Arthur saw a piece of gum on his shoe as he stepped up to the plate for his turn at bat.He tapped his shoe three times before the gum fell off, then he kicked the gum to one side.When the pitcher threw the ball, Arthur hit a home run.Now he ensures that he taps his shoe three times and kicks the ground once before every swing, and about 15% of the time he gets a hit.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that Arthur's behavior best illustrates the concept referred to as:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Arthur's behavior is an example of adventitious reinforcement, where a behavior is followed by a positive outcome that is actually unrelated to the behavior itself. In this case, Arthur's ritual of tapping his shoe and kicking the ground was accidentally reinforced by his hitting a home run, leading him to believe that the action causes the positive outcome of getting hits.

Arthur Saw a Piece of Gum on His Shoe as He