When Lydia got her new dog, she would pet the dog and give him treats for staying close during walks.Now Lydia's dog stays right at her side all the time, even when he is not on a leash.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that for Lydia's dog, petting and receiving treats acted as:
A)negative reinforcers for staying close
B)positive reinforcers for staying close
C)unconditioned stimuli for staying close
D)a discriminative stimulus for staying close

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is the addition of a desirable consequence (in this case, petting and treats) that strengthens the behavior of staying close. By consistently providing rewards for staying close, Lydia's dog learned that this behavior leads to a desirable outcome, which strengthened the behavior and led to it being repeated. Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, involves the removal of an aversive stimulus after a desired behavior is exhibited, which was not mentioned in the scenario. Unconditioned stimuli are stimuli that naturally elicit a response (such as food for hunger), but petting and treats are not unconditioned stimuli in this context since they were intentionally provided by Lydia. Discriminative stimuli are cues that indicate when a particular behavior will lead to a specific outcome, but since this scenario only involves positive reinforcement, it is not an example of a discriminative stimulus.

When Lydia Got Her New Dog, She Would Pet the Dog