Children who are promised a payoff for playing with an interesting toy have later been observed to play with the toy less than those who are not promised the reward.This provides evidence for the role of ________ in operant behavior.
A) mirror neurons
B) latent learning
C) cognitive processes
D) biological predispositions

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The observation of the children playing less with the toy when promised a payoff suggests that cognitive processes, such as the expectation of the reward, can influence operant behavior. This is referred to as the overjustification effect, in which an external reward (in this case, the promised payoff) decreases a person's intrinsic motivation to engage in a behavior (playing with the toy). This effect has been observed in research on operant conditioning.

Children Who Are Promised a Payoff for Playing with an Interesting