When Keller and Marian Breland, two psychologists who became animal trainers, decided that it would be cute to have a pig drop a big wooden coin into a box, they found that:
A) when given edible roots as reinforcers, the pig learned the task in less than 10 trials.
B) the pig showed intrinsic interest in the task and so reinforcement was unnecessary.
C) the pig displayed instinctive drift by dropping the coin, rooting, and throwing the coin in the air.
D) food was not an effective reinforcer for the pig and so learning didn't occur.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pig displayed instinctive drift, which is a tendency for an animal to revert to instinctive behaviors that interfere with a conditioned response. In this case, the pig reverted to its natural rooting behavior.

When Keller and Marian Breland, Two Psychologists Who Became Animal