After his mother smiles,Jimmy's request for a snack is reinforced.But if his mother is not smiling,his subsequent request for a snack is not reinforced.By indicating that Jimmy's request for a snack will be reinforced,the mother's smile is a(n)
A) primary reinforcer.
B) discriminative stimulus.
C) respondent behavior.
D) unconditioned response.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mother's smile serves as a discriminative stimulus, indicating to Jimmy that his request for a snack will be reinforced if she is smiling but not if she is not smiling. A primary reinforcer is a stimulus that is inherently rewarding, such as food or water, and does not require learning. Respondent behavior is a behavior that is elicited by a particular stimulus, such as salivating in response to the smell of food. An unconditioned response is a natural response to a stimulus, such as salivating in response to the taste of food. None of these options accurately describe the mother's smile in this situation.

After His Mother Smiles,Jimmy's Request for a Snack Is Reinforced