Question 1

What defines a contingency of reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

A contingency of reinforcement involves the relationship between a discriminative stimulus (a cue that indicates that a particular response will lead to a particular outcome), an operant (the behavior that is being modified), and the reinforcement (the consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated). All these elements are integral to defining a contingency of reinforcement.

Question 2

Consider the following example: "Joanne is very fair skinned. In order to not get sunburned, she puts on sunscreen before she goes to the beach." This is an example of ______.

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the potential for sunburn) to increase a desired behavior (applying sunscreen).

Question 3

In negative punishment, a stimulus is ______ and as a result behavior ______.

Accepted Answer

D

Question 4

In terms of response stereotypes, variability, and reinforcement, the work by Barry Schwartz shows that reinforcement can produce _____ patterns of behavior while the work of Neuringer and colleagues indicates that reinforcement can produce ________.

Accepted Answer

Barry Schwartz's research demonstrates that reinforcement can lead to stereotyped, or highly predictable, patterns of behavior. In contrast, Neuringer and colleagues have shown that reinforcement can also be used to produce response variability, meaning that behaviors can become more diverse under certain conditions of reinforcement.

Question 5

In terms of rewards and intrinsic motivation, Cameron et al. (2001) conducted a statistical procedure called _____ and one of the findings indicated that verbal rewards ____ performance and interest on tasks.

Accepted Answer

Cameron et al. (2001) conducted a meta-analysis, which is a statistical procedure that integrates the results of multiple studies on the same topic. One of their findings was that verbal rewards increased performance and interest in tasks.

Question 6

To experimentally study the probability of response, a researcher uses ____ as the basic measure and follows the ____ method.

Accepted Answer

Operant rate is the basic measure used to study the probability of response in experimental settings, particularly in the context of operant conditioning. The free operant method allows an organism to respond at any time it wishes, providing a more naturalistic setting for observing and measuring operant rates.

Question 7

Shaping of behavior involves:

Accepted Answer

Shaping of behavior involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior, gradually guiding the behavior towards the final desired performance.

Question 8

Andrew spends a lot of time playing guitar and very little time studying. ______ suggest(s) that playing the guitar could be a reinforcer for studying.

Accepted Answer

The Premack principle suggests that a more probable behavior (playing the guitar) can serve as a reinforcer for a less probable behavior (studying), if access to the more probable behavior is contingent on the less probable behavior occurring.

Question 9

Response deprivation has what effect on the response hierarchy in a free-choice setting?

Accepted Answer

Deprivation can increase the reinforcing value of the opportunity to perform a particular behavior. When an individual is deprived of a specific activity or item, the opportunity to engage in or obtain that activity or item becomes more reinforcing. This can cause the behavior associated with accessing the deprived activity or item to move up on the response hierarchy, meaning it becomes a more likely choice for the individual when given the opportunity to respond freely among various options.

Question 10

Consider the following example: "Bob is running late for work so he drives faster than usual. As a result of his increased speed, Bob is pulled over by a police officer and receives a ticket. The next time Bob is running late for work he drives the correct speed." This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment involves adding an unpleasant consequence after an undesired behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior happening again. In this case, Bob receiving a ticket (an unpleasant consequence) for speeding (undesired behavior) is an example of positive punishment, aiming to reduce the behavior of speeding in the future.

Question 11

The Premack principle states that a higher-frequency behavior will:

Accepted Answer

The Premack principle posits that a more probable behavior (higher-frequency behavior) can serve as a reinforcer for a less probable behavior (lower-frequency behavior), thereby increasing the likelihood of the less probable behavior occurring.

Question 12

Which of the following is (are) involved in the partial reinforcement effect?

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed are aspects of the partial reinforcement effect. A) Discrimination between reinforcement and extinction is more rapid on continuous reinforcement schedules (CRF) but partial reinforcement leads to slower discrimination, hence more persistence. B) Longer extinction on intermittent reinforcement compared with CRF is a hallmark of the partial reinforcement effect, as it takes longer for the behavior to decrease after reinforcement stops. C) The higher the rate of reinforcement, the greater the resistance to change is also true, indicating that behaviors reinforced more frequently are more resistant to extinction.

Question 13

Consider the following example: "Kendra stays out two hours past curfew. As a result of her tardiness, her parents take away her privileges to go out for two weeks. The next time Kendra goes out she makes sure to come home on time." This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves taking away a desirable stimulus (in this case, Kendra's privileges to go out) to decrease a behavior (staying out past curfew).

Question 14

In positive reinforcement, a stimulus is ______ and as a result behavior _____.

Accepted Answer

In positive reinforcement, a stimulus is added to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again. This process involves giving something desirable to the individual after a desired behavior is exhibited, thereby making the behavior more likely to happen in the future.

Question 15

Consider the following example: "Your phone won't allow you to make a call so you turn it off and then back on again. After this your phone allows you to make a call." Identify the operant in this example.

Accepted Answer

Turning the phone on and off is the operant behavior because it is an active action taken to produce a change in the environment or situation, leading to the phone allowing calls again.

Question 16

A classic experiment on the effects of extinction by Antonitis (1951) involved:

Accepted Answer

Antonitis (1951) conducted an experiment involving all of the mentioned elements: nose poking by rats for food reinforcement, photographs to record the rats' positions and body angles, and observed increased variability in the nose-poking behavior during the extinction phase.

Question 17

Which of the following is not one of the four basic contingencies?

Accepted Answer

Positive extinction is not one of the four basic contingencies in behavior analysis. The four basic contingencies include positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Positive extinction is a misnomer and does not accurately describe a basic contingency of behavior.

Question 18

One of the main criticisms of behavioral rewards and reinforcement is the idea that ______.

Accepted Answer

External rewards can decrease intrinsic motivation because individuals might become more focused on the rewards rather than the intrinsic value or enjoyment of the activity itself.

Question 19

The _______ is the behavior that produces the opportunity to engage in some activity.

Accepted Answer

The instrumental response is the behavior that produces the opportunity to engage in some activity, as it is a type of behavior that is instrumental in achieving a desired outcome or reward.

Question 20

The term operant comes from the verb _________________ and refers to behavior that _____________.

Accepted Answer

Operant conditioning is a learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment. The term "operant" comes from "operate," meaning the behavior operates on the environment to produce outcomes or effects.

Quiz 4: Reinforcement and Extinction of Operant Behavior