Question 1

The process by which a stimulus or event following a particular behavior increases the probability that the behavior will happen again is called
A)generalization.
B)extinction.
C)reinforcement.
D)specialization.

Accepted Answer

The process described is reinforcement, which involves increasing the likelihood of a behavior occurring again by following it with a stimulus or event that the subject perceives as desirable or rewarding. Generalization refers to the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli, extinction refers to the decrease or disappearance of a behavior due to the removal or non-reinforcement of the previously associated stimulus, and specialization is not a relevant or recognized term in this context.

Question 2

In operant conditioning, _____ refers to rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior.
A)contingency
B)extinction
C)contiguity
D)shaping

Accepted Answer

Shaping involves rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior. Contingency refers to the relationship between behaviors and their consequences, contiguity refers to the closeness in time between a behavior and its consequence, and extinction refers to the weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned behavior when the reinforcement is removed.

Question 3

Liam is studying in his room for an exam but is disturbed by the loud music from his neighbor's house.He closes the window so that he can no longer hear the loud music.In this scenario, Liam's behavior demonstrates _____ in operant conditioning.
A)negative reinforcement
B)positive reinforcement
C)positive punishment
D)negative punishment

Accepted Answer

Liam's behavior of closing the window to avoid the loud music is an example of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the unpleasant stimulus is the loud music).

Question 4

In operant conditioning, discrimination occurs when
A)a behavior is no longer reinforced and decreases in frequency.
B)an organism responds appropriately to stimuli that signal that a behavior will or will not be reinforced.
C)an organism performs a reinforced behavior in a different situation.
D)an organism reverts to instinctive behavior that interferes with learning.

Accepted Answer

Discrimination in operant conditioning refers to an organism's ability to respond appropriately to stimuli that signal whether a behavior will be reinforced or not. This means the organism can distinguish between different situations or cues and adjust their behavior accordingly. For example, if a rat only receives food when a light is on but not when it is off, it will learn to press the lever only when the light is on (discriminating between the two stimuli).

Question 5

Jennifer accidentally plays a radio channel that she has never heard before.She loves the music it plays and as a result, she plays only that channel whenever she wants to listen to music.In the context of operant conditioning, Jennifer's behavior has most likely been learned through
A)negative reinforcement.
B)positive reinforcement.
C)positive punishment.
D)negative punishment.

Accepted Answer

Jennifer's behavior of playing only the new radio channel whenever she wants to listen to music has most likely been learned through positive reinforcement. This is because the positive experience of liking the newly discovered music reinforces her behavior of playing that particular channel whenever she wants to listen to music.

Question 6

Experience with unavoidable negative stimuli can lead to a particular deficit in avoidance learning called _____, in which the organism, exposed to uncontrollable aversive stimuli, learns that it has no control over negative outcomes.
A)instinctive drift
B)extinction
C)learned helplessness
D)learned generalization

Accepted Answer

The concept described is that of learned helplessness which occurs when an organism learns it has no control over negative outcomes. Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors, while extinction refers to the decrease in the frequency or disappearance of a behavior after it is no longer reinforced. Learned generalization refers to the tendency for an individual to respond in a similar way to stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

Question 7

Which of the following is the best example of a primary reinforcer?
A)praise
B)money
C)food
D)attention

Accepted Answer

A primary reinforcer is a stimulus that is inherently rewarding, such as food, water, or sex. Out of the given options, only food fits this definition. Praise, money, and attention are secondary reinforcers that gain their value through association with primary reinforcers or other sources of reward.

Question 8

A _____ reinforcer is a reinforcer that acquires its positive value through an organism's experience.
A)secondary
B)primary
C)tertiary
D)intermediary

Accepted Answer

Secondary reinforcers are also known as conditioned reinforcers, meaning they acquire their positive value through an organism's experience of them being associated with a primary reinforcer (such as food, water, or warmth). For example, money is a secondary reinforcer because it has no inherent value but gains value through its association with primary reinforcers (i.e. the goods or services it can purchase).

Question 9

Jacky did not score well in her "pre-med" course at the university level.She started studying hard to improve her grades and got into medical school.Even after getting the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), she still works hard for everything and is successful in all her endeavors.Which special kind of response to negative reinforcement is evident in Jacky's case?
A)instinctive drift
B)observational learning
C)learned helplessness
D)avoidance learning

Accepted Answer

Jacky's response to negative reinforcement is avoidance learning, as she started studying hard to avoid the negative outcome of not getting good grades and failing to become a doctor.

Question 10

In operant conditioning, negative reinforcement
A)is followed by a desirable stimulus.
B)has hardly anything to do with "good" and "bad" behavior.
C)is always followed by something unpleasant.
D)decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. It's not inherently about "good" or "bad" behavior, but rather about the strategy used to increase a behavior's frequency.

Question 11

Bubba, a very smart German shepherd, has learned that if he barks at the neighbors while they're grilling, they will throw him a candy.However, his owner, Paul, does not want Bubba to eat candy as it is not good for his health.He does not allow Bubba to eat candies from the neighbor.When Paul is in the yard, Bubba never barks at the neighbors.According to operant-conditioning principles, Bubba is demonstrating that he can
A)generalize.
B)substitute secondary reinforcers when primary reinforcers are not available.
C)learn a partial-reinforcement schedule.
D)discriminate.

Accepted Answer

Bubba is able to discriminate between two different scenarios: when Paul is present and when he is not. When Paul is present, Bubba does not bark at the neighbors because he knows that he will not receive a candy as a reward. This demonstrates Bubba's ability to discriminate between two different situations based on his past experiences and the consequences of his actions.

Question 12

In the Water Kingdom Amusement Park, when two sea lions throw and catch balls on their nose, they are rewarded every time with fish after they successfully complete their act.The sea lions have been trained to perform this behavior through
A)generalization.
B)shaping.
C)contiguity.
D)extinction.

Accepted Answer

Shaping is a process in which an organism is trained to exhibit a specific behavior through reinforcement of successive approximations. In this case, the sea lions are rewarded every time they successfully catch the ball on their nose, which is a behavior that has been shaped through reinforcement. Generalization refers to the tendency to exhibit similar behavior in response to different stimuli, contiguity is the concept that events that occur close in time are associated with each other, and extinction is the process of reducing the frequency or eliminating a behavior by discontinuing reinforcement.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?
A)Martha improves her grades in English and Math so that her mom can take her shopping as she had promised earlier.
B)Jeff wakes up a few seconds before his alarm clock goes off in order to avoid the obnoxious alarm sound.
C)Rodney mows the lawn more than once a week so as to get $10 from his mother every time he mows the lawn.
D)Barney rapidly increases the sales of his product and ensures complete sale of his stock so that he can get the full 20% bonus as promised by his employer.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves removing or avoiding an unpleasant stimulus to increase a desired behavior. In this case, Jeff is waking up before the alarm goes off to avoid the unpleasant sound, which reinforces the behavior of waking up early. The other options involve positive reinforcement, where a desired behavior is rewarded, or punishment, where an undesirable behavior is punished.

Question 14

Shirley repeatedly ends up receiving bad grades in algebra no matter how hard she studies.Eventually, Shirley stops studying for algebra tests and accepts that nothing she does will enable her to get good grades.In the context of operant conditioning, Shirley's behavior exemplifies
A)habituation.
B)instinctive drift.
C)learned helplessness.
D)preparedness.

Accepted Answer

Shirley's behavior exemplifies learned helplessness, which is a phenomenon where an individual learns to feel helpless and powerless in a situation due to previous negative experiences, even if there are opportunities for success. Shirley has learned that her efforts in studying do not result in better grades, so she gives up trying. This learned helplessness could be detrimental to Shirley's academic success in the future.

Question 15

The removal of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior is called
A)negative reinforcement.
B)positive reinforcement.
C)positive punishment.
D)negative punishment.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus following a behavior in order to increase the likelihood of that behavior happening again in the future. This is different from positive reinforcement, which involves the addition of a desirable stimulus, and from punishment, which aims to decrease the likelihood of a behavior through either the addition of an aversive stimulus (positive punishment) or the removal of a desirable stimulus (negative punishment).

Question 16

In operant conditioning, _____ means performing a reinforced behavior in a different situation.
A)rationalization
B)extinction
C)discrimination
D)generalization

Accepted Answer

Generalization is the process in which an individual performs a reinforced behavior in a different situation. This occurs when the individual has learned to associate a behavior with a particular stimulus, and then exhibits that behavior in response to a similar stimulus.

Question 17

A _____ reinforcer is innately satisfying and it does not take any learning on the organism's part to make it pleasurable.
A)secondary
B)primary
C)tertiary
D)intermediary

Accepted Answer

Primary reinforcers, such as food or water, are considered innately satisfying and do not require any learning for an organism to find them pleasurable. Secondary and tertiary reinforcers, on the other hand, are learned through association with primary reinforcers or through social interactions. Intermediary reinforcers are not a recognized category of reinforcement.

Question 18

_____ is considered a secondary reinforcer.
A)Food
B)Water
C)Money
D)Sexual satisfaction

Accepted Answer

Money is considered a secondary reinforcer because it gains its reinforcing properties through its association with primary reinforcers (such as food or water) or with other secondary reinforcers (such as toys or games). While food, water, and sexual satisfaction are primary reinforcers that satisfy basic biological needs, money only gains its value as a tool for obtaining other types of reinforcers.

Question 19

The presentation of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior is called
A)negative reinforcement.
B)positive reinforcement.
C)positive punishment.
D)negative punishment.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement involves presenting a stimulus in response to a behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior. This is different from negative reinforcement, which involves removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus to increase behavior, and punishment, which involves presenting an aversive stimulus to decrease behavior. Choice B correctly describes the scenario where a stimulus is presented to increase a behavior.

Question 20

Which of the following statements aboutB.F.Skinner is FALSE?
A)Skinner conducted many of his studies with animals as opposed to human subjects.
B)Skinner made every effort to study organisms under precisely controlled conditions.
C)Skinner believed that the mechanisms of learning among humans are different than the mechanisms of learning among animals.
D)Skinner trained pigeons to pilot missiles during World War II and congratulated himself on the degree of control he was able to exercise over the pigeons.

Accepted Answer

Skinner believed that the mechanisms of learning among humans and animals are fundamentally the same. He argued that both human and animal behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it, and that this learning process is governed by the principles of reinforcement and punishment. Therefore, statement C is false. The other statements are true and accurately reflect Skinner's work and contributions to the field of psychology.

Quiz 5: Learning

The process by which a stimulus or event following a particular behavior increases the probability that the behavior will happen again is called

In operant conditioning, _____ refers to rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior.

Liam is studying in his room for an exam but is disturbed by the loud music from his neighbor's house.He closes the window so that he can no longer hear the loud music.In this scenario, Liam's behavior demonstrates _____ in operant conditioning.

In operant conditioning, discrimination occurs when

Jennifer accidentally plays a radio channel that she has never heard before.She loves the music it plays and as a result, she plays only that channel whenever she wants to listen to music.In the context of operant conditioning, Jennifer's behavior has most likely been learned through

Experience with unavoidable negative stimuli can lead to a particular deficit in avoidance learning called _____, in which the organism, exposed to uncontrollable aversive stimuli, learns that it has no control over negative outcomes.

Which of the following is the best example of a primary reinforcer?

A _____ reinforcer is a reinforcer that acquires its positive value through an organism's experience.

In operant conditioning, negative reinforcement

In the Water Kingdom Amusement Park, when two sea lions throw and catch balls on their nose, they are rewarded every time with fish after they successfully complete their act.The sea lions have been trained to perform this behavior through

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

Shirley repeatedly ends up receiving bad grades in algebra no matter how hard she studies.Eventually, Shirley stops studying for algebra tests and accepts that nothing she does will enable her to get good grades.In the context of operant conditioning, Shirley's behavior exemplifies

The removal of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior is called

In operant conditioning, _____ means performing a reinforced behavior in a different situation.

A _____ reinforcer is innately satisfying and it does not take any learning on the organism's part to make it pleasurable.

_____ is considered a secondary reinforcer.

The presentation of a stimulus following a given behavior in order to increase the frequency of that behavior is called

Which of the following statements aboutB.F.Skinner is FALSE?