Question 1

You clean your room so your mother will stop nagging you.Your mother used _______________ to get you to clean your room.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior. In this case, the unpleasant stimulus is the nagging from the mother, and the desired behavior is cleaning the room. By cleaning the room, the unpleasant stimulus is removed (the nagging stops), and the behavior is more likely to be repeated in the future to avoid the unpleasant stimulus.

Question 2

The process by which a stimulus weakens the probability of the response that it follows is called:

Accepted Answer

The process where a stimulus weakens the probability of the response that it follows is called punishment. Punishment is used to discourage a certain behavior or response. It is in contrast to reinforcement, which strengthens the probability of the response that it follows. Higher-order conditioning and determinism are not related to this process.

Question 3

A drawback in using primary punishers and primary reinforcers in research would be that:

Accepted Answer

Using primary punishers, such as physical pain or taking away a basic need, would not be ethical in research. Similarly, using primary reinforcers, such as food or water, could harm the subjects if they are deprived of these necessities. Therefore, researchers typically use secondary reinforcers and punishers, such as praise or social disapproval, which carry less risk of harm.

Question 4

Food and water would be examples of:

Accepted Answer

Primary reinforcers are those that satisfy biological needs, such as food and water.

Question 5

Which of the following secondary reinforcers has considerable power over people's behavior?

Accepted Answer

Money is a powerful secondary reinforcer because it can be exchanged for other primary reinforcers that are necessary for survival such as food, shelter, and clothing. In addition, money can also be used to attain various other goals or desires that are not directly related to survival, such as status or luxury items.

Question 6

Kelsey's dad uses a primary reinforcer to strengthen the response she just made.The reinforcing stimulus would be:

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is a stimulus that is naturally rewarding, such as food, water, or shelter. In this case, lightly stroking the hair on the top of Kelsey's head is a primary reinforcer because it is a naturally rewarding stimulus for most people.

Question 7

Which of the following is a secondary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

Applause is a secondary reinforcer because it is a learned reinforcer that has no inherent value but becomes reinforcing because it is associated with a primary reinforcer.

Question 8

Kyla wants to make sure that her dog Axel does not beg for food from the table.Every time that Axel begs,Kyla says,"No," in a sharp,scolding voice and she never gives in.Kyla is using:

Accepted Answer

Kyla is using a secondary punisher, which is the sharp, scolding voice that serves as a deterrent to Axel's begging behavior.

Question 9

Brett's mom keeps a chart on his bedroom wall and adds a gold star for each day that his room is clean.His mom is using _______________ to strengthen the response.

Accepted Answer

Brett's mom is using secondary reinforcers, which are learned reinforcers, to strengthen the behavior of keeping his room clean. The gold stars serve as a reward for his desirable behavior and increase the likelihood of him repeating it in the future.

Question 10

Research on reinforcers shows that:

Accepted Answer

Research shows that primary reinforcers, such as food or water, may not be effective if the person is not in a deprived state. This means that the person must have a significant need or desire for the reinforcer for it to be effective in reinforcing behavior.

Question 11

_____________ reinforcement occurs when you escape from something unpleasant.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves escaping or avoiding something unpleasant or aversive. This is different from positive reinforcement, which involves receiving something pleasant or rewarding after engaging in a desired behavior. Neutral reinforcement refers to a situation where there is no change in behavior as a result of a specific consequence, and compound reinforcement involves the use of both positive and negative reinforcement simultaneously.

Question 12

In classical conditioning,the responses involved tend to be _______________,but in operant conditioning they are _______________.

Accepted Answer

In classical conditioning, responses are reflexive and automatic, while in operant conditioning, responses are complex and not reflexive, as they are influenced by consequences.

Question 13

Which of the following is a primary reinforcer?

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is inherently pleasurable or satisfying without prior learning, and food is one of the most basic primary reinforcers as it meets our physiological needs for survival. Money, praise, and gold stars are examples of secondary reinforcers that acquire their reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers or other reinforcers that have already been established.

Question 14

The difference between a reinforcer and a punisher is that:

Accepted Answer

Reinforcers are any stimuli or events that, when presented after a behavior, increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. Punishers, on the other hand, are any stimuli or events that, when presented after a behavior, decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. Therefore, the main difference between them is that reinforcers strengthen behavior, while punishers weaken behavior.

Question 15

Which of the following statements would be rejected by a strict behaviorist?

Accepted Answer

A strict behaviorist would reject this statement because they believe that only observable behavior and environmental factors can be studied, whereas "reward" implies a subjective experience or feeling.

Question 16

Operant conditioning is most closely associated with:

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning, also known as instrumental conditioning, is a learning process that involves consequences for behavior. B.F. Skinner is best known for developing the theory of operant conditioning and his work in this area. John Watson is associated with classical conditioning, Ivan Pavlov is best known for his experiments with dogs and the discovery of classical conditioning, and John Garcia focused on taste aversion learning.

Question 17

A basic principle governing operant conditioning is that:

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is based on the principle that behaviors are controlled by their consequences. When behaviors are followed by desirable consequences (rewards or reinforcements), they are more likely to be repeated in the future. Conversely, behaviors followed by undesirable consequences (punishments or negative reinforcements) are less likely to be repeated.

Question 18

The acquisition of a conditioning of fear appears to involve a receptor in the:

Accepted Answer

The amygdala is a brain structure that is responsible for emotional processing and is specifically involved in the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear responses.

Question 19

In the late 1800s,G.Stanley Hall conducted a study of anger.One case involved a 3-year-old girl who asked a calm question right in the middle of a tantrum.What did her tantrum illustrate in regard to learning?

Accepted Answer

The fact that the 3-year-old girl had a tantrum and had been reinforced for it in the past suggests that it was a learned behavior. When behaviors are reinforced, they are more likely to be repeated in the future.

Question 20

The process by which a stimulus strengthens or increases the probability of the response that it follows is called:

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is reinforcement, which involves increasing the likelihood of a behavior through the presentation of a stimulus (positive reinforcement) or the removal of a stimulus (negative reinforcement). Higher-order conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a previously conditioned stimulus to produce a similar response, while latent learning refers to learning that occurs without an immediate change in behavior. Classical conditioning involves pairing an unconditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus to create a conditioned response.

Quiz 7: Exstintion: Learning and Conditioning