Question 1

When you take aspirin to decrease a headache, the removal of pain is_____.
A)ineffective
B)secondary reinforcement
C)positive reinforcement
D)negative reinforcement

Accepted Answer

The removal of pain is considered negative reinforcement because it involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (the headache) to increase the likelihood of a behavior (taking aspirin).

Question 2

You walk up to a soda machine and put in a dollar, and are rewarded with a bottle of root beer.When you put in another dollar, you get another soda.Assuming that the machine has a limitless supply of root beer, which kind of reinforcement schedule does this machine operate on?
A)Partial reinforcement
B)Interval reinforcement
C)Continuous reinforcement
D)Ratio reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement is when a behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, which is the case with the soda machine dispensing a soda for every dollar inserted.

Question 3

Continuous reinforcement occurs when _____.
A)all responses are rewarded
B)all rewards are reinforcing
C)all correct responses are rewarded
D)only specific correct responses are rewarded after a specific amount of time has passed

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement occurs when every correct response is rewarded, ensuring that the behavior is consistently reinforced.

Question 4

Partial reinforcement occurs when _____.
A)a reward is only partially reinforcing
B)rewards are alternated with punishment
C)some, but not all, correct responses are rewarded
D)some correct and some incorrect responses are rewarded

Accepted Answer

Partial reinforcement involves rewarding some, but not all, correct responses, which can lead to more resistant behavior patterns to extinction than continuous reinforcement, where every correct response is rewarded.

Question 5

For most nonhuman organisms, offering food after a desired response will usually serve as a _____ reinforcer.
A)negative and secondary
B)positive and secondary
C)negative and primary
D)positive and primary

Accepted Answer

Offering food as a reward for a desired response is considered a positive reinforcer because it adds a desirable stimulus to encourage the behavior. It is a primary reinforcer because food satisfies a basic biological need.

Question 6

Your dog is begging for food while you eat dinner.Your mother gives him a morsel from her plate, and he stops barking.In this situation, your dog has been _____, and your mother has been _____.
A)classically conditioned; punished
B)operant conditioned; positively reinforced
C)positively reinforced; negatively reinforced
D)negatively reinforced; punished

Accepted Answer

The dog has been positively reinforced to beg for food because it received a morsel for its behavior, and your mother has been negatively reinforced because her action of giving food stopped the dog's barking, removing an unpleasant situation for her.

Question 7

When you put nickels in a gumball machine, you receive _____ reinforcement; when you put nickels in a slot machine, you receive _____ reinforcement.
A)continuous; continuous
B)continuous; partial
C)partial; continuous
D)partial; partial

Accepted Answer

When you put nickels in a gumball machine, you receive continuous reinforcement because you receive a gumball every time you put in a nickel. When you put nickels in a slot machine, you receive partial reinforcement because you do not always receive a payout when you put in a nickel.

Question 8

When reinforcement follows a predetermined number of responses, it is a _____ schedule of reinforcement, compared to a _____ schedule in which reinforcement follows the first response after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.
A)fixed ratio; fixed interval
B)variable ratio; fixed interval
C)fixed interval; fixed ratio
D)partial; continuous

Accepted Answer

A fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement occurs when reinforcement is delivered after a specific number of responses, while a fixed interval schedule provides reinforcement for the first response after a set period of time has elapsed.

Question 9

Secondary reinforcers increase the probability of a response, and _____.
A)are based on prior learning of their reinforcing properties, not a biological need
B)are less reinforcing than primary reinforcers
C)lose their reinforcing value over time
D)occur reflexively in response to an external stimulus

Accepted Answer

Secondary reinforcers, unlike primary reinforcers, do not satisfy biological needs but acquire their reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers or other secondary reinforcers. This process involves learning, making choice A correct.

Question 10

Continuous reinforcement is "better" when it comes to _____; partial reinforcement is "better" when it comes to _____.
A)initial learning of a behavior; resistance to extinction
B)spontaneous recovery; initial learning of a behavior
C)resistance to extinction; spontaneous recovery
D)resistance to extinction; initial learning of a behavior

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement is more effective for the initial learning of a behavior because it provides a consistent association between the behavior and the reward. Partial reinforcement, on the other hand, is more effective for resistance to extinction because the behavior is not reinforced every time, making it harder for the subject to discern when rewards will cease, thus they continue the behavior longer in the absence of reinforcement.

Question 11

Adding a stimulus that strengthens or increases a response is called _____.
A)positive reinforcement
B)positive conditioning
C)stimulus discrimination
D)negative punishment

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves adding a stimulus after a behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.

Question 12

Negative reinforcement is _____ the same as punishment.
A)always
B)mostly
C)sometimes
D)never

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, while punishment involves applying an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Question 13

For most people, money is a _____ reinforcer.
A)primary
B)anticipatory
C)unnecessary
D)secondary

Accepted Answer

Money is considered a secondary reinforcer because it does not satisfy biological needs directly but is used to obtain primary reinforcers like food and shelter.

Question 14

A _____ schedule of reinforcement provides a reward for the first response after a non-specific number of responses have occurred.
A)variable ratio
B)fixed interval
C)average interval
D)average ratio

Accepted Answer

A variable ratio schedule of reinforcement rewards a response after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high, steady rate of responding, as the exact number of responses needed for a reward varies.

Question 15

Mark and Kathy take their 2-year-old son to the supermarket every Saturday.Each week, the same sequence of events unfolds: Their son screams, demanding that they buy him treats.Although they refuse to give in to his demands, he continues to scream.Finally, either Mark or Kathy gets in their son's face and yells at the top of their lungs "Shut up!" He stops screaming instantly.What operant conditioning concepts are illustrated in this story?
A)The parents are using negative reinforcement to increase their son's screaming.
B)The parents are in a very dysfunctional marriage; their child's screaming is his way of trying to get his parents to remain married.
C)The parents are using punishment to suppress the screaming.
D)Their son probably learned how to scream by observing his parents at home, and now he is reinforced on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The parents yelling at their son to "Shut up!" after he screams for treats is an example of punishment. They are attempting to suppress the screaming behavior by introducing an aversive stimulus (yelling) in response to it.

Question 16

Negative punishment _____ the chances that a given behavior will continue, while negative reinforcement _____ the likelihood that the response will persist.
A)decreases; decreases
B)increases; decreases
C)decreases; increases
D)increases; increases

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment reduces the likelihood of a behavior by removing a pleasant stimulus, while negative reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior by removing an unpleasant stimulus.

Question 17

The BEST method parents can use to get their children to do their chores is to _____.
A)punish them if they refuse
B)reward them before they do the chores
C)reward them after they do the chores
D)do the chores for them at first, so they can observe a model

Accepted Answer

Rewarding children after they have completed their chores is an effective method because it reinforces positive behavior by providing a tangible outcome for their actions, encouraging them to repeat the behavior in the future.

Question 18

Taking away or removing a stimulus that strengthens or increases a response is called _____.
A)negative punishment
B)primary punishment
C)negative reinforcement
D)positive reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus in response to a desired behavior, thereby increasing the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. It is different from punishment, which aims to decrease a behavior.

Question 19

The addition of a(n)_____ stimulus results in positive reinforcement; whereas the subtraction of a(n)_____ stimulus results in negative reinforcement.
A)desirable; painful or annoying
B)primary; secondary
C)operant; classical
D)higher order; lower order

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves the addition of a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior, while negative reinforcement involves the removal of a painful or annoying stimulus to increase a behavior.

Question 20

A program that designates the rate or interval at which a response is reinforced is called _____.
A)a schedule of reinforcement
B)a reinforcement calendar
C)a reinforcement timetable
D)higher-order conditioning

Accepted Answer

A schedule of reinforcement is a term used in operant conditioning and behavior analysis to describe the rules that pertain to the delivery of reinforcement. It specifies the criteria for reinforcement, such as after a certain number of responses (ratio schedule) or after a certain amount of time has passed (interval schedule).

Quiz 6: Learning

When you take aspirin to decrease a headache, the removal of pain is_____.

You walk up to a soda machine and put in a dollar, and are rewarded with a bottle of root beer.When you put in another dollar, you get another soda.Assuming that the machine has a limitless supply of root beer, which kind of reinforcement schedule does this machine operate on?

Continuous reinforcement occurs when _____.

Partial reinforcement occurs when _____.

For most nonhuman organisms, offering food after a desired response will usually serve as a _____ reinforcer.

Your dog is begging for food while you eat dinner.Your mother gives him a morsel from her plate, and he stops barking.In this situation, your dog has been _, and your mother has been _.

When you put nickels in a gumball machine, you receive _ reinforcement; when you put nickels in a slot machine, you receive _ reinforcement.

When reinforcement follows a predetermined number of responses, it is a _ schedule of reinforcement, compared to a _ schedule in which reinforcement follows the first response after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

Secondary reinforcers increase the probability of a response, and _____.

Continuous reinforcement is "better" when it comes to _; partial reinforcement is "better" when it comes to _.

Adding a stimulus that strengthens or increases a response is called _____.

Negative reinforcement is _____ the same as punishment.

For most people, money is a _____ reinforcer.

A _____ schedule of reinforcement provides a reward for the first response after a non-specific number of responses have occurred.

Negative punishment _ the chances that a given behavior will continue, while negative reinforcement _ the likelihood that the response will persist.

The BEST method parents can use to get their children to do their chores is to _____.

Taking away or removing a stimulus that strengthens or increases a response is called _____.

The addition of a(n) _ stimulus results in positive reinforcement; whereas the subtraction of a(n) _ stimulus results in negative reinforcement.

A program that designates the rate or interval at which a response is reinforced is called _____.