Graduate student Sam sets up an experiment in which a rat hears a tone every time a fruit loop is placed in his cage. The rat, when hungry, eventually emits responses in order to activate the tone. The tone is referred to as a ____ reinforcer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tone started as a neutral stimulus but became a conditioned reinforcer through its association with the food (a primary reinforcer). This process is known as classical conditioning, where the rat learns to associate the tone with the reward.

Graduate Student Sam Sets Up an Experiment in Which a Rat