Question 1

Deprivation operations (such as not feeding an organism for several hours before a study begins) can only be said to have established the deprived stimulus as a reinforcer if:

Accepted Answer

Deprivation operations establish a stimulus as a reinforcer if the organism's rate of response increases when access to the stimulus is contingent on that response. This indicates that the stimulus is indeed motivating and reinforcing the behavior.

Question 2

The extinction burst refers to:

Accepted Answer

An extinction burst is characterized by a temporary increase in the frequency of the behavior when extinction is first implemented.

Question 3

In order to treat her son's frequent tantrums while out shopping, Ruby put his tantrum behavior on extinction by refusing to buy any treats when he tantrums in the store. This works and her son does not tantrum any more while shopping. Then, suddenly, the tantrum behavior reappears one day while they are out shopping. This reappearance of the previously extinguished behavior is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the sudden reappearance of a previously extinguished response. In this case, the son's tantrum behavior, which had stopped due to Ruby's intervention, unexpectedly reoccurs, fitting the definition of spontaneous recovery.

Question 4

During magazine training, when a pigeon is placed in a chamber for the first time it may demonstrate a variety of behavioral responses because of ________.

Accepted Answer

The novel features in the chamber may serve as aversive stimuli because they are unfamiliar to the pigeon, potentially causing stress or fear responses. This is a common reaction among animals when they are introduced to new environments.

Question 5

An operant class is:

Accepted Answer

An operant class refers to all the variations of behavior that produce the specific environmental changes necessary for reinforcement. It encompasses the idea that different behaviors can lead to the same outcome or reinforcement, highlighting the variability and flexibility in behavior that achieves the same goal.

Question 6

Max finds that his new dog will work really hard for bites of a doggy treat at the beginning of a training session, but appears to lose interest in the treats the more that Max gives to him. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of satiation, where the dog's motivation to work for the treats decreases as it becomes less deprived of the treat due to receiving it repeatedly.

Question 7

Which of the following statements most closely summarizes Skinner's criticism of Thorndike's law of effect?

Accepted Answer

Latency as a dependent variable doesn't tell us anything about how the behavior changes

Question 8

How does in-vitro reinforcement relate to Skinner's "atoms of behavior"?

Accepted Answer

In-vitro reinforcement supports Skinner's concept by demonstrating that reinforcement mechanisms can indeed be observed at the neural level, aligning with his behavioral theories.

Question 9

Neuringer's investigations into the effect of reinforcement on problem solving suggested that:

Accepted Answer

Neuringer's research demonstrated that variability in responding, rather than being a by-product or an undesirable aspect of behavior, can itself be an operant behavior that is subject to reinforcement. This means that if variability is systematically reinforced, animals (including humans) can learn to behave more variably, challenging the notion that reinforcement only leads to stereotyped or rigid behavior.

Question 10

Skinner proposed that the basic datum (measure) for operant analysis should be:

Accepted Answer

Skinner proposed that the rate of response is the most important measure in operant conditioning, as it reflects the strength of the behavior and its likelihood of occurring.

Question 11

Although she was happy in the relationship, Joan decided to break up with her boyfriend several weeks ago. He tried contacting her for several days afterward, but after several weeks without any response from Joan, he stopped trying to contact her. Then, one day, Joan accidentally sends her ex a text message asking about his day. After this message, he starts frequently texting and calling Joan again. This reappearance of the previously extinguished behavior is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Reinstatement of responding occurs when a previously extinguished behavior reappears after being triggered by a stimulus that is similar to the original stimulus that caused the behavior. In this case, Joan's accidental text message to her ex triggered the reappearance of his frequent texting and calling behavior, which had previously been extinguished after several weeks of no contact.

Question 12

Kobayashi and colleagues demonstrated that the presentation of juice in the mouth following a spike in neural activity could be used as a reinforcer for activity in the _____ of Japanese monkeys.

Accepted Answer

Kobayashi and colleagues' research showed that the presentation of juice as a reward following a spike in neural activity could reinforce activity specifically in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of Japanese monkeys. This area is crucial for complex cognitive functions including decision-making and controlling behavior based on rewards.

Question 13

As you are examining the cumulative record produced by the rat you are training in the laboratory, you notice that the graph shows several spots where the line is very steep, followed almost immediately by the line going flat (horizontal). What does this change from a steep line to a horizontal line most likely mean has happened?

Accepted Answer

A reinforcer occurred for the target behavior

Question 14

Which of the following best illustrates a study using the free-operant method?

Accepted Answer

The free-operant method allows an animal to operate an apparatus (like a lever) freely to obtain a reinforcer (like food) without being limited by discrete trials or specific cues. Choice C, where a rat can press a lever at any time to receive food after a certain number of responses, exemplifies this approach by allowing the rat to respond at its own pace without external constraints.

Question 15

Before Frank could begin his research project, he had to train his rat to press the lever by reinforcing successive approximations of lever pressing. This technique is known as:

Accepted Answer

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior, which is exactly what Frank is doing by training his rat to press the lever.

Question 16

"Shooting a basketball consists of holding the ball in one hand while the knees are bent with feet shoulder-width apart, followed by pushing the feet into the floor, extending the arm, and flicking the wrist." This description is focusing on what element of behavior?

Accepted Answer

The description focuses on the topography of the behavior, which refers to the physical form or shape of the behavior, including specific movements and positions involved in shooting a basketball.

Question 17

Studies using Drosophila indicate that the gene ___________ is necessary for __________________ learning to occur.

Accepted Answer

The FoxP gene in Drosophila is associated with the ability to learn stimulus relations, which is a type of associative learning.

Question 18

A "closed" sign on a store is an example of _____ for our door-opening behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A "closed" sign on a store is...

Question 19

Williams (1959) found that the bedtime tantrum behavior of a 20-month-old was maintained by ___________________ and that the parents' behavior of giving in to the tantrum was maintained by ________________________.

Accepted Answer

Williams (1959) found that the bedtime tantrum behavior of a 20-month-old was maintained by positive reinforcement (the child receiving attention or getting what they wanted as a result of the tantrum), and the parents' behavior of giving in to the tantrum was maintained by negative reinforcement (the removal of the aversive stimulus of the tantrum when they gave in).

Question 20

The major functional difference between forgetting and extinction is:

Accepted Answer

The major functional difference lies in the opportunity to emit the behavior. During extinction, the behavior is emitted but not reinforced, leading to a decrease in the behavior over time. Forgetting, on the other hand, involves a loss of memory over time without the specific opportunity to emit the behavior being a factor.

Quiz 4: Reinforcement and Extinction of Operant Behavior