Question 1

Which of the following is a primary reinforcer in operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Primary reinforcers are things that are inherently rewarding, such as food, water, and shelter. Of the options given, only food meets this criteria. Fame, praise, and luxury are all considered secondary reinforcers because they gain value through association with primary reinforcers or other forms of conditioning.

Question 2

Jennifer accidentally plays a radio channel that she has never heard before.She loves the music it plays and as a result,she plays only that channel whenever she wants to listen to music.In this scenario,Jennifer's behavior has most likely been learned through _____ in operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Jennifer's behavior of playing the new radio channel has been positively reinforced because she enjoys the music it plays, which increases the likelihood of her repeating that behavior in the future.

Question 3

In the context of operant conditioning,a reinforcer that is innately satisfying and does not require any learning on the organism's part to make it pleasurable is referred to as a _____ reinforcer.

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is a stimulus that is naturally rewarding, such as food or water. It does not need to be learned or conditioned to be pleasurable. Secondary and tertiary reinforcers are associated with primary reinforcers through conditioning and are therefore learned. Negative reinforcement refers to the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, rather than the presentation of a pleasant one.

Question 4

While on her way to work recently,Martha was pulled over for the first time,for exceeding the speed limit.She was required to pay a heavy fine.Since then,she has maintained a consistent speed of 30 miles per hour while driving,whether or not there are speed limits in place.In this scenario,Martha is demonstrating _____ learning.

Accepted Answer

Martha is demonstrating avoidance learning, where she has learned from the negative consequence of receiving a heavy fine, and is avoiding repeating the behavior that led to the punishment.

Question 5

Gary,a high school student with no interest in academics,has started to study for four hours every week to avoid getting poor grades in school.This scenario is reflective of _____ in operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of negative reinforcement, which involves removing or avoiding a negative stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior. In this case, Gary is studying to avoid getting poor grades, which is a negative stimulus. By studying, he is removing this negative stimulus and increasing the likelihood of getting better grades.

Question 6

Liam is studying in his room for an exam but is disturbed by the loud music from his neighbor's house.He closes the window so that he can no longer hear the loud music.In this scenario,Liam's behavior demonstrates _____ in operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Liam's behavior of closing the window is an example of negative reinforcement in operant conditioning. Negative reinforcement involves removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus to increase the probability of a desired behavior. In this case, Liam removed the unpleasant stimulus (loud music) to increase the likelihood of his studying behavior.

Question 7

In _____,the organism learns through experience with negative stimuli that it has no control over negative outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness refers to the belief that an organism has no control over negative outcomes. It occurs when an organism learns through experience with negative stimuli that it has no control over the outcome. This may lead to a state of passivity and resignation, where the organism no longer makes an effort to avoid negative outcomes. Observational learning refers to the process of learning by observing the behavior of others, while insight learning involves using problem-solving to arrive at a solution. Learned optimism refers to the belief that one can control outcomes and achieve success through effort and persistence.

Question 8

Experience with unavoidable negative stimuli can lead to a particular deficit in avoidance learning called

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness is the deficit in avoidance learning that occurs after an individual experiences unavoidable negative stimuli, leading them to believe that they cannot control or avoid the negative outcome, which can then generalize to other situations. Observational learning refers to learning by watching others, instinctive drift refers to the tendency of trained animals to revert to their innate behaviors, and preparedness refers to the idea that some stimuli are more easily learned than others.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a primary reinforcer in operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Primary reinforcers are stimuli that satisfy basic survival needs and do not require learning to be effective. A good meal directly satisfies the biological need for food, making it a primary reinforcer.

Question 10

Negative reinforcement in operant conditioning is defined as

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement in operant conditioning involves increasing the frequency of a behavior because it is followed by the removal of something undesirable, such as a negative or aversive stimulus. Therefore, the best choice is D. Option A describes positive reinforcement, Option B describes punishment, and Option C describes extinction.

Question 11

Negative reinforcement in operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus following a behavior, which increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again. It is not about the introduction of a desirable stimulus (A), nor is it inherently about "good" or "bad" behavior (B). It does not always introduce something unpleasant (C); instead, it removes something unpleasant. Lastly, it does not decrease the likelihood of a behavior occurring (D); it increases it.

Question 12

Four-month-old Simon quickly learns that he will be fed milk every time he cries.From a behaviorist perspective,the milk that Simon receives when he cries is a

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is a stimulus that is innately reinforcing and satisfies a biological need, such as food, water, or warmth. In this scenario, the milk that Simon receives when he cries is a primary reinforcer because it satisfies his biological need for nourishment. Simon will associate crying with receiving milk and therefore continue to cry for milk in the future.

Question 13

Rose is in an abusive relationship with Dan,who is physically violent with her and has injured her seriously more than once.Despite this,Rose has never been able to stop him or leave him.Rose was also abused by her step-father as a child.Rose's inability to put up a fight with Dan is most likely the result of _____ in operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Learned helplessness is a phenomenon in which individuals learn to be passive and unable to respond to an aversive stimulus, such as abuse, due to their repeated exposure to the same aversive stimulus without a means of escape or avoidance. In this case, Rose's repeated exposure to abuse from Dan without being able to escape or avoid it is likely to have led to her learning helplessness. Preparedness and instinctive drift refer to the innate predisposition of animals to learn some associations more quickly than others, and aversive conditioning is a type of classical conditioning that involves associating a negative stimulus with a behavior to discourage its occurrence. None of these are as likely to explain Rose's behavior as learned helplessness.

Question 14

Shirley repeatedly ends up receiving bad grades in algebra no matter how hard she studies.Eventually,Shirley stops studying for algebra tests and accepts that nothing she does will help her get good grades.In this scenario,Shirley's behavior exemplifies _____ in operant conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Shirley's behavior exemplifies learned helplessness, which occurs when an individual learns that their behavior or efforts have no effect on the outcomes they experience. In this case, Shirley has learned that no matter how hard she studies, she still receives bad grades in algebra, leading her to stop trying altogether.

Question 15

_____ in operant conditioning occurs when the frequency of a behavior increases because it is followed by a desirable stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is when a behavior is followed by a desirable stimulus, increasing the frequency of that behavior. This is different from negative reinforcement, which involves the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. Positive punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease the frequency of a behavior, while negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease the frequency of a behavior.

Question 16

Positive reinforcement in operant conditioning is a learning process in which

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus after a behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior. Choice B describes negative reinforcement, choice C describes punishment by association, and choice D describes positive punishment.

Question 17

Which of the following is common to positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Contingency, or the relationship between a behavior and its consequences, is a necessary component of both positive and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves the presentation of a desired consequence (such as a reward) following a behavior, while negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus (such as a loud noise) following a behavior. Both require a clear contingency between the behavior and the consequence in order to effectively shape future behavior. Instinctive drift, punishment, and spontaneous recovery are not common to both types of reinforcement.

Question 18

Positive reinforcement in operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement increases the frequency of a behavior by adding a desirable stimulus or event after the behavior is exhibited. It strengthens the association between behavior and consequence, making it more likely for the behavior to be performed in the future. None of the other choices describe positive reinforcement.

Question 19

Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus or an aversive event. In this scenario, Tom wakes up before the alarm to avoid hearing the unpleasant sound. By doing this, he is strengthening his behavior of waking up early, as he is avoiding the unpleasant stimulus of hearing the alarm.

Question 20

_____ in operant conditioning occurs when the frequency of a behavior increases because it is followed by the removal of something undesirable.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. In this case, the increasing frequency of a behavior is a result of the removal of something undesirable.

Quiz 6: Learning