Question 1

Which of the following is true about punishment?

Accepted Answer

Punishment can be effective in changing behavior, but its effects can be counteracted if the punished behavior is being reinforced at the same time. This is known as the "spillover effect." Therefore, it is important to identify and eliminate any reinforcing factors for the behavior being punished. Gradual increase in punishment (C) is not always necessary or effective, and there is no general agreement that punishment is ineffective (A). Option B is incorrect because punishment can have negative effects such as fear, avoidance, and relationship damage, and should only be used as a last resort when other methods have failed.

Question 2

Children may misbehave in order to get the attention that is associated with being punished.In this example,the attention serves as ______ for misbehavior.

Accepted Answer

The attention received from misbehavior acts as a positive reinforcement because it increases the likelihood of the behavior recurring by adding a desirable outcome (attention) following the behavior.

Question 3

Parents who decide to use punishment on a misbehaving child should:

Accepted Answer

Punishment alone is not an effective way to improve behavior in the long term. Therefore, reinforcing good behavior is important to teach the child what they should be doing. Option A is not the best choice because spanking can lead to negative physical and psychological outcomes. Option B is also not the best choice as giving attention to negative behavior may reinforce that behavior. Option C is not entirely accurate as some studies suggest that spanking may work in the short term, but it is still not the best option for long-term behavior change.

Question 4

The matching law of choice behavior states that,given two responses that are reinforced on different VI schedules,an organism will:

Accepted Answer

The matching law predicts that an organism will respond in a way that approximately matches the relative rate of reinforcement for each response. This means that if one response is reinforced more frequently than another response, the organism will tend to engage in the more frequently reinforced response more often. However, it does not necessarily predict that the organism will always choose the response with the better rate of reinforcement, as the matching law takes into account the relative rates of reinforcement for each response.

Question 5

Suppose a man has his driver's license revoked due to several unpaid traffic tickets.The taking away of his license would be _______ of the man's behavior of not paying tickets.

Accepted Answer

The taking away of the man's license is a form of negative punishment because it involves the removal of a desired stimulus (the license) in response to a behavior (not paying tickets) to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Question 6

If a pigeon is being trained to peck at a disc for a food reward,which of the following delays between pecking and receiving the reward will lead to the fastest learning?

Accepted Answer

The pigeon will learn fastest when the reward is given immediately after pecking the disc. This is called instant reinforcement and is the most effective way to shape behavior through operant conditioning. Any delay in the reward will decrease the effectiveness of the conditioning process and slow down learning.

Question 7

A baseball player gets a hit approximately every third time at bat.This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The player getting a hit every third time at bat is an example of a variable-ratio schedule of reinforcement. This is because the reinforcement is based on the number of behaviors (hits) rather than the amount of time that has passed or a set number of behaviors. Additionally, since the exact number of at-bats needed to get a hit is unpredictable, it falls under the variable ratio category.

Question 8

Negative punishment involves:

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves taking away an outcome to decrease a behavior. This could include taking away privileges, possessions, or other desirable things as a consequence of the undesired behavior.

Question 9

A hotel maid is allowed to take a 15-minute break every time she cleans three rooms.This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The maid is receiving reinforcement (the break) after completing a fixed number of responses (cleaning three rooms), which is the definition of a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Question 10

A post-reinforcement pause is seen when ________ schedules of reinforcement are used.

Accepted Answer

A post-reinforcement pause is a temporary reduction in the rate of responding after reinforcement is delivered. This pause is seen only in fixed-interval and fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. In fixed-interval schedules, the response rate slows down after reinforcement as the animal waits for the next time interval to elapse. In fixed-ratio schedules, the response rate slows down after reinforcement because the animal has completed the required number of responses and takes a break before starting another sequence. In contrast, variable-interval and variable-ratio schedules typically produce steady rates of responding because the reinforcement is unpredictable and the animal is motivated to engage in the behavior consistently.

Question 11

Suppose you are trying to save for a new television,but your friends are pressuring you to go out with them tonight to the new club in town.You are MOST likely to stay home and save your money if you:

Accepted Answer

If you have arranged for your paycheck to be automatically deposited into a savings account, the money for the new television will already be put away before you have a chance to spend it on going out with friends. This will help you stick to your savings goal and avoid spending money on unnecessary outings.

Question 12

Positive reinforcement involves:

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable outcome to increase a behavior. This can include things like praise, rewards, or other positive experiences that encourage the repetition of a behavior.

Question 13

The study of how organisms allocate their time and resources among possible options is known as:

Accepted Answer

The study of how organisms allocate their time and resources among possible options is known as behavioral economics, which is the subject matter of choice (B). The matching law (A) deals with how organisms allocate their behavior among multiple alternatives in proportion to the relative reinforcement value of each alternative. Chaining (C) is a teaching technique used to teach complex behaviors by breaking it down into smaller components. Shaping (D) is a method of teaching a new behavior by gradually reinforcing closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior. While all of these concepts are relevant to the study of behavior, behavioral economics is the most relevant to the allication of resources and time.

Question 14

A professor gives her class donuts every Monday.This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The donuts are being given out on a fixed time schedule (every Monday), which makes it a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of how discriminative stimuli can encourage cheating?

Accepted Answer

Discriminative stimuli are cues that influence behavior by signaling the availability of reinforcement or punishment. In option B, the teenager swears with friends because the presence of friends acts as a discriminative stimulus indicating that swearing will be reinforced (accepted or laughed at), unlike at home where it is punished.

Question 16

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie.The cookie would be _______ of the child's behavior of whining.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement is when a behavior is followed by a desirable consequence, such as receiving a cookie in this case. The behavior of whining is reinforced by the positive outcome of receiving a cookie, leading to the child repeating the behavior in the future. Positive punishment would involve adding an unpleasant consequence to decrease a behavior, while negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant consequence to increase a behavior. Negative punishment involves removing a desirable consequence to decrease a behavior.

Question 17

A child is given a gold star every time she gets an "A" on a test.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of continuous reinforcement, as the child is consistently rewarded with a gold star every time she achieves the desired behavior (getting an "A" on a test). Partial reinforcement would involve only giving a reward some of the time, such as giving a gold star only for every other "A" achieved. Fixed-interval and variable-interval schedules involve giving rewards based on time intervals, rather than specific behaviors or actions.

Question 18

A pigeon is given a choice between pecking an upper key on a VI 2' schedule and pecking a lower key on a VI 4' schedule.According to the matching law of choice behavior,the pigeon should:

Accepted Answer

The matching law of choice behavior suggests that the rate of responding is typically proportional to the rate of reinforcement. Since the VI 2' schedule offers reinforcement twice as often as the VI 4' schedule, the pigeon should peck the upper key (VI 2') twice as frequently as the lower key (VI 4').

Question 19

A student watches for shooting stars on a clear night,and sees one approximately every two minutes.This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The student sees shooting stars at unpredictable intervals, which aligns with a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Question 20

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie.The cessation of the child's whining would be _______ of the parents' behavior of giving the cookie.

Accepted Answer

The cessation of the child's whining acts as a negative reinforcement for the parents' behavior of giving the cookie. It removes an unpleasant stimulus (the whining), which increases the likelihood that the parents will give a cookie in the future to stop the whining.

Quiz 5: Operant Conditioning: Learning the Outcome of Behaviors