The photo shows a dolphin trainer making a specific hand gesture and a distinct sound to which the dolphin will respondby performing a somersault in the air. In operant conditioning terms, the hand gesture and sound are:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hand gesture and sound are discriminative stimuli because they signal to the dolphin that it should perform a specific behavior in order to receive a reward. This is a conditioned association that has been established through repeated pairings of the stimulus (hand gesture and sound) with the behavior (somersault) and the reward (such as food or praise). Primary and negative reinforcers are types of rewards, while unconditioned stimuli are natural stimuli that automatically elicit a response without prior learning.

The Photo Shows a Dolphin Trainer Making a Specific Hand