A teacher wants to determine whether smiling at children if they raise their hands after she asks a question increases the likelihood that children will volunteer answers. From the behaviorist perspective, the antecedent environmental condition is ________ and the consequence is ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

From the behaviorist perspective, the antecedent environmental condition is the stimulus that occurs before the behavior, which in this case is "asking a question." The consequence is what follows the behavior, intended to increase or decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring again, which here is "smiling" at the children when they raise their hands.  Smiling is the consequence of responses (raised hands). The environmental antecedent of raised hands is a question asked by the teacher. The response is the action to be studied: Will smiling increase the number of responses to questions asked? Can we predict that smiling increases responses? Can we control behavior by smiling when questions are asked?

A Teacher Wants to Determine Whether Smiling at Children If