Question 1

Your dog jumps up on you when you get home.You eliminate this behavior by withholding your attention and ignoring the dog when it jumps on you.This is called
A)classical conditioning.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)punishment.
D)operant extinction.

Accepted Answer

Withholding attention and ignoring the dog is a form of operant extinction, which involves gradually reducing the frequency of a behavior by no longer reinforcing it. Classical conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a meaningful one to elicit a learned response. Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior. None of these options accurately describe the scenario of withholding attention to eliminate the behavior of jumping on you.

Question 2

When a reward or other pleasant event follows a response,which of the following is being used?
A)bribe
B)positive reinforcement
C)negative reinforcement
D)conditioned stimulus

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is the use of a reward or other pleasant event to strengthen a response. This increases the likelihood that the response will be repeated in the future. A bribe is typically a form of coercion and is not used to strengthen a response. Negative reinforcement is the removal of an aversive stimulus to strengthen a response, which is not applicable in this scenario. Conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that becomes associated with a response through classical conditioning, which is not applicable in this scenario.

Question 3

Negative reinforcement occurs when a response
A)leads to a desirable consequence.
B)leads to the removal of an unpleasant event.
C)leads to an undesirable consequence.
D)is ignored.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant event or stimuli after a response, which increases the likelihood of that response being repeated in the future. Choice A describes positive reinforcement, choice C describes punishment, and choice D describes extinction.

Question 4

When Jan helped her mother clean up after her baby brother,Jan's mother praised her daughter for being so thoughtful.For Jan,her mother's praise is serving as a
A)positive reinforcer.
B)negative reinforcer.
C)primary reinforcer.
D)response cost.

Accepted Answer

Jan's mother's praise is serving as a positive reinforcer since it is increasing the likelihood of Jan engaging in the helpful behavior again in the future. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a behavior, strengthens the likelihood of the behavior repeating.

Question 5

Which of the following tends to develop when children are ignored for playing quietly,but are given attention in the form of scolding for "showing off," breaking something,or throwing a temper tantrum?
A)negative shaping
B)negative attention seeking
C)negative transference
D)counterconditioning

Accepted Answer

When children are ignored for playing quietly and given attention only in the form of scolding for "showing off," breaking something, or throwing a temper tantrum, they may develop negative attention-seeking behaviors. This is because they learn that the only way to get attention from their caregivers is by engaging in negative behavior. This can lead to a reinforcement of negative behaviors and the child may continue to engage in them to gain attention. This is known as negative attention-seeking behavior.

Question 6

Parents report dramatic improvements in their children's behavior (that is,a decrease in negative attention­seeking) when they
A)scold their children for their disruptive behavior.
B)spank their children for their disruptive behavior.
C)ignore all behavior except for the target behavior they wish to reduce and then use a strong aversive punishment.
D)ignore their children's disruptive behavior and praise their child for being quiet or playing constructively.

Accepted Answer

Ignoring the disruptive behavior and reinforcing positive behavior can lead to a decrease in negative attention-seeking behavior. Scolding and spanking may worsen behavior and strong aversive punishment can have negative side effects.

Question 7

Stephanie had successfully used extinction to eliminate her son's temper tantrums.However,several weeks later,her son threw another temper tantrum.Stephanie should be advised that
A)she should have used an intermittent punishment schedule to stop the temper tantrums.
B)spontaneous recoveries do occur and to continue ignoring the tantrums.
C)she should have used negative reinforcement to stop the temper tantrums.
D)her child will outgrow the tantrums in a few years.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recoveries can occur even after successful use of extinction. Stephanie should continue to ignore the tantrums and not reinforce them. If she consistently ignores them, the tantrums should eventually extinguish again. It is not recommended to use punishment or negative reinforcement in this situation. It is also not certain that the child will outgrow the tantrums in a few years.

Question 8

Regarding operant extinction and spontaneous recovery,which of the following statements is FALSE?
A)Just as acquiring an operant response takes time,so does operant extinction.
B)Even after operant extinction seems complete,the previously reinforced response may return.
C)If a response is extinguished and comes back,the operant extinction process usually takes longer the second time.
D)Spontaneous recovery is very adaptive because it is a way of checking to see if the rules have changed.

Accepted Answer

The statement that "If a response is extinguished and comes back, the operant extinction process usually takes longer the second time" is false. The process of extinction does not depend on previous occurrences of extinction. Each time a response is extinguished, it follows the basic principles of operant conditioning. The process can last shorter or longer depending on various factors, such as the strength of the reinforcement history and the consistency of the extinction procedure.

Question 9

You had originally loved going to a particular restaurant every day for lunch.However,you are becoming bored with the menu and find that everything has started to taste the same.Chances are you find yourself going to this restaurant less and less,which illustrates the process of
A)response chaining.
B)latent learning.
C)operant extinction.
D)stimulus generalization.

Accepted Answer

Operant extinction occurs when a behavior that was previously reinforced is no longer consistently reinforced, causing the behavior to decrease in frequency. In this scenario, the behavior of going to the restaurant has become less reinforced due to the lack of variety on the menu, causing the behavior to decrease in frequency. This is different from stimulus generalization, which involves responding to stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus that was reinforced. Response chaining and latent learning are not applicable in this scenario.

Question 10

The brief return of an operant response after its apparent extinction is known as
A)shaping.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)a spontaneous recovery.
D)satiation.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the brief return of an operant response after its apparent extinction. This occurs without any additional training or reinforcement. Shaping refers to the gradual reinforcement of behaviors that approximate the target behavior, stimulus generalization is the tendency for a conditioned response to occur in the presence of stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus, and satiation refers to an individual becoming less responsive to a particular reinforcer due to overexposure.

Question 11

If the teacher never calls on you when you raise your hand,you will probably stop raising your hand.This decrease in your hand raising due to the teacher ignoring you is an example of
A)negative reinforcement.
B)desensitization.
C)operant extinction.
D)stimulus generalization.

Accepted Answer

Operant extinction occurs when a behavior ceases to occur due to the lack of reinforcement or consequences. In this scenario, the lack of the teacher calling on the student acts as a lack of reinforcement, leading to the decrease in hand-raising.

Question 12

After weeks of successful extinction trials,your pet dachshund suddenly resumes burying bones in the front yard. Your pet trainer advises you that the dog's behavior is an example of
A)shaping.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)satiation.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery is the sudden reappearance of a behavior that had been previously extinct. In this case, the dachshund had stopped burying bones but has now resumed the behavior, even though extinction trials were successful. This indicates that the behavior was not fully extinguished and spontaneously recovered after some time. Shaping refers to the gradual reinforcement of a behavior, stimulus generalization refers to the extension of a learned response to similar stimuli, and satiation refers to the decrease in the effectiveness of reinforcement due to overuse or excessive reward. None of these options adequately explain the dachshund's sudden return of the behavior after a period of extinction.

Question 13

A puppy has begun to cry and bark in order to be let into the house.To extinguish this response,you would
A)let the puppy in the house.
B)ignore the crying,letting the puppy in when quiet.
C)swat the puppy with a newspaper whenever it cried.
D)let the puppy in when it cries,then swat it with a newspaper.

Accepted Answer

Ignoring the crying and only letting the puppy in when it is quiet is the best choice. This will teach the puppy that its crying behavior is ineffective in getting what it wants and that being quiet is more rewarding. Swatting the puppy with a newspaper can cause fear and possible aggression in the future, and letting the puppy in every time it cries can reinforce the behavior.

Question 14

What effect does negative reinforcement have on a person's responding?
A)increases it
B)decreases it
C)completely extinguishes it
D)makes responding more unpleasant

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement increases a person's responding by removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus when the desired behavior is performed, thereby making the behavior more likely to occur in the future.

Question 15

When we remove an unpleasant event by making a response,we experience
A)shaping.
B)extinction.
C)negative reinforcement.
D)positive reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant event by making a response. This increases the likelihood of the response being repeated in the future. The other options are not applicable as shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior, extinction involves withholding reinforcement to decrease the occurrence of a behavior, and positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable event to increase the occurrence of a behavior.

Question 16

Negative attention-seeking will develop in some children because
A)punishment is always ineffective and teaches aggression.
B)the parents reward the children's correct social behaviors in only limited situations.
C)punishment was not used to get rid of the negative attention-seeking in the children.
D)the children receive attention when they are ill-behaved but are ignored when they are well-behaved.

Accepted Answer

Negative attention-seeking behavior is reinforced when children receive attention for their misbehavior but not for their good behavior. This creates a pattern where the child learns that being well-behaved does not result in getting attention, but being ill-behaved does. This can lead to the development of negative attention-seeking behavior. Punishment alone is not effective in addressing this behavior; instead, positive reinforcement of good behavior and consistent consequences for negative behavior are needed. Limited situations of reward for good behavior can also contribute to the development of negative attention-seeking behavior.

Question 17

A few weeks after giving up on buying state lottery tickets,many people are tempted to try again,thus,illustrating the concept of
A)spontaneous recovery.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)superstitious behavior.
D)satiation.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period without exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In this context, the desire to buy lottery tickets reemerges after a break, similar to how a conditioned response can return after it was thought to be extinguished.

Question 18

What do positive and negative reinforcement have in common?
A)They both have aversive qualities.
B)They both have unpredictable qualities.
C)They both lead to a decrease in response frequencies.
D)They both lead to an increase in response frequencies.

Accepted Answer

Both positive and negative reinforcement increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, resulting in an increase in response frequencies. Positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus, and negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus when a behavior is exhibited.

Question 19

Ms.Campbell gives her students a star for every completed homework assignment.The star serves as a
A)positive reinforcer.
B)negative reinforcer.
C)primary reinforcer.
D)response cost.

Accepted Answer

The star given by Ms. Campbell serves as a positive reinforcer because it is intended to increase the likelihood of the behavior (completing homework assignments) being repeated in the future.

Question 20

After the successful extinction of your son's whining for a toy while you are shopping,you go shopping several weeks later and he begins to whine for a toy as if he is "just checking to see if the rules have changed back." This situation illustrates
A)shaping.
B)spontaneous recovery.
C)stimulus generalization.
D)stimulus discrimination.

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous recovery refers to the reappearance of a previously extinguished response after a period of non-exposure to the conditioned stimulus. In this situation, the child is exhibiting whining behavior again after not doing so for several weeks, suggesting that the behavior has spontaneously recovered.

Quiz 30: Conditioning and Learning: Operant Conditioning

Your dog jumps up on you when you get home.You eliminate this behavior by withholding your attention and ignoring the dog when it jumps on you.This is called

When a reward or other pleasant event follows a response,which of the following is being used?

Negative reinforcement occurs when a response

When Jan helped her mother clean up after her baby brother,Jan's mother praised her daughter for being so thoughtful.For Jan,her mother's praise is serving as a

Which of the following tends to develop when children are ignored for playing quietly,but are given attention in the form of scolding for "showing off," breaking something,or throwing a temper tantrum?

Parents report dramatic improvements in their children's behavior (that is,a decrease in negative attentionseeking) when they

Stephanie had successfully used extinction to eliminate her son's temper tantrums.However,several weeks later,her son threw another temper tantrum.Stephanie should be advised that

Regarding operant extinction and spontaneous recovery,which of the following statements is FALSE?

You had originally loved going to a particular restaurant every day for lunch.However,you are becoming bored with the menu and find that everything has started to taste the same.Chances are you find yourself going to this restaurant less and less,which illustrates the process of

The brief return of an operant response after its apparent extinction is known as

If the teacher never calls on you when you raise your hand,you will probably stop raising your hand.This decrease in your hand raising due to the teacher ignoring you is an example of

After weeks of successful extinction trials,your pet dachshund suddenly resumes burying bones in the front yard. Your pet trainer advises you that the dog's behavior is an example of

A puppy has begun to cry and bark in order to be let into the house.To extinguish this response,you would

What effect does negative reinforcement have on a person's responding?

When we remove an unpleasant event by making a response,we experience

Negative attention-seeking will develop in some children because

A few weeks after giving up on buying state lottery tickets,many people are tempted to try again,thus,illustrating the concept of

What do positive and negative reinforcement have in common?

Ms.Campbell gives her students a star for every completed homework assignment.The star serves as a

After the successful extinction of your son's whining for a toy while you are shopping,you go shopping several weeks later and he begins to whine for a toy as if he is "just checking to see if the rules have changed back." This situation illustrates