If you train a rat to receive a food pellet every time you play a particular song, the food pellet is ______ and the tune is ______.
A) An unconditioned reinforcer; a conditioned reinforcer
B) A conditioned reinforcer; an unconditioned reinforcer
C) Respondent reinforcement; operant reinforcement
D) Operant reinforcement; respondent reinforcement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The food pellet is an unconditioned reinforcer because it naturally motivates the rat without any prior training. The tune becomes a conditioned reinforcer through its association with the food pellet, which initially had no significance to the rat until it was paired with the food.

If You Train a Rat to Receive a Food Pellet