Question 1

Maricella works as a seamstress. Her boss tells her that every time she completes five shirts, she will receive $5. When done with the five shirts, she dumps them into a bin and gets paid. Her pattern of shirt completion is most likely to be __________

Accepted Answer

Maricella's pattern of work is likely to be influenced by the reinforcement schedule her boss has set up, which is a fixed-ratio schedule. In such schedules, behavior is reinforced after a set number of responses, leading to a high rate of response with a short pause after the reinforcement (in this case, after every five shirts and receiving $5). This creates a pattern of rapid shirt completion with a short break after each reinforcement.

Question 2

Al must build 25 radios before he receives $20. What schedule of reinforcement is being used?

Accepted Answer

Al must complete a specific number of radios (25) before receiving reinforcement (the $20). This is a fixed-ratio schedule, where a behavior is reinforced after a certain number of responses have occurred.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true about operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Partial reinforcement leads to behaviors that will persist longer than behavior learned through continuous reinforcement. This is because behaviors learned through partial reinforcement are more resistant to extinction, meaning they are less likely to stop occurring when the reinforcement stops. In contrast, behaviors learned through continuous reinforcement may stop occurring more quickly once reinforcement stops.

Question 4

Fred is afraid of spiders. He won't even watch a nature show on TV about them. When he sees a picture of a spider, he has a panic attack, but when he avoids looking at the image, his panic goes away. Fred's avoidance of spiders is being __________

Accepted Answer

Fred's avoidance of spiders is being negatively reinforced because his anxiety decreases when he avoids looking at spider images. Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of a negative outcome, in this case, Fred's anxiety.

Question 5

Billy often throws tantrums in stores if his mom does not give into his requests for candy. She usually ignores his tantrums, but every so often she gives in when it is inconvenient to argue. He is being reinforced on which schedule?

Accepted Answer

Billy's behavior is being reinforced on a variable-ratio schedule because he receives reinforcement (candy) after an unpredictable number of tantrums, not after a set amount of time or a fixed number of responses.

Question 6

Jackie is always buying several packs of baseball cards, but only a fraction of those packs actually add new cards to her collection. She is likely on a __________

Accepted Answer

Jackie's behavior of buying several packs of baseball cards but only getting new cards in a fraction of those packs is indicative of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement. In this type of schedule, reinforcement occurs after a variable number of responses, which creates a high and steady rate of responding. In Jackie's case, she is motivated to continue buying packs of baseball cards because she never knows when she might get a new card to add to her collection.

Question 7

The owner of a business shows up randomly three or four times a month and inquires about the employee's health, their families and how they are getting along at work. He also passes out a few extra dollars. The owner is reinforcing his employees on a __________

Accepted Answer

The owner is showing up randomly, which means there is no fixed interval between his visits. Additionally, he is reinforcing his employees by providing positive attention and a small bonus, which is a variable reinforcement (not the same amount every time). Therefore, the owner is using a variable-interval schedule to reinforce his employees.

Question 8

Which type of reinforcement is most reflective of the conditions of real life?

Accepted Answer

Partial reinforcement is most reflective of the conditions of real life because rewards and punishments are not delivered every time a behavior occurs, but rather intermittently or unpredictably. This is more similar to how we are often rewarded or punished in real-life situations, such as receiving occasional compliments from a boss rather than every time we complete a task successfully, or getting a parking ticket only occasionally rather than every time we park illegally.

Question 9

What kind of reinforcement is used if Sally's parents give her $10 every time she accumulates six As on her tests?

Accepted Answer

The reinforcement schedule described is an example of partial reinforcement, specifically fixed ratio reinforcement, as the reward is given only after a set number of behaviors (accumulating six As on tests). It is not continuous, as the reward is not given every time the behavior occurs. It is also not gradual or sporadic, as the reinforcement is consistently given after the set number of behaviors is achieved.

Question 10

A grandmother gives her grandchild a cookie because the child cleaned her room. What is the cookie in this example?

Accepted Answer

The cookie is a positive reinforcer because it is something positive (pleasant or desired) given to the grandchild in exchange for cleaning her room. This increase the likelihood of the grandchild cleaning her room again in the future to receive another cookie.

Question 11

A teacher gives her class at least one unannounced quiz every week. The students never know which day it will fall on. The teacher is attempting to influence their study habits by using a __________ schedule.

Accepted Answer

A variable-interval schedule involves reinforcement being given at unpredictable times, after varying amounts of time have passed. This schedule tends to produce a consistent rate of responding, with individuals typically responding steadily and at a moderate pace. In this case, because the students never know when a quiz will be given, they must study consistently in order to be prepared at all times. The unpredictability of the quiz schedule is likely to elicit a steady rate of studying from the students.

Question 12

A negative reinforcer is a stimulus that is __________and, thus __________ the probability of a response.

Accepted Answer

A negative reinforcer is a stimulus that is removed (or avoided) as a consequence of a behavior, which in turn increases the probability of that behavior occurring again in the future.

Question 13

Bill hates to clean up after dinner. One night, he volunteers to bathe the dog before cleaning up. When he finishes with the dog and returns to the kitchen, his wife has cleaned everything up for him. Which of the following statements is most likely true?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is when a behavior is strengthened by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus. In this case, Bill's wife cleaning up the kitchen after he bathed the dog removed the unpleasant task of cleaning up after dinner, which may have reinforced his behavior of bathing the dog.

Question 14

In a __________ schedule, the first response made after a same specific period of time has elapsed brings the reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

In a fixed-interval schedule, reinforcement is delivered after a fixed amount of time has passed, regardless of the number of responses. This type of schedule tends to produce lower response rates and more sporadic responding because the subject only needs to make a single response in the allotted time frame to receive reinforcement.

Question 15

Positive reinforcement tends to __________ the probability of a response. Negative reinforcement tends to __________ the probability of a response.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves rewarding a behavior, which increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. Negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus when a desired behavior is exhibited, which also increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. Therefore, both positive and negative reinforcement increase the probability of a response.

Question 16

Mark and Kathy take their 2-year-old son to the supermarket every Saturday. Each week, the same sequence of events unfolds: Their son screams, demanding that they buy him treats. Although they refuse to give in to his demands, he continues to scream. Finally, either Mark or Kathy gets in their son's face and yells at the top of their lungs "Shut up!" He stops screaming instantly. What operant conditioning concepts are illustrated in this story?

Accepted Answer

The parents are using punishment (yelling "shut up") to suppress the screaming, and the cessation of screaming negatively reinforces their use of punishment. This is an example of negative reinforcement, where the removal of aversive stimuli (in this case, the screaming) increases the likelihood of a behavior (in this case, the parents' use of punishment). Option A is incorrect because the parents are not using negative reinforcement to increase their son's screaming, but rather using punishment to decrease it. Option B is an irrelevant and unfounded interpretation of the situation. Option D is incorrect because there is no evidence to suggest that the son is reinforced on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Question 17

When the number of responses is important to a schedule of reinforcement, that schedule is called a __________ schedule.

Accepted Answer

A ratio schedule of reinforcement is based on a specific number of responses before reinforcement is given. This can include fixed ratio schedules, where a set number of responses must be made before reinforcement is given, or variable ratio schedules, where the required number of responses varies between each reinforcement. In both cases, the number of responses is a critical factor in determining when the reinforcement is given, making ratio schedules the appropriate choice for situations where response numbers are important.

Question 18

Under what circumstances will a reinforcer make the target response more likely to occur again?

Accepted Answer

Reinforcers, whether positive or negative, are designed to increase the likelihood of a response occurring again. Positive reinforcers do so by adding a desirable stimulus following the desired behavior, while negative reinforcers increase behavior through the removal of an undesirable stimulus.

Question 19

You walk up to a soda machine and put in a dollar, and are rewarded with a bottle of root beer. When you put in another dollar, you get another soda. Assuming that the machine does not run out of root beer, which kind of reinforcement schedule does this machine operate on?

Accepted Answer

The machine operates on a continuous reinforcement schedule because every time a dollar is inserted, a root beer is dispensed.

Question 20

The most efficient way to condition a new response is __________

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement, where a behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, is the most efficient way to condition a new response. This method helps establish the behavior more quickly by providing consistent and immediate feedback.

Quiz 5: Learning