Question 1

If you wanted your best friend to spend more time talking about your interests, you might try smiling at her every time the conversation turned to your interests.In the framework of operant conditioning, your frowning would be:

Accepted Answer

Smiling at your friend when the conversation turns to your interests serves as a positive reinforcement because it adds a pleasant stimulus (your smile) in response to the desired behavior (talking about your interests), thereby increasing the likelihood that the behavior will occur again.

Question 2

The preschool teachers have started reducing the amount of time children must spend cleaning the classroom when the class has behaved well the entire day.The teachers have started using which of the following as a way to increase the likelihood that children will behave well?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the task of cleaning) to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior (in this case, good behavior). By reducing the cleaning time as a reward for good behavior, the teachers are using negative reinforcement.

Question 3

Every time Erwin cried, his father would immediately pick him up and he would stop crying.Now almost as soon as Erwin's dad gets home from work, he picks Erwin up.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that for Erwin's father, when the crying stopped it acted as:

Accepted Answer

Erwin's crying stopping acts as a negative reinforcer for his father's behavior of picking him up because it removes the aversive stimulus (crying), thereby increasing the likelihood that the father will pick him up in the future to avoid the crying.

Question 4

In operant conditioning, negative reinforcement occurs whenever:

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a response is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of a negative stimulus. Thus, choice C, which describes the removal of a stimulus following a response increasing the likelihood of the response occurring again, is the correct answer. Choices A and B describe positive reinforcement and punishment, respectively. Choice D describes extinction.

Question 5

In operant conditioning, positive reinforcement occurs whenever:

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a stimulus, such as praise or a reward, which increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again in the future. Option A describes negative reinforcement, where the removal of a stimulus increases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. Option C describes punishment, where the presentation of a stimulus decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. Option D describes negative punishment, where the removal of a stimulus decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring again.

Question 6

The preschool teachers have started putting gold stars on a poster when the class has behaved well the entire day.If the class has received a gold star on a day, they will receive a special treat as a reward.The teachers have started using which of the following as a way to increase the likelihood that children will behave well?

Accepted Answer

The use of gold stars and a special treat as a reward is an example of positive reinforcement. The positive reinforcement is used to increase the likelihood that children will behave well in the future.

Question 7

A cue that indicates a response is likely to produce some type of consequence is a:

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus is a cue that indicates a response is likely to produce some type of consequence. It is the environmental cue that sets the occasion for a particular behavior. Choice A (shaping stimulus) refers to gradually shaping a behavior through successive approximations, while Choice B (positive reinforcement) and Choice D (negative reinforcement) both refer to the consequences of a behavior, rather than the environmental cue that signals those consequences.

Question 8

Angelo loves to go for an aerobic workout every day after he is finished with work because he finds that the vigorous exercise eliminates any stress he is feeling.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that Angelo's behavior is being influenced by the process referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Angelo's behavior of going for a workout is being reinforced by the removal of stress, which is an example of negative reinforcement. The behavior is more likely to occur in the future because of this reinforcement. Positive punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior, and negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior. None of these processes are occurring in Angelo's situation.

Question 9

Gia has learned that if the TV is tuned to a football game, asking her father to take her to the park always results in the answer "No." If the TV is off, her father almost always answers "Yes." The status of the TV is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

The status of the TV is serving as a discriminative stimulus, which is a specific environmental cue that signals the likelihood of a specific behavior being reinforced. In this case, the TV being off signals a high likelihood of the behavior of asking to go to the park being reinforced (with a "yes" answer), while the TV being tuned to a football game signals a low likelihood of the behavior being reinforced (with a "no" answer).

Question 10

Money is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

Money is considered a secondary reinforcer because it is not inherently valuable or satisfying biological needs but can be used to obtain primary reinforcers, such as food and shelter.

Question 11

Your brother asks to borrow $20.You lend him the money and, in return, he offers to do your household chores for one week.If you typically dislike doing housework, then your behavior of lending money to your brother:

Accepted Answer

The behavior of lending money to your brother has been negatively reinforced because it has resulted in the removal of a negative stimulus (disliking doing housework) through the exchange of money for household chores. This increases the likelihood that you will lend him money again in the future in exchange for him doing household chores.

Question 12

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:

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.

Question 13

According to the theory of operant conditioning, when the removal of a stimulus, after a response has occurred, increases the likelihood of the response's occurring again, the process that is at work is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the process where the removal of a stimulus increases the likelihood of the response occurring again. This is different from punishment, which decreases the likelihood of the behavior, and classical conditioning, which involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a naturally occurring stimulus to elicit a learned response. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior.

Question 14

Food is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

Food is a primary reinforcer as it is a basic biological need that provides intrinsic reward without the need for conditioning or learning.

Question 15

Randy had to write an essay and discuss it with his teacher because he said an obscene word in class.His teacher was frustrated when Randy's use of obscenity became more frequent in spite of being made to write an essay and talk to the teacher each time.In this example, writing the essay and talking to the teacher must be:

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is encouraged by rewards. In Randy's case, the unintended consequence of writing an essay and talking to the teacher may have acted as a form of attention or a break from other work, thereby reinforcing the behavior rather than discouraging it.

Question 16

A pigeon has learned that pecking a key when a red light is on is sometimes reinforced with access to food.The first time a green light is turned on, the pigeon begins to peck at the key.This illustrates the process of:

Accepted Answer

The pigeon is demonstrating stimulus generalization by responding to a new stimulus (the green light) in the same way it responded to the original conditioned stimulus (the red light), indicating it has generalized the response to similar stimuli.

Question 17

Kylee has a desk right next to her manager's office.Whenever her manager is in his office, Kylee makes sure that she works hard at her computer.However, if her manager is away from his office, she often works much more slowly and takes more breaks.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that the manager being in his office is acting as:

Accepted Answer

The manager being in his office is acting as a discriminative stimulus for working hard. A discriminative stimulus signals when a certain behavior is likely to be reinforced. In this case, Kylee has learned through past experiences that her manager being in his office is a cue to work hard, as this behavior has been positively reinforced in the past. When her manager is away, this discriminative stimulus is absent, so Kylee is less likely to work hard.

Question 18

According to the theory of operant conditioning, when the presentation of a stimulus, after a response has occurred, increases the likelihood of the response's occurring again, the process that is at work is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is the process in which a stimulus is presented after a response to increase the likelihood of the response's recurrence. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus after a desired behavior and punishment involves the presentation of an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a response's recurrence. Classical conditioning involves the pairing of a conditioned stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a response. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 19

Every time Harriet cried, her mother would immediately pick her up.Now Harriet is a real crybaby.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that for Harriet, being picked up acted as:

Accepted Answer

Harriet's crying behavior was reinforced by her mother picking her up, which suggests that being picked up acted as a positive reinforcer for crying. As a result, Harriet learned that crying was an effective way to get her mother's attention and desired response.

Question 20

With operant conditioning, a stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through prior learning is referred to as a:

Accepted Answer

A stimulus that has acquired reinforcing properties through prior learning is referred to as a conditioned reinforcer. This is a type of reinforcement that has been paired with a primary reinforcer (such as food or water) and has come to evoke the same response as the primary reinforcer.

Quiz 7: Learning From Experience