Question 1

If a pigeon is allowed to peck at the switch in order to receive food whenever it chooses, this is an example of which type of paradigm?
A) learning
B) free-operant
C) operational conditioning
D) discrete trial

Accepted Answer

The free-operant paradigm allows an animal to operate an apparatus (like pecking a switch) freely to obtain reinforcement (such as food), without being restricted to a specific number of responses or a specific time frame. This contrasts with discrete trials, where the opportunity to respond is limited to specific periods.

Question 2

Which item is an example of a secondary reinforcer?
A) money
B) food
C) sleep
D) sex

Accepted Answer

Money is considered a secondary reinforcer because it is not inherently rewarding but can be used to obtain primary reinforcers (such as food, water, shelter). Primary reinforcers are innately satisfying or necessary for survival, whereas secondary reinforcers acquire their value through learning and association with primary reinforcers.

Question 3

For punishment to be MOST effective:
A) it should start out weak and become gradually stronger each time the behavior is repeated.
B) the organism should know under what circumstances a particular behavior will and will not be punished.
C) the behavior cannot be concurrently reinforced.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Accepted Answer

For punishment to be most effective, the behavior should not be concurrently reinforced, as reinforcement can undermine the effects of punishment.

Question 4

Skinner's method of studying learning is known as a:
A) discrete-trial paradigm.
B) behavioral economics method.
C) drive-reduction paradigm.
D) free-operant paradigm.

Accepted Answer

Skinner's method of studying learning is known as the free-operant paradigm, which allows an organism to respond at any time it wishes, providing a more naturalistic observation of behaviors and their consequences.

Question 5

Chaining involves _____, whereas shaping involves _____.
A) reinforcement; punishment
B) punishment; reinforcement
C) reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior; training individual components of a complex response
D) training individual components of a complex response; reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior

Accepted Answer

Chaining involves training individual components of a complex response, while shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior.

Question 6

Which statement demonstrates operant rather than classical conditioning?
A) A car salesperson receives a bonus for doing a good job at work. Afterwards, she continues to work hard at selling cars.
B) A toddler squeals and curls up in a ball when his mother moves her fingers as if she is going to tickle him.
C) A diner begins salivating as soon as he sees the waiter bringing dessert to the table.
D) Hearing the music of an ice cream truck causes children to get excited.

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning involves learning through the consequences of behavior, such as rewards or punishments. In choice A, the salesperson's behavior (working hard) is reinforced by a reward (a bonus), which is a classic example of operant conditioning. Choices B, C, and D involve classical conditioning, where a natural response is elicited by a conditioned stimulus.

Question 7

A _____ is a device that records total number of behavioral responses.
A) stimulus reactor
B) Skinner box
C) cumulative recorder
D) graphical log

Accepted Answer

A cumulative recorder is a device specifically designed to record the total number of behavioral responses over time, often used in operant conditioning experiments.

Question 8

If a person wants to use shaping to train a new puppy to respond to a name, he would call the name and then:
A) reward once the puppy comes all the way to him.
B) reward when the puppy looks at him, then for turning toward him, and then for taking a few steps in his direction.
C) jingle some keys or shake a dog toy to get the puppy interested enough to come over to him.
D) pull the puppy with a leash, then reward when the puppy reaches him.

Accepted Answer

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior. In this case, rewarding the puppy for progressively closer behaviors to responding to its name (looking, turning, stepping towards) is an example of shaping.

Question 9

Which item is an example of a primary reinforcer?
A) money
B) praise
C) water
D) grades

Accepted Answer

Water is a primary reinforcer because it satisfies a basic biological need. Primary reinforcers are inherently valuable as they fulfill fundamental survival requirements, unlike secondary reinforcers like money, praise, and grades, which derive their value through association with primary reinforcers.

Question 10

Which statement demonstrates the free-operant paradigm?
A) After reaching the end of a maze, a rat is returned to the starting point by the experimenter.
B) When a cat escapes from a puzzle box, the experimenter puts the cat back in.
C) A rat in a Skinner box can press a bar at any time to receive food.
D) After reaching the end of a maze, a rat is put back inside its home cage.

Accepted Answer

The free-operant paradigm refers to a situation where an animal can operate an apparatus (like a lever or bar) freely, at any time, to obtain a reward or avoid a punishment. Choice C, where a rat can press a bar at any time to receive food in a Skinner box, is a classic example of this paradigm.

Question 11

The main difference between reinforcement and punishment is that:
A) punishment involves adding a consequence, while reinforcement involves removing a consequence.
B) punishment involves removing a consequence, while reinforcement involves adding a consequence.
C) punishment increases a behavior, while reinforcement decreases a behavior.
D) punishment decreases a behavior, while reinforcement increases a behavior.

Accepted Answer

Punishment is used to decrease a behavior by applying a negative consequence or removing a positive stimulus, while reinforcement is used to increase a behavior by adding a positive stimulus or removing a negative one.

Question 12

Which statement demonstrates the use of a token economy to encourage good behavior in school children?
A) giving children praise whenever they are behaving well
B) making children stay after school when they misbehave
C) awarding children successively more privileges for longer periods of good behavior
D) awarding children points for good behavior, which they can exchange at the end of the day for small toys

Accepted Answer

Token economies involve the use of tokens or points that can be exchanged for rewards, which reinforces positive behavior. In this case, awarding points for good behavior that can be exchanged for toys is a direct example of a token economy.

Question 13

The process of providing consequences for a behavior that decreases the probability of that behavior is called:
A) reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) discrete-trial learning.
D) free-operant learning.

Accepted Answer

Punishment is the process of providing consequences for a behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. Reinforcement, on the other hand, increases the likelihood of a behavior. Discrete-trial learning and free-operant learning are different learning processes that do not specifically involve decreasing the probability of a behavior.

Question 14

A conditioning chamber called a _____ delivers reinforcement or punishment automatically whenever an animal makes a particular response.
A) classroom
B) Thorndike box
C) pigeon box
D) Skinner box

Accepted Answer

The correct term is "Skinner box," named after B.F. Skinner, a psychologist who developed it for experiments in operant conditioning, where reinforcement or punishment is automatically delivered following a specific behavior.

Question 15

Which statement is TRUE about shaping?
A) It is a difficult and time-consuming process.
B) It has not yet been successfully used for modifying human behavior.
C) It is a good way to train an animal very quickly.
D) It involves giving bigger rewards as one gets closer to making the correct response.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which statement is TRUE about shaping?
A) It...

Question 16

After working for $15 an hour, Sally's pay was cut to $8 an hour. She stopped working so hard, working much less than her coworkers, who had been earning $8 an hour all along. This is an example of:
A) negative contrast.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) positive punishment.
D) negative punishment.

Accepted Answer

Negative contrast occurs when the reduction in rewards (in this case, salary) leads to a decrease in behavior or effort, as seen with Sally working less after her pay was cut.

Question 17

In a _____, items called "tokens" work like secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for items of value.
A) primary reinforcer
B) negative reinforcer
C) token economy
D) token system

Accepted Answer

In a token economy, tokens serve as secondary reinforcers that individuals can exchange for more tangible rewards, aligning with the principles of behavior modification and reinforcement.

Question 18

If an organism expects its favorite reinforcer but receives a less-preferred reinforcer, the phenomenon of _____ predicts that the organism may respond less than if it had received that less-preferred reinforcer at the start.
A) negative contrast
B) negative reinforcement
C) negative behavior
D) negative correlation

Accepted Answer

Negative contrast refers to the phenomenon where an organism shows a reduced response to a stimulus (in this case, a less-preferred reinforcer) after expecting a more preferred stimulus. This occurs because the organism compares the less-preferred reinforcer to the expected, more preferred one, resulting in disappointment or reduced motivation.

Question 19

A mouse is placed in a maze and timed to see how long it takes him to reach the end. Once the first trial is completed, the experimenter places him back in the maze again to see if the speed in which he completes it changes; this is referred to as a:
A) token response.
B) drive-reduction method.
C) free-operant paradigm.
D) discrete trial.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes a discrete trial, where the mouse's performance in a maze is measured in distinct, separate attempts or trials to see if there is an improvement in speed over time.

Question 20

Discriminative stimuli are:
A) successive approximations to a desired response.
B) stimuli that signal whether a particular response will lead to a particular outcome.
C) outcomes that increase the probability of a behavior.
D) outcomes that decrease the probability of a behavior.

Accepted Answer

Discriminative stimuli are cues or signals in the environment that indicate the availability of reinforcement or punishment following a specific behavior, thus signaling whether a particular response will lead to a particular outcome.

Quiz 5: Operant Conditioning: Learning the Outcome of Behaviors

If a pigeon is allowed to peck at the switch in order to receive food whenever it chooses, this is an example of which type of paradigm?

Which item is an example of a secondary reinforcer?

For punishment to be MOST effective:

Skinner's method of studying learning is known as a:

Chaining involves _, whereas shaping involves _.

Which statement demonstrates operant rather than classical conditioning?

A _____ is a device that records total number of behavioral responses.

If a person wants to use shaping to train a new puppy to respond to a name, he would call the name and then:

Which item is an example of a primary reinforcer?

Which statement demonstrates the free-operant paradigm?

The main difference between reinforcement and punishment is that:

Which statement demonstrates the use of a token economy to encourage good behavior in school children?

The process of providing consequences for a behavior that decreases the probability of that behavior is called:

A conditioning chamber called a _____ delivers reinforcement or punishment automatically whenever an animal makes a particular response.

Which statement is TRUE about shaping?

After working for $15 an hour, Sally's pay was cut to $8 an hour. She stopped working so hard, working much less than her coworkers, who had been earning $8 an hour all along. This is an example of:

In a _____, items called "tokens" work like secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for items of value.

If an organism expects its favorite reinforcer but receives a less-preferred reinforcer, the phenomenon of _____ predicts that the organism may respond less than if it had received that less-preferred reinforcer at the start.

A mouse is placed in a maze and timed to see how long it takes him to reach the end. Once the first trial is completed, the experimenter places him back in the maze again to see if the speed in which he completes it changes; this is referred to as a:

Discriminative stimuli are: