ schedules of reinforcement are used.

Accepted Answer

A postreinforcement pause is typically observed in fixed-interval and fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. In these schedules, after a reinforcement is delivered, there is often a pause in the organism's response rate, as the organism has learned that another reinforcement is not immediately available.

Question 14

If a pigeon is being trained to peck at a disc for a food reward, which delay between pecking and receiving the reward will lead to the FASTEST learning?

Accepted Answer

Immediate reinforcement (0 seconds delay) leads to the fastest learning because it strengthens the association between the behavior (pecking) and the reward.

Question 15

Which statement is an example of how discriminative stimuli can encourage cheating?

Accepted Answer

Discriminative stimuli are cues that influence behavior by signaling the availability of reinforcement or punishment. In this case, the teenager swears with friends because the presence of friends signals that swearing is acceptable and won't be punished, encouraging the behavior despite punishment at home.

Question 16

Positive reinforcement involves _____ an outcome to _____ a behavior.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable outcome or reward to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Question 17

Parents who decide to use punishment on a misbehaving child should:

Accepted Answer

Punishment alone can be less effective in changing behavior if it is not paired with reinforcement of good behavior. Reinforcing good behavior helps teach the child what behaviors are expected and desired, making it a more balanced and effective approach to behavior management.

Question 18

A student watches for shooting stars on a clear night and sees one approximately every 2 minutes. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The student sees shooting stars at unpredictable intervals, which aligns with a variable-interval schedule where reinforcement is given after varying amounts of time.

Question 19

Which statement is TRUE about punishment?

Accepted Answer

Punishment can be effective in changing behavior, but its effectiveness can be significantly reduced or counteracted if the behavior being punished is also being reinforced in some other context. This reinforcement can maintain or even increase the frequency of the behavior, making the punishment less effective.

Question 20

A child is given a gold star every time she gets an "A" on a test. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement occurs when a reward is given every time a desired behavior is exhibited. In this case, the child receives a gold star for every "A" received on a test, making it an example of continuous reinforcement.

Quiz 5: Operant Conditioning: Learning the Outcome of Behaviors