Question 1

Responses maintained with _____ reinforcement are more resistant to extinction.

Accepted Answer

Intermittent reinforcement, where rewards are given only some of the time, makes behaviors more resistant to extinction compared to continuous reinforcement, where every correct response is rewarded. This is because the unpredictability of the reward in intermittent reinforcement schedules makes it harder for the behavior to be extinguished.

Question 2

A worker gets paid every Friday for completing his 40-hour work week. He is being paid on a _____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

The worker is paid on a fixed-interval schedule because the payments occur at consistent, predetermined intervals (every Friday).

Question 3

In terms of reinforcement schedules, interval schedules always relate to the ​

Accepted Answer

Interval schedules in reinforcement are based on the amount of time that elapses between reinforcements, not on the number of responses or reinforcements given, or the length of the training period.

Question 4

Ratio schedules of reinforcement always relate to the ​

Accepted Answer

Ratio schedules of reinforcement are based on the number of responses given, not on the amount of time that passes. This means reinforcement is provided after a certain number of responses are made by the subject.

Question 5

Given the same overall frequency of reinforcement on a fixed and a variable schedule of reinforcement, you should predict that the variable reinforcement schedule will tend to produce ​

Accepted Answer

Variable reinforcement schedules tend to produce steadier response rates because the reinforcement is unpredictable, leading to more consistent responding. Additionally, these schedules typically result in greater resistance to extinction because the behavior has been reinforced at unpredictable intervals, making it harder for the organism to determine when to stop responding.

Question 6

Katrina is trying to put a dollar bill into a vending machine in her office. Sometimes the machine will take a dollar bill on the first try; other times it can take up to five or six tries before the dollar bill is finally accepted. In this example, inserting a dollar bill into the vending machine is reinforced on a(n) _____ reinforcement schedule.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is intermittent reinforcement schedule because the reinforcement (the vending machine accepting the dollar bill) does not occur after every attempt but rather at unpredictable intervals or ratios, making the behavior (inserting the dollar bill) more resistant to extinction.

Question 7

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a very high rate and does not stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. In this example, the reinforcement schedule that is in place is MOST likely a _____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

The behavior described is characteristic of a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule, where a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses. This schedule creates a high and steady rate of responding, as the rat cannot predict which lever press will result in a food pellet, leading to continuous pressing.

Question 8

In a variable-ratio schedule, the reinforcer is given ​

Accepted Answer

In a variable-ratio schedule, reinforcement is provided after an unpredictable number of responses, making the response rate high and steady because the exact number of responses needed for reinforcement varies.

Question 9

Which of the following results in the steadiest response rate?

Accepted Answer

Playing a slot machine results in the steadiest response rate because it operates on a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, where the reinforcement (winning) is given after an unpredictable number of responses, which tends to produce high and steady rates of responding.

Question 10

A salesperson earns a bonus for every three items of clothing she sells. The bonus is given on which of the following types of reinforcement schedule?

Accepted Answer

The salesperson earns a bonus after a specific number of actions (selling three items), which is a characteristic of a fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule.

Question 11

Slot machines increase gambling behavior through the use of a(n) _____ reinforcement schedule.

Accepted Answer

Slot machines increase gambling behavior through the use of an intermittent reinforcement schedule, which rewards an action at unpredictable intervals, making the behavior more resistant to extinction.

Question 12

Given the same frequency of reinforcement, _____ schedules generate higher rates of responding than do _____ schedules.

Accepted Answer

Ratio schedules generate higher rates of responding than interval schedules because in ratio schedules, the reinforcement is based on the number of responses made, which encourages a higher rate of responding to receive more reinforcements.

Question 13

Josiah checks his email several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behavior of checking his email is being reinforced on  a _____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

Josiah's behavior of checking his email is reinforced on a variable-interval schedule because the reinforcement (receiving new emails) occurs at unpredictable time intervals.

Question 14

Raul's parents make certain they thank Raul every time he clears the dishes from the table without being asked. Sadie's parents try to remember to thank Sadie every time she clears the table without being asked, but about half the time, they forget. Based on principles of operant conditioning, you should predict that ​

Accepted Answer

Sadie's table clearing behavior is reinforced on a partial (or intermittent) reinforcement schedule, which typically leads to more resistance to extinction than a continuous reinforcement schedule, like the one Raul is experiencing.

Question 15

Assuming the reinforcer is the sound of the rattle, a baby's response of shaking a rattle is reinforced according to which of the following types of schedule?

Accepted Answer

Continuous reinforcement occurs when every instance of a desired behavior is reinforced, which is the case when a baby shakes a rattle and hears the sound each time.

Question 16

Winning lottery numbers are announced on the local television station every Saturday night at the end of the news hour. People who are watching for the lottery numbers will have their "watching" reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

The reinforcement (watching the lottery numbers) is provided at a consistent, predictable time interval (every Saturday night at the end of the news hour), which defines a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Question 17

If you wanted a rat in a Skinner box to respond with both a high and steady rate of responding, you should use which of the following types of schedule of reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Variable-ratio schedules of reinforcement typically produce a high and steady rate of responding because the reinforcement is based on the number of responses made, but unpredictably so, which keeps the rate of responding consistently high.

Question 18

A schedule of reinforcement is ​

Accepted Answer

A schedule of reinforcement refers to the rule or pattern dictating the timing and frequency of reinforcement delivery to a subject for a particular response. It is essentially how and when the reinforcement is presented after the desired behavior occurs.

Question 19

Lebron is a professional basketball player. He never knows for sure which of his shots will result in a basket, but the more shots he takes, the more baskets he makes. In this example, Lebron's shooting is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Accepted Answer

LeBron's shooting is being reinforced on a variable-ratio schedule because the reinforcement (making a basket) is based on an unpredictable number of responses (shots taken). Unlike fixed schedules, where the reinforcement is given after a set number of responses or time, variable-ratio schedules provide reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, leading to high and steady response rates.

Question 20

Mary takes a course in which she is tested every two weeks. Her studying falls off right after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a rapid rate of studying as the next test approaches. Her studying conforms to the typical pattern of responding maintained on _____ schedules.

Accepted Answer

Mary's pattern of studying—low activity immediately after a test, with a gradual increase until the next test—matches the response pattern typically seen with fixed-interval schedules. In a fixed-interval schedule, responses tend to increase as the time for reinforcement (in this case, the test) approaches.

Quiz 6: Learning

Responses maintained with _____ reinforcement are more resistant to extinction.

A worker gets paid every Friday for completing his 40-hour work week. He is being paid on a _____ schedule.

In terms of reinforcement schedules, interval schedules always relate to the

Ratio schedules of reinforcement always relate to the

Given the same overall frequency of reinforcement on a fixed and a variable schedule of reinforcement, you should predict that the variable reinforcement schedule will tend to produce

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a very high rate and does not stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. In this example, the reinforcement schedule that is in place is MOST likely a _____ schedule.

In a variable-ratio schedule, the reinforcer is given

Which of the following results in the steadiest response rate?

A salesperson earns a bonus for every three items of clothing she sells. The bonus is given on which of the following types of reinforcement schedule?

Slot machines increase gambling behavior through the use of a(n) _____ reinforcement schedule.

Given the same frequency of reinforcement, _ schedules generate higher rates of responding than do _ schedules.

Josiah checks his email several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behavior of checking his email is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Assuming the reinforcer is the sound of the rattle, a baby's response of shaking a rattle is reinforced according to which of the following types of schedule?

Winning lottery numbers are announced on the local television station every Saturday night at the end of the news hour. People who are watching for the lottery numbers will have their "watching" reinforced on a _____ schedule.

If you wanted a rat in a Skinner box to respond with both a high and steady rate of responding, you should use which of the following types of schedule of reinforcement?

A schedule of reinforcement is

Lebron is a professional basketball player. He never knows for sure which of his shots will result in a basket, but the more shots he takes, the more baskets he makes. In this example, Lebron's shooting is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Mary takes a course in which she is tested every two weeks. Her studying falls off right after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a rapid rate of studying as the next test approaches. Her studying conforms to the typical pattern of responding maintained on _____ schedules.

Quiz 6: Learning

Responses maintained with _____ reinforcement are more resistant to extinction.

A worker gets paid every Friday for completing his 40-hour work week. He is being paid on a _____ schedule.

In terms of reinforcement schedules, interval schedules always relate to the ​

Ratio schedules of reinforcement always relate to the ​

Given the same overall frequency of reinforcement on a fixed and a variable schedule of reinforcement, you should predict that the variable reinforcement schedule will tend to produce ​

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a very high rate and does not stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. In this example, the reinforcement schedule that is in place is MOST likely a _____ schedule.

In a variable-ratio schedule, the reinforcer is given ​

Which of the following results in the steadiest response rate?

A salesperson earns a bonus for every three items of clothing she sells. The bonus is given on which of the following types of reinforcement schedule?

Slot machines increase gambling behavior through the use of a(n) _____ reinforcement schedule.

Given the same frequency of reinforcement, _____ schedules generate higher rates of responding than do _____ schedules.

Josiah checks his email several times throughout the day. Some days there is mail each time he checks; sometimes several days go by with no new messages arriving. In this example, Josiah's behavior of checking his email is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Assuming the reinforcer is the sound of the rattle, a baby's response of shaking a rattle is reinforced according to which of the following types of schedule?

Winning lottery numbers are announced on the local television station every Saturday night at the end of the news hour. People who are watching for the lottery numbers will have their "watching" reinforced on a _____ schedule.

If you wanted a rat in a Skinner box to respond with both a high and steady rate of responding, you should use which of the following types of schedule of reinforcement?

A schedule of reinforcement is ​

Lebron is a professional basketball player. He never knows for sure which of his shots will result in a basket, but the more shots he takes, the more baskets he makes. In this example, Lebron's shooting is being reinforced on a _____ schedule.

Mary takes a course in which she is tested every two weeks. Her studying falls off right after a test, followed by a gradual increase to a rapid rate of studying as the next test approaches. Her studying conforms to the typical pattern of responding maintained on _____ schedules.

In terms of reinforcement schedules, interval schedules always relate to the

Ratio schedules of reinforcement always relate to the

Given the same overall frequency of reinforcement on a fixed and a variable schedule of reinforcement, you should predict that the variable reinforcement schedule will tend to produce

In a variable-ratio schedule, the reinforcer is given

Given the same frequency of reinforcement, _ schedules generate higher rates of responding than do _ schedules.

A schedule of reinforcement is