You have trained your goldfish to swim through a hoop placed in the tank by providing a dried fly every time it does so.Your little brother takes care of your fish for a week and forgets to give the fish any flies when it swims through the hoop when he puts it in the tank.If you were to test your fish for hoop swimming behavior and wanted to see the most responses, you should
A)wait a few days before putting the hoop in the tank.
B)test the fish immediately to counteract any forgetting.
C)test your fish immediately to counteract frustration.
D)buy a new fish and try again.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Waiting a few days before putting the hoop in the tank will allow the goldfish to "forget" about the routine and be more motivated to swim through the hoop when it is reintroduced. This is known as extinction and can lead to an increase in behavior if the reinforcer (dried fly) is reintroduced after a period of time without it. Testing the fish immediately could counteract any forgetting, but it would not necessarily result in the most responses since the fish may not be as motivated. Counteracting frustration is not necessary in this scenario, and buying a new fish is not an appropriate or ethical solution.

You Have Trained Your Goldfish to Swim Through a Hoop