Question 1

Billy taught two rats how to play basketball for his experimental psychology class. What process did he likely use?
A)operant conditioning
B)shaping
C)reinforcement
D)punishment

Accepted Answer

Billy probably rewarded the rats as they got closer and closer to the target behavior.

Question 2

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?
A)water
B)food
C)shelter
D)a gold star

Accepted Answer

A gold star does not meet a biological need.

Question 3

Skinner designed a soundproof apparatus, often equipped with a lever or bar, with which he conducted his experiments in operant conditioning. This has been called a _____
A)reinforcement chamber.
B)Skinner box.
C)rodent chamber.
D)respondent behavior unit.

Accepted Answer

The apparatus designed by Skinner is commonly known as a Skinner box, named after B.F. Skinner himself. This is the most common term used to refer to the device in the field of psychology.

Question 4

A student studied very hard in order to avoid getting bad grades and losing her driving privileges. It worked. What was the type of reinforcer she experienced?
A)positive reinforcement
B)negative punishment
C)negative reinforcement
D)partial reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Because the student is reinforced by the fact that the behavior took away a bad thing, it is a negative reinforcer.

Question 5

Skinner found that a pigeon reinforced for pecking at a yellow disk is likely to peck at another disk similar in color. This is an example of _____
A)generalization.
B)shaping.
C)extinction.
D)classical conditioning.

Accepted Answer

The response is now happening when a similar stimulus is presented.

Question 6

A reinforcer is a consequence that will _____ a behavior, while a punisher is a consequence that may _____ a behavior.
A)motivate; stimulate
B)weaken; strengthen
C)inhibit; motivate
D)increase; decrease

Accepted Answer

A reinforcer will increase a behavior, while a punisher will decrease a behavior. This is the basic principle of operant conditioning, which involves using consequences to shape behavior. Reinforcement involves adding something desirable or removing something unpleasant, while punishment involves adding something unpleasant or removing something desirable.

Question 7

A _____ reinforcer is any reward that satisfies a basic, biological need, such a hunger, thirst, or touch.
A)primary
B)negative
C)positive
D)secondary

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is a reward that satisfies a basic, biological need, such as hunger, thirst, or touch. It is something that is naturally reinforcing and does not require any learning or conditioning. Examples of primary reinforcers include food, water, warmth, and physical contact.

Question 8

A student studied very hard in order to get a good grade. It worked. The good grade is an example of _____
A)positive reinforcement.
B)punishment.
C)negative reinforcement.
D)partial reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Receiving something good as a consequence of a behavior is positive reinforcement.

Question 9

Taking away something that hurts or bothers someone is called _____ reinforcement.
A)positive
B)effective
C)negative
D)preferred

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement refers to the removal of something unpleasant or aversive in order to increase the likelihood of a particular behavior being repeated in the future. This is different from positive reinforcement, which involves adding something positive to increase the frequency of a desired behavior. Effective and preferred are not related to the concept of reinforcement.

Question 10

Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is part of which process?
A)reinforcement
B)shaping
C)extinction
D)generalization

Accepted Answer

Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is known as shaping. This involves reinforcing behavior that is closer and closer to the desired behavior until the desired behavior is achieved.

Question 11

Mary's parents want her to put her books in her bookcase. At first, they praise her for putting the books together in one pile. Then they praise her for getting the books on the same side of the room as the bookcase. When she gets the books on top of the bookcase, she gets praise. Finally, her parents praise her when she puts her books in the bookcase. This is an example of ____
A)negative reinforcement.
B)punishment.
C)extinction.
D)shaping.

Accepted Answer

Rewarding successive approximations is shaping the behavior.

Question 12

Professor Rochelle told her students that if her door was closed, it meant that she was unavailable to them and would be angry if they knocked on her door. But if her door was open, it meant that she was in a rare good mood and would answer questions at that time. Professor Rochelle's door being open was a _____ for _____
A)discriminative stimulus; asking questions.
B)discriminative stimulus; not asking questions.
C)discriminative response; asking questions.
D)discriminative response; not asking questions.

Accepted Answer

Professor Rochelle's door being open was a discriminative stimulus for asking questions because it let students know what response to make-flee from her wrath or ask her a question.

Question 13

A _____ signals whether a certain response or behavior is likely to be rewarded, ignored, or punished.
A)reinforcer
B)generalized stimulus
C)discriminative stimulus
D)primary reinforcer

Accepted Answer

This stimulus is designed to let a person/animal "discriminate" whether a behavior will be reinforced at a given time.

Question 14

Negative reinforcement will _____ a behavior.
A)increase
B)decrease
C)punish
D)not change

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement removes (subtracts)an aversive (bad thing)from the subject's environment. Since this is a good consequence, it will increase the behavior.

Question 15

Adding something good as a consequence of a behavior is called _____ reinforcement.
A)positive
B)effective
C)neutral
D)preferred

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus or reward after a behavior to increase the likelihood of it being repeated in the future. It is an effective way to encourage positive behaviors and can be used in various settings, such as education, parenting, and workplace management.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?
A)Marty knocks over his mother's prize fern so she gives him a time out.
B)Peter comes in late from his lunch and is fired from his job.
C)Tara takes an aspirin, and her headache begins to go away.
D)Gwen mows the lawn and her dad takes her out for ice cream.

Accepted Answer

The action (taking the medicine)is rewarded when the aversive stimulus (the pain)is removed.

Question 17

In operant conditioning, _____ is associated with a voluntary response.
A)reinforcement
B)the law of negative effect
C)conceptual emotional linkages
D)a long time delay

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement, whether it be positive or negative, is used in operant conditioning to increase the likelihood of a voluntary response occurring again.

Question 18

Susan trained her rat to press a bar in a Skinner box in order to get a food pellet. Susan's rat pressed the bar a lot. However, later when Susan ran out of food pellets, her rat eventually stopped pressing the bar. What had happened?
A)conditioned aversion
B)satiation
C)extinction
D)withdrawal

Accepted Answer

The removal of the reinforcement caused the desired behavior to extinguish.

Question 19

The kind of learning that applies to voluntary behavior is called _____
A)operant conditioning.
B)classical conditioning.
C)effective based learning.
D)spontaneous recovery.

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning involves a choice and is thus voluntary behavior.

Question 20

_____ is an example of a primary reinforcer, whereas _____ is an example of a secondary reinforcer.
A)A cupcake; a certificate of achievement
B)A kiss; money
C)Water; food
D)A gold star; a cupcake

Accepted Answer

Cupcake relates to food, a biologically-based need. The certificate does not.

Quiz 5: Learning

Billy taught two rats how to play basketball for his experimental psychology class. What process did he likely use?

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Skinner designed a soundproof apparatus, often equipped with a lever or bar, with which he conducted his experiments in operant conditioning. This has been called a _____

A student studied very hard in order to avoid getting bad grades and losing her driving privileges. It worked. What was the type of reinforcer she experienced?

Skinner found that a pigeon reinforced for pecking at a yellow disk is likely to peck at another disk similar in color. This is an example of _____

A reinforcer is a consequence that will _ a behavior, while a punisher is a consequence that may _ a behavior.

A _____ reinforcer is any reward that satisfies a basic, biological need, such a hunger, thirst, or touch.

A student studied very hard in order to get a good grade. It worked. The good grade is an example of _____

Taking away something that hurts or bothers someone is called _____ reinforcement.

Rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is part of which process?

A _____ signals whether a certain response or behavior is likely to be rewarded, ignored, or punished.

Negative reinforcement will _____ a behavior.

Adding something good as a consequence of a behavior is called _____ reinforcement.

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

In operant conditioning, _____ is associated with a voluntary response.

Susan trained her rat to press a bar in a Skinner box in order to get a food pellet. Susan's rat pressed the bar a lot. However, later when Susan ran out of food pellets, her rat eventually stopped pressing the bar. What had happened?

The kind of learning that applies to voluntary behavior is called _____

_ is an example of a primary reinforcer, whereas _ is an example of a secondary reinforcer.