An infant randomly makes many vocalizations throughout the day. Some of her vocalizations elicit no response from her parents, but several elicit laughter and hugging from her parents. Eventually, she increases how frequently she makes those vocalizations in order to elicit laughter and hugs through which type of learning?
A) classical conditioning
B) perceptual learning
C) observational learning
D) instrumental conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The infant is adjusting her behavior to elicit a desired outcome (laughter and hugging) through instrumental conditioning, also known as operant conditioning. In this case, the frequency of the behavior is increased because it is reinforced by a positive outcome.

An Infant Randomly Makes Many Vocalizations Throughout the Day