Question 1

The _____ refers to the nonreinforcement of a previously reinforced response.

Accepted Answer

B

Question 2

A rat that is trained to press a lever to receive food pellets is most likely to get aggressive during a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

During an extinction procedure, when a previously reinforced behavior no longer results in the reinforcing stimulus, animals (including rats) can exhibit frustration, which may manifest as aggression. This is known as extinction-induced aggression.

Question 3

A temporary increase in the frequency and intensity of responding when extinction is first implemented is called an _____.

Accepted Answer

An extinction burst refers to the temporary increase in the frequency and intensity of responding when an extinction procedure (the discontinuation of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior) is first implemented. This phenomenon occurs because the organism tries harder to obtain the reinforcement that it previously received for the behavior, before eventually reducing the behavior when reinforcement does not occur.

Question 4

Jean's father occasionally allows her to skip classes. When he stops this practice, Jean starts acting unwell just like she used to when she was younger and wanted to skip classes. In this scenario, Jean's behavior illustrates _____.

Accepted Answer

Jean's behavior illustrates resurgence, which occurs when a previously extinguished behavior reappears because a more recently reinforced behavior is no longer effective or is no longer reinforced.

Question 5

Curtis finds that his usually bubbly girlfriend is quite uncommunicative one morning. In the context of the side effects of extinction, which of the following behavior patterns is Curtis most likely to display?

Accepted Answer

Curtis is likely to increase his attempts to communicate with his girlfriend as a response to her uncommunicative behavior, which is a common side effect of extinction where an individual tries harder to elicit a response.

Question 6

Which of the following is a side effect of extinction?

Accepted Answer

Extinction in behavioral psychology refers to the process by which a previously reinforced behavior is weakened by no longer providing reinforcement. This process can lead to several side effects, including an increase in the variability of a behavior as the organism tries different strategies to obtain reinforcement, a display of emotional behavior due to frustration or confusion, and resurgence, which is the reappearance of previously extinguished behaviors. Therefore, all of the options listed are correct side effects of extinction.

Question 7

When Teresa started ignoring her daughter Lisa's tantrums, the tantrums began to decrease until they occurred at about half the rate that they previously did. In other words, Lisa's tantrums have been

Accepted Answer

Lisa's tantrums decreased in frequency when Teresa started ignoring them, indicating that the behavior was partially extinguished, not completely eliminated or reinforced. Extinction in behavioral terms refers to the reduction of a behavior after a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced. Since the tantrums decreased but did not stop entirely, "partially extinguished" is the most accurate description.

Question 8

Frustration is often a side effect of _____.

Accepted Answer

Frustration is often a side effect of extinction, which occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, leading to an increase in emotional responses like frustration.

Question 9

Kaya, a seven-year-old, notices that her parents no longer pay heed to her demand for more toys. She then starts crying just like she used to when she was younger and wanted toys. In this scenario, Kaya's behavior illustrates _____.

Accepted Answer

Kaya's behavior illustrates resurgence, which occurs when a previously extinguished behavior reappears because a more recently learned behavior is no longer reinforced. In this case, her parents no longer responding to her demands for toys leads her to revert to an older behavior (crying) that used to get her what she wanted.

Question 10

The reappearance during extinction of other behaviors that had once been effective in obtaining reinforcement is known as _____.

Accepted Answer

Resurgence refers to the phenomenon where, during the extinction of a previously reinforced behavior, an individual may revert to older behaviors that were once effective in obtaining reinforcement. This occurs when the current behavior no longer produces the expected outcome, leading the individual to "try" other behaviors that had been successful in the past.

Question 11

Kathy used to pay attention to her son, Fred, whenever he threw a tantrum. She then realized that her attention was reinforcing Fred's tantrums and decided to start ignoring them. Kathy's action illustrates _____.

Accepted Answer

Kathy's action of ignoring Fred's tantrums is an extinction procedure, where she stops reinforcing the behavior (tantrums) with attention, aiming to reduce or eliminate the behavior over time.

Question 12

An initial increase in the frequency of key pecking by pigeons when extinction is first implemented is called an _____.

Accepted Answer

An extinction burst refers to the initial increase in the frequency of a behavior (such as key pecking by pigeons) when the reinforcement previously associated with that behavior is no longer provided. This phenomenon is observed in the early stages of the extinction process.

Question 13

Displays of emotional behavior, aggression, and resurgence are side effects of _____.

Accepted Answer

Extinction can lead to displays of emotional behavior, aggression, and resurgence as the subject reacts to the removal of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior.

Question 14

An important aspect of applying an extinction procedure is

Accepted Answer

Ensuring that the consequence being withheld is the reinforcer maintaining a behavior is crucial in extinction procedures. This is because extinction involves stopping the reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior, aiming to decrease or eliminate that behavior. If the wrong reinforcer is identified and withheld, the behavior will not be affected.

Question 15

Karen is upset with her husband Rick and stops responding to the jokes he makes over dinner. In the context of the side effects of extinction, Rick is most likely to

Accepted Answer

When Karen stops responding to Rick's jokes, a common side effect of extinction (in this case, the extinction of Karen's previous positive responses to Rick's jokes) is an increase in variability of behavior (Rick trying different jokes) and an emotional response (agitation).

Question 16

The term _____ refers to the nonreinforcement of a previously reinforced response, the result of which is a decrease in the strength of that response.

Accepted Answer

Extinction in behavioral psychology refers to the process where a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced, leading to a decrease in the frequency of that behavior. This process is distinct from punishment or reinforcement strategies, as it specifically involves the removal of the reinforcement for a particular behavior, causing it to gradually diminish.

Question 17

The side effects of extinction can include a(n)

Accepted Answer

Extinction can lead to emotional responses, an initial increase in the behavior (extinction burst), and increased variability in behavior.

Question 18

A decrease in the rate of wheel running because it is no longer reinforced is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

Extinction in behavioral psychology refers to the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a conditioned response when the reinforcement is no longer provided. In this case, the decrease in wheel running due to the lack of reinforcement exemplifies the extinction process.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true of resurgence?

Accepted Answer

Resurgence resembles the psychoanalytic concept of regression as it involves the reappearance of previously reinforced behaviors when a more recent behavior is no longer reinforced.

Question 20

Jamie's dog, Taffy, begs for food and gets it at the dinner table every night. Jamie decides to discourage this behavior and refuses to give Taffy food when she begs. After a week, Jamie notices that Taffy's begging has decreased but has not stopped entirely. At this point, the behavior of begging has been

Accepted Answer

The behavior has been partially extinguished because it has decreased but not stopped entirely, indicating that the refusal to give food is gradually reducing the begging behavior.

Quiz 8: Extinction and Stimulus Control