Question 1

Driving in heavy traffic makes Hal very anxious and sometimes angry. He leaves home earlier than usual one morning and doesn't run into heavy traffic. He leaves home earlier again the next morning, and again he avoids heavy traffic. His behavior of leaving home earlier is strengthened by the consequence of the avoidance of heavy traffic. What kind of reinforcement has occurred in this example?
A)negative reinforcement
B)extinction
C)punishment
D)intermittent reinforcement
E)overreward

Accepted Answer

The behavior of leaving home earlier is being strengthened by the removal of the aversive stimulus (heavy traffic), which is an example of negative reinforcement.

Question 2

Users of credit and debit cards that earn the owners money or rewards towards future purchases, is an example of _______.
A)underreward
B)punishment
C)extinction
D)positive reinforcement
E)negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

This is an example of positive reinforcement, as the reward (money or points towards future purchases) serves to increase the likelihood of the behavior (using the credit or debit card for purchases) being repeated in the future.

Question 3

In a(n)____ reinforcement schedule, a consequence follows every instance of a behavior.
A)continuous
B)intermittent
C)variable interval
D)fixed ratio
E)variable ratio

Accepted Answer

A continuous reinforcement schedule provides reinforcement after every instance of a behavior, which makes it easier for the behavior to be acquired and maintained.

Question 4

____ is a reinforcement strategy which weakens a behavior over time because the behavior has no consequences, positive or negative.
A)Positive reinforcement
B)Negative reinforcement
C)Punishment
D)Reinforcement reversal
E)Extinction

Accepted Answer

Extinction is the process of gradually weakening a behavior by withholding any reinforcement, positive or negative, and therefore the behavior diminishes over time because it is not being reinforced.

Question 5

France has 14 million smokers. More importantly, smokers in France are closely associated with the French culture. To reduce the number of smokers in the nation, the French government has increased the costs of cigarettes to a price twenty times greater than that charged in any other nation in the European Union. In terms of reinforcement theory, the French government is trying to use ____ to get people to quit smoking by making cigarettes less affordable and by reducing the discretionary income (or possibly the disposable income)of people who continue smoking.
A)avoidance learning
B)expectancy modification
C)negative reinforcement
D)positive reinforcement
E)punishment

Accepted Answer

The French government is using punishment by increasing the cost of cigarettes, making it financially painful for people to continue smoking.

Question 6

The number of people who play high-stakes poker is increasing as a result of a number of cable television shows featuring professional poker players vying for $100,000 pots. In terms of reinforcement theory, what kind of a reinforcement schedule motivates the behavior of these card players?
A)variable ratio
B)fixed ratio
C)continuous
D)intermittent
E)variable interval

Accepted Answer

A variable ratio reinforcement schedule is the most effective in motivating behavior. In this schedule, the behavior (playing high-stakes poker) is reinforced after a varying number of times, making it difficult for the player to predict when the reinforcement will occur. This uncertainty keeps the player motivated to continue playing in the hopes of winning a big pot.

Question 7

____ strengthen behavior (i.e., increase its frequency).
A)Positive and negative reinforcement
B)Negative reinforcement and extinction
C)Positive reinforcement and extinction
D)Negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, and punishment
E)Negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, extinction, and punishment

Accepted Answer

Positive and negative reinforcement both serve to strengthen behavior by increasing its frequency. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus after a behavior is performed, which increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future. Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a desirable stimulus after a behavior is performed, which also increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.

Question 8

Traffic accidents, most of which are caused by excessive speed, cost Australia $15 billion per year. The Australian government is thinking of using cameras to catch speeders. Government officials plan to put cameras at various locations for four weeks and then the cameras will be moved. Plans are to put the cameras back to their original location every fourth month. What kind of reinforcement schedule will be used?
A)variable ratio
B)fixed ratio
C)fixed interval
D)intermittent
E)variable interval

Accepted Answer

The cameras will be put up for a fixed period of four weeks and then moved. They will then be put back up in their original location every fourth month. This is an example of a fixed interval schedule, where reinforcement (catching speeders) occurs after a fixed amount of time (four weeks).

Question 9

In a(n)____ reinforcement schedule, consequences are delivered following a specific number of behaviors.
A)fixed interval
B)continuous interval
C)fixed ratio
D)intermittent interval
E)variable ratio

Accepted Answer

In a fixed ratio reinforcement schedule, rewards are given after a specific number of behaviors are performed. For example, a company may offer a bonus to an employee for every 10 products they sell. This type of schedule tends to lead to a high response rate because the individual knows how many behaviors they need to perform to receive the reward.

Question 10

Which of the following is also called avoidance learning?
A)positive reinforcement
B)negative reinforcement
C)punishment
D)extinction
E)intermittent reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is also called avoidance learning, where an individual learns to perform a behavior to avoid/escape an aversive stimulus.

Question 11

Which of the following is a category of reinforcement schedules?
A)instrumental
B)contiguous
C)variable interval
D)adjacent
E)synergistic

Accepted Answer

Variable interval is a valid category of reinforcement schedules, while the other choices are not. Instrumental refers to the knowledge or skills needed to achieve a certain goal, contiguous means adjacent or touching, adjacent means next to or alongside, and synergistic means working together to produce a greater effect than the sum of their separate effects.

Question 12

Because workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses $1 billion every week, increased safety compliance needs to become a practice, not just a theory. The goal of developing safety consciousness within the workforce requires continuous reinforcement at every organizational level. This means ____.
A)no consequences should be delivered until reinforcement can be handed out to everyone
B)a consequence must be delivered following every instance of behavior
C)consequences should be delivered following a variable reinforcement schedule
D)consequences should be delivered following an average number of behaviors
E)none of these is true

Accepted Answer

The answer of Because workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses $1...

Question 13

A manufacturer of modular housing gives each employee a monthly $300 bonus if he or she is neither absent nor late to work for the entire month. There are no excused absences. The loss of a bonus by a parent with an emergency hospitalization of a child is an example of the use of ____.
A)negative reinforcement
B)extinction
C)punishment
D)intermittent reinforcement
E)underreward

Accepted Answer

Punishment is reinforcement that weakens behavior by following behaviors with undesirable consequences.

Question 14

In a(n)____ reinforcement schedule, consequences follow a behavior only after a fixed time has elapsed.
A)fixed interval
B)variable interval
C)fixed ratio
D)variable ratio
E)intermittent interval

Accepted Answer

Fixed interval reinforcement schedules provide reinforcement after a specific amount of time has elapsed since the previous reinforcement, regardless of the number of responses emitted during that time. This means that the behavior is only reinforced at a fixed interval, regardless of its frequency or timing.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a type of reinforcement contingency?
A)negative reinforcement
B)punishment
C)extinction
D)overreward
E)positive reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Four of the options are types of reinforcement contingencies commonly used in behavioral psychology: negative reinforcement, punishment, extinction, and positive reinforcement. Overreward is not a recognized type of reinforcement contingency.

Question 16

France has 14 million smokers. More importantly, smokers in France are closely associated with the French culture. To reduce the number of smokers in the nation, the French government has increased the costs of cigarettes to a price twenty times greater than that charged in any other nation in the European Union. In terms of reinforcement theory, what kind of a reinforcement schedule is being used?
A)variable ratio
B)fixed punishment
C)continuous
D)intermittent
E)variable interval

Accepted Answer

A continuous reinforcement schedule is a schedule that requires a consequence to be administered following every instance of behavior.

Question 17

A(n)____ is the set of rules regarding reinforcement contingencies such as which behaviors will be reinforced, which consequences will follow those behaviors, and the schedule by which those consequences will be delivered.
A)contingency of reinforcement
B)instrumentality of reinforcement
C)schedule of reinforcement
D)expectancy of reinforcement
E)PERT (Positive Examples through Reinforced Timing)plan

Accepted Answer

The answer of A(n)____ is the set of rules regarding...

Question 18

Excessive speed is a major cause of road crashes in Australia. The Australian government is thinking of using cameras to catch speeders. According to reinforcement theory, Australian officials are using ____ to control speeding.
A)avoidance learning
B)expectancy modification
C)negative reinforcement
D)positive reinforcement
E)punishment

Accepted Answer

The use of cameras to catch speeders is an example of punishment, as it involves imposing a penalty (such as a fine) to decrease the likelihood of speeding behavior.

Question 19

In a(n)____ reinforcement schedule, consequences follow a behavior after different times, some shorter and some longer, that vary around a specified average time.
A)fixed interval
B)variable interval
C)fixed ratio
D)variable ratio
E)continuous ratio

Accepted Answer

The description given matches the definition of a variable interval reinforcement schedule. In this schedule, reinforcement is delivered after varying amounts of time around a set average time.

Question 20

The city of Cairo has the world's greatest collection of Islamic buildings and statues. It would seem an ideal location for Muslim tourists, but unfortunately preservation activities have been inadequate and often more destructive than constructive. Imagine the Egyptian government is instituting a marketing campaign to motivate tourists to spend their vacation dollars in Cairo. Imagine tourists visiting Cairo and being motivated never to visit there again due to the fact that every old building they saw seemed more likely to cave in than the last one they had seen. In terms of motivational theory, ____ would have occurred.
A)instrumentality
B)punishment
C)goal acceptance
D)contingency feedback
E)valence modification

Accepted Answer

The situation described in the scenario illustrates punishment, which refers to the application of an aversive consequence or the removal of a positive consequence in response to a behavior in order to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. In this case, the tourists were motivated not to visit Cairo again due to the negative consequences (i.e. the unsafe conditions of the buildings), which serves as a form of punishment.

Quiz 11: Motivation

Users of credit and debit cards that earn the owners money or rewards towards future purchases, is an example of _______.

In a(n) ____ reinforcement schedule, a consequence follows every instance of a behavior.

____ is a reinforcement strategy which weakens a behavior over time because the behavior has no consequences, positive or negative.

The number of people who play high-stakes poker is increasing as a result of a number of cable television shows featuring professional poker players vying for $100,000 pots. In terms of reinforcement theory, what kind of a reinforcement schedule motivates the behavior of these card players?

____ strengthen behavior (i.e., increase its frequency) .

In a(n) ____ reinforcement schedule, consequences are delivered following a specific number of behaviors.

Which of the following is also called avoidance learning?

Which of the following is a category of reinforcement schedules?

Because workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses $1 billion every week, increased safety compliance needs to become a practice, not just a theory. The goal of developing safety consciousness within the workforce requires continuous reinforcement at every organizational level. This means ____.

A manufacturer of modular housing gives each employee a monthly $300 bonus if he or she is neither absent nor late to work for the entire month. There are no excused absences. The loss of a bonus by a parent with an emergency hospitalization of a child is an example of the use of ____.

In a(n) ____ reinforcement schedule, consequences follow a behavior only after a fixed time has elapsed.

Which of the following is NOT a type of reinforcement contingency?

A(n) ____ is the set of rules regarding reinforcement contingencies such as which behaviors will be reinforced, which consequences will follow those behaviors, and the schedule by which those consequences will be delivered.

Excessive speed is a major cause of road crashes in Australia. The Australian government is thinking of using cameras to catch speeders. According to reinforcement theory, Australian officials are using ____ to control speeding.

In a(n) ____ reinforcement schedule, consequences follow a behavior after different times, some shorter and some longer, that vary around a specified average time.