Question 1

Two processes involved in the acquisition of phobias and the tendency of phobias to show a high resistance to extinction are

Accepted Answer

The two processes involved in the acquisition of phobias are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a feared stimulus, while operant conditioning involves reinforcing avoidance behaviors. Phobias tend to show a high resistance to extinction because of the classical conditioning process, where the feared stimulus is repeatedly paired with a neutral stimulus and becomes ingrained in the individual's mind.

Question 2

Your teenage daughter has not cleaned her room in a month. You go in and begin yelling at her to clean her room. She begins to clean up, and you stop yelling. Your daughter's cleaning behaviour can be viewed as responding to

Accepted Answer

Your daughter's cleaning behavior is an example of negative reinforcement. In this scenario, the yelling (an aversive stimulus) stops when she begins to clean her room. This removal of an unpleasant condition as a consequence of her behavior makes it more likely that she will clean her room in the future to avoid the yelling.

Question 3

Many people find it hard to "walk away from" or stop playing a slot machine. This is because slot machines reward playing on a ____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

Slot machines are designed based on the principle of variable-ratio reinforcement, which means that the rewards and frequency of rewards are unpredictable. Players are uncertain about when the next payout will occur, but they know that it could happen at any moment. This uncertainty creates excitement and keeps players engaged, making it difficult for them to walk away. Fixed-ratio, fixed-interval, and variable-interval schedules do not have the same effect on player behavior as variable-ratio schedules.

Question 4

When a response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus it is called

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the strengthening of a response because it is followed by the removal of an aversive or unpleasant stimulus. This is different from punishment, which involves the addition of an aversive stimulus, and positive reinforcement, which involves the addition of a desirable stimulus. Secondary reinforcement refers to a stimulus that has acquired value or reinforcing properties through association with a primary reinforcer.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is an example...

Question 6

A schedule of reinforcement is

Accepted Answer

A schedule of reinforcement refers to the specific pattern of presentation of reinforcers over time. It includes variables such as the frequency and timing of reinforcement, as well as the type of reinforcement used (e.g. positive, negative, primary, secondary). The schedule of reinforcement can have a significant effect on the rate and pattern of learning, as well as the resistance to extinction of a behavior. Examples of different schedules of reinforcement include fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval.

Question 7

Negative reinforcement involves

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus in order to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. It is not the presentation of any type of stimulus (pleasant or unpleasant), but the removal of an unpleasant one. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 8

Josiah checks his electronic mail several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behaviour of checking his electronic mail is being reinforced on

Accepted Answer

Josiah's behaviour of checking his electronic mail is being reinforced on a variable-interval schedule because he is checking his email several times throughout the day, but sometimes there is no reinforcement (i.e. new messages) and other times there is reinforcement (i.e. new messages). This is consistent with a variable-interval schedule, in which reinforcement is provided after a variable amount of time has elapsed between responses.

Question 9

Patrick takes a prescription medication in order to reduce pain and Kelly takes the same medication in order to experience a "drug high". Patrick's behaviour is reinforced by ____ reinforcement and Kelly's behaviour by ____ reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Patrick is taking the medication to reduce his pain, which is a negative reinforcement because the medication is removing an aversive stimulus (pain). Kelly is taking the medication to experience a "drug high", which is a positive reinforcement because the medication is providing a pleasurable experience.

Question 10

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a slow, steady rate, but it does not stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. In this example, the reinforcement schedule that is in place is MOST likely

Accepted Answer

The behavior described is indicative of a variable-interval schedule, where reinforcements are given after unpredictable time intervals, leading to slow, steady response rates without pauses after reinforcement.

Question 11

A student who studies in order to earn high grades is working for ____; a student who studies in order to avoid low grades is working for ____.

Accepted Answer

A student who studies in order to earn high grades is working for positive reinforcement because they are trying to gain a desired outcome (good grades). 
A student who studies in order to avoid low grades is working for negative reinforcement because they are trying to avoid an undesired outcome (bad grades).

Question 12

Mary takes a course in which she is tested every two weeks. Her studying falls off right after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a rapid rate of studying as the next test approaches. Her studying conforms to the typical pattern of responding maintained on

Accepted Answer

Mary's studying behavior is based on a fixed time interval, as she studies more and more as the next test approaches and then her studying decreases right after the test. This pattern of behavior is typical of a fixed-interval schedule where the behavior is reinforced based on the passage of time. In this case, the reinforcement is the upcoming test and the need to prepare for it. This is different from a variable-interval schedule, which would be more unpredictable in terms of the timing of reinforcement.

Question 13

Nancy has a headache; she takes some aspirin and the headache goes away. Nancy is more likely to take aspirin again. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened because it removes or diminishes a negative outcome. In this case, Nancy's action of taking aspirin removed the negative stimulus (headache), making it more likely she will take aspirin again in the future to avoid the discomfort of a headache.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus in response to a behavior, in order to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. In this scenario, stopping the nagging after the child cleans his room is an example of negative reinforcement because the unpleasant stimulus (nagging) is removed after the behavior (cleaning the room) occurs.

Question 15

When a response is strengthened because it is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, it is called

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement occurs when a response is strengthened by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus. This is different from punishment, which is meant to decrease the likelihood of a certain behavior, and negative reinforcement, which occurs when a response is strengthened by the removal of an aversive stimulus. Primary reinforcement refers to a stimulus that is inherently rewarding, such as food or water, whereas positive reinforcement can involve both primary and secondary reinforcers (i.e. conditioned stimuli that become rewarding through association with primary reinforcers).

Question 16

When Stanley was first training his dog, Smooches, to heel he would give Smooches a treat when she stayed close during walks. Now Smooches stays right by Stanley's side, even when she is not on her leash. In this case,

Accepted Answer

The dog treats were used as positive reinforcers for staying close, meaning that Smooches learned that staying by Stanley's side would result in a reward. Over time, this behavior became reinforced and Smooches now stays close without the need for a treat, indicating that the behavior has become a habit.

Question 17

Any event that follows a behaviour and results in the behaviour having a lower probability of happening in the future is known as a

Accepted Answer

A punisher is any event that reduces the probability of a behavior happening in the future. Negative reinforcers also increase behavior, but punishers decrease it. Positive reinforcers increase behavior without necessarily decreasing it in the future. Vicarious conditioning involves learning through observation of others, and is not related to punishment or reinforcement. Therefore, the best choice is C, punisher.

Question 18

Tessa really likes to mow the lawn during the summer months, but her parents will only let her mow the lawn if all the dishes are washed. Consequently, every Saturday Tessa has the table cleared and all of the dishes washed as soon as everyone has finished breakfast. In this case,

Accepted Answer

Mowing the lawn is a positive reinforcer for doing the dishes because Tessa is motivated to complete the task of washing dishes in order to gain the opportunity to mow the lawn, which is an activity she enjoys.

Question 19

Every time Brenda does the dishes her parents give her a rand. What type of reinforcement are Brenda's parents using?

Accepted Answer

Brenda's parents are using positive reinforcement by giving her a reward (rand) every time she does the dishes.

Question 20

Your spouse withdraws attention from you each time you begin criticising her cooking. Eventually, you stop criticising your spouse's cooking. The withdrawal of attention can be categorised as

Accepted Answer

Withdrawal of attention is a form of punishment, as it decreases the likelihood of the behavior (criticizing) being repeated.

Quiz 6: Conditioning and Learning

Two processes involved in the acquisition of phobias and the tendency of phobias to show a high resistance to extinction are

Your teenage daughter has not cleaned her room in a month. You go in and begin yelling at her to clean her room. She begins to clean up, and you stop yelling. Your daughter's cleaning behaviour can be viewed as responding to

Many people find it hard to "walk away from" or stop playing a slot machine. This is because slot machines reward playing on a ____ schedule.

When a response is strengthened because it is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus it is called

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

A schedule of reinforcement is

Negative reinforcement involves

Josiah checks his electronic mail several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behaviour of checking his electronic mail is being reinforced on

Patrick takes a prescription medication in order to reduce pain and Kelly takes the same medication in order to experience a "drug high". Patrick's behaviour is reinforced by reinforcement and Kelly's behaviour by reinforcement.

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a slow, steady rate, but it does not stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. In this example, the reinforcement schedule that is in place is MOST likely

A student who studies in order to earn high grades is working for ; a student who studies in order to avoid low grades is working for .

Mary takes a course in which she is tested every two weeks. Her studying falls off right after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a rapid rate of studying as the next test approaches. Her studying conforms to the typical pattern of responding maintained on

Nancy has a headache; she takes some aspirin and the headache goes away. Nancy is more likely to take aspirin again. This is an example of

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

When a response is strengthened because it is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, it is called

When Stanley was first training his dog, Smooches, to heel he would give Smooches a treat when she stayed close during walks. Now Smooches stays right by Stanley's side, even when she is not on her leash. In this case,

Any event that follows a behaviour and results in the behaviour having a lower probability of happening in the future is known as a

Tessa really likes to mow the lawn during the summer months, but her parents will only let her mow the lawn if all the dishes are washed. Consequently, every Saturday Tessa has the table cleared and all of the dishes washed as soon as everyone has finished breakfast. In this case,

Every time Brenda does the dishes her parents give her a rand. What type of reinforcement are Brenda's parents using?

Your spouse withdraws attention from you each time you begin criticising her cooking. Eventually, you stop criticising your spouse's cooking. The withdrawal of attention can be categorised as