Delores could see the sock on the floor behind the clothes dryer. She straightened out a wire clothes hanger, fashioned a hook on the end, and used it to fish the sock out from behind the dryer. Using operant conditioning terminology, straightening out the wire hanger and poking it behind the dryer would be the _____ and the retrieved sock would be the _____, assuming this increased Delores' use of the clothes wire to retrieve socks in the future.
A)conditioned response; conditioned stimulus
B)unconditioned response; unconditioned stimulus
C)primary reinforcer; conditioned reinforcer
D)operant; reinforcing stimulus

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The straightening out of the wire hanger and poking it behind the dryer would be the operant, as this is a behavior that Delores is emitting in order to achieve a specific outcome (retrieving the sock). The retrieved sock would be the reinforcing stimulus, as it is the outcome that is increasing the likelihood of Delores using the wire hanger to retrieve socks again in the future. Therefore, the best choice is D, where "operant" and "reinforcing stimulus" are used.

Delores Could See the Sock on the Floor Behind the Clothes