A rat is conditioned to press a lever for food.One day,a food pellet jams in the automatic feeder and the rat no longer receives food after pressing the lever.After a few minutes,the rat eventually stops pressing the lever.This is an example of
A)negative reinforcement.
B)extinction.
C)classical conditioning.
D)avoidance learning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of extinction, where the behavior of pressing the lever is no longer reinforced with food due to the jammed feeder. The rat eventually stops pressing the lever as the behavior becomes extinct. Negative reinforcement would involve the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring. Classical conditioning involves learning through association between two stimuli. Avoidance learning involves learning to avoid an aversive stimulus through behavior. None of these apply to the scenario described.

A Rat Is Conditioned to Press a Lever for Food