Two Skinner boxes are side by side. The rat in the first Skinner box gets a food pellet every time it presses the bar.The rat in the second Skinner box gets a food pellet every ten times it presses the bar. If the food-dispensing mechanism is shut off, the rat in the first Skinner box will quit pressing thebar sooner than the rat in the second Skinner box does.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The rat in the first Skinner box has learned that pressing the bar leads to immediate reinforcement (food), so when the reinforcement is no longer available, it will quickly stop pressing the bar. On the other hand, the rat in the second Skinner box has learned that it needs to press the bar multiple times before getting reinforcement, so it will continue to press the bar for a longer period of time before finally realizing that the reinforcement is not coming.

Two Skinner Boxes Are Side by Side