Question 1

Which statement about interval and ratio schedules is false?
A) The rate of responding on interval schedules has no effect on the rate of reinforcement.
B) The rate of responding on ratio schedules is generally higher and faster than on interval schedules.
C) The rate of responding is less variable on interval schedules than on ratio schedules.
D) The highest rates of responding generally occur on the variable interval or ratio schedules rather than on the fixed interval or ratio schedules.

Accepted Answer

The rate of responding is generally more variable on interval schedules than on ratio schedules, making statement C false.

Question 2

A type of procedure often used to study choice behavior in operant and economic research uses several different schedules, with each one cued by a distinct stimulus. These schedules are simultaneously functional and are referred to collectively as a _______ schedule.
A) tandem
B) multiple
C) mixed
D) concurrent

Accepted Answer

A concurrent schedule involves two or more schedules of reinforcement that are available simultaneously, each associated with a different stimulus, allowing the study of choice behavior.

Question 3

A procedure often used to study preferences or relative reinforcement effects in operant and economic research uses several different schedules, each of which is cued by a distinct stimulus, with only one present at a given time. This procedure for studying schedule preferences uses a _______ schedule.
A) tandem
B) multiple
C) mixed
D) concurrent

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is B) multiple. A multiple schedule involves presenting two or more basic schedules of reinforcement (each associated with a different stimulus) in an alternating, non-overlapping sequence. Each schedule is in effect for a certain period, and only one is active at a given time, allowing the study of preferences or relative reinforcement effects.

Question 4

A subject receives a series of schedules that are presented one at a time in a fixed order. The subject must complete the schedule requirement in each component before the next schedule begins. When it completes the schedule requirement on the last component, the subject then receives the reinforcement. This procedure uses a _______ schedule.
A) tandem
B) multiple
C) mixed
D) chained

Accepted Answer

This procedure describes a chained schedule of reinforcement, where two or more simple schedules are linked together, and the completion of the requirement in one schedule is necessary before moving on to the next, with reinforcement delivered only after the final schedule is completed.

Question 5

The matching law assumes that a subject's response rate will be proportional to the
A) rate of reinforcement.
B) duration of the session.
C) number of different cued schedules.
D) similarity of the occasion setters.

Accepted Answer

The matching law posits that the proportion of responses on a particular option matches the proportion of reinforcements obtained from that option. Thus, a subject's response rate is directly proportional to the rate of reinforcement for that behavior, not to the duration of the session, the number of different cued schedules, or the similarity of the occasion setters.

Question 6

According to the matching law, a person in a relationship will be more likely to cheat when
A) the person becomes habituated to reinforcement from their partner.
B) reinforcement from other people matches that of their partner.
C) reinforcement from their partner decreases or reinforcement from others increases.
D) the person can receive reinforcement only in the limited environment of home.

Accepted Answer

The matching law suggests that the distribution of behavior follows the distribution of reinforcement. Therefore, a person is more likely to cheat when the reinforcement (attention, affection, etc.) from their partner decreases or when reinforcement from others increases, making alternatives more appealing.

Question 7

Imagine that even though the rate of reinforcement from your partner increases, you still might be prone to cheating. This aspect of behavior is explained or described by which aspect of the quantitative matching law? A) K B) R_O C) B1 D) K × R1

Accepted Answer

R_O represents the reinforcement from other sources, which can influence the likelihood of cheating despite increased reinforcement from the partner.

Question 8

Impulsiveness is most likely to occur
A) when animals, but not humans, are given choices between outcomes.
B) when primary, but not conditioned, rewards are used.
C) when outcomes occur shortly after choice behavior.
D) when outcomes are expected but are not physically present.

Accepted Answer

Impulsiveness is more likely when outcomes occur shortly after a choice behavior, as individuals may prefer immediate rewards over delayed ones, even if the delayed rewards are larger or more beneficial.

Question 9

Impulsive organisms show greater _______ than other organisms.
A) levels of stimulus control
B) delay discounting
C) inability to compare rewards over time
D response rates

Accepted Answer

Impulsive organisms tend to prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed ones, a behavior known as greater delay discounting.

Question 10

Precommitment strategies, use of secondary reinforcers, and responses that hasten delayed rewards are examples of the use of _______ to combat impulsiveness.
A) behavioral economics
B) applied matching law
C) nudging
D) schedules of reinforcement

Accepted Answer

The answer of Precommitment strategies, use of secondary reinforcers, and...

Question 11

Which scenario is not an application of the matching law to ultimately reduce the amount of time a child spends playing computer games.
A) Requiring increasingly more weekly chores for every additional 30 minutes the child wants to be at the computer
B) Spending time interacting with the child in ways that compete with the attractiveness of the computer (e.g., going to a ball game, practicing soccer moves, playing a board game)
C) Reducing the number of different games on the computer so that they all become boring to the child
D) Preventing the child from playing any game other than computer games for a week, thus reducing the reinforcing capacity of the computer games

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which scenario is not an application of...

Question 12

Precommitment involves
A) reducing the size of a reward to reduce impulsiveness.
B) using willpower to control impulsive urges.
C) making a choice long before a reward is available.
D) counterconditioning one's preferences.

Accepted Answer

Precommitment is a strategy that involves making a decision in advance, before a reward is available, to lock oneself into a course of action that aligns with long-term goals, thereby avoiding the temptation of more immediate, but less beneficial, rewards.

Question 13

Whenever the price of hamburger rises too much, you are willing to buy hotdogs for your summer picnics. From a behavioral economics perspective, hamburgers and hotdogs would be considered
A) complements.
B) independents.
C) substitutes.
D) alternatives.

Accepted Answer

Hamburgers and hotdogs are considered substitutes because when the price of one (hamburgers) increases, consumers are willing to switch to the other (hotdogs) for a similar need or desire, in this case, a meal for a summer picnic.

Question 14

A mother of young children plans to serve hot cider and cookies at a children's party. However, when she gets to the grocery store, she finds that a jug of cider is much more expensive than a canister of hot chocolate mix. She decides to purchase the canister of hot chocolate mix, because the hot chocolate can serve as a(n) _______ and demand is _______.
A) substitute; elastic.
B) complement; elastic.
C) independent; elastic.
D) substitute; inelastic.

Accepted Answer

The hot chocolate serves as a substitute for the cider because it can replace it as a hot beverage for the party. The demand is considered elastic because the mother's decision to switch products is sensitive to a change in price.

Question 15

A student finds that his purchase of drawing pencils for art class is directly related to the amount of art paper he buys. According to behavioral economics, these art supplies would be classified as
A) complements.
B) independents.
C) substitutes.
D) alternatives.

Accepted Answer

Complements are goods that are often used together, so if the purchase of one (drawing pencils) increases with the purchase of another (art paper), they are considered complements in economic terms.

Question 16

Commodities are most likely to show inelasticity when they are
A) independents.
B) necessities.
C) luxuries.
D) dependents.

Accepted Answer

Necessities tend to have inelastic demand because consumers will buy them regardless of price changes. Essentials such as food, water, and basic housing are examples where demand remains relatively constant even as prices fluctuate.

Question 17

A hungry and thirsty rat spends 40% of its time lever pressing for food and 60% of its time lever pressing for water. Because it is pressing more for water, water appears to be more reinforcing than food. What additional factors need to be considered, according to the field of behavioral economics?
A) Food and water are not necessarily substitutable and the demand for each can change within a session.
B) The prices of food and water (i.e., the effort required to get one or the other) can vary.
C) Food and water each has a different capacity to reinforce.
D) No additional factors need to be considered, since food and water, like most primary reinforcers, are of more or less equal value and inelastic under equal states of drive.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A hungry and thirsty rat spends 40%...

Question 18

Skinner's definition of a reinforcer and the matching law both can be characterized as circular because
A) the subjects determine what is reinforcing and which schedule options they prefer.
B) they appeal to internal, cognitive factors such as desire or liking (reward) and choice or self-control (matching).
C) they describe the empirical relationship between the behavior and the outcome, but not why or how a reinforcer and the matching take place.
D) the researcher selects which outcomes and schedules will be used in the experiment.

Accepted Answer

Skinner's definition of a reinforcer and the matching law are considered circular because they describe the observable relationship between behavior and its consequences without explaining the underlying mechanisms that cause these relationships.

Question 19

Sydney spends about as much time studying as she does with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend starts to demand more time, so she breaks up with him and spends that time studying. From the perspective of behavior regulation theory, which statement best explains Sydney's choice?
A) The matching law predicted the breakup, since studying was more valuable than relationship.
B) Sydney could no longer maintain her bliss point while in the relationship.
C) Studying was an elastic commodity.
D) Sydney's academic performance and her boyfriend were complements.

Accepted Answer

Sydney's choice to break up with her boyfriend because he demanded more time, which interfered with her studying, indicates she could no longer achieve her bliss point—the optimal balance of activities that maximizes her happiness or utility. The bliss point concept suggests individuals strive to allocate their time and resources in a way that maximizes their overall satisfaction. When the boyfriend demanded more time, it disrupted this balance, leading Sydney to end the relationship to restore her preferred allocation of time between studying and personal life.

Question 20

According to Hull's theory of reinforcement,
A) unfulfilled biological needs are synonymous with Drive.
B) biological needs are synonymous with Drive, and they provide reinforcement.
C) biological needs are synonymous with Drive, and their reduction provides reinforcement.
D) Drive reduction is reinforcing and strengthens responding, even if the drive isn't necessarily biological.

Accepted Answer

Hull's theory posits that biological needs create a Drive, and the reduction of this Drive provides reinforcement, strengthening the behavior that led to the reduction.

Quiz 7: Behavior and Its Consequences

Which statement about interval and ratio schedules is false?

A type of procedure often used to study choice behavior in operant and economic research uses several different schedules, with each one cued by a distinct stimulus. These schedules are simultaneously functional and are referred to collectively as a _______ schedule.

The matching law assumes that a subject's response rate will be proportional to the

According to the matching law, a person in a relationship will be more likely to cheat when

Imagine that even though the rate of reinforcement from your partner increases, you still might be prone to cheating. This aspect of behavior is explained or described by which aspect of the quantitative matching law?

Impulsiveness is most likely to occur

Impulsive organisms show greater _______ than other organisms.

Precommitment strategies, use of secondary reinforcers, and responses that hasten delayed rewards are examples of the use of _______ to combat impulsiveness.

Which scenario is not an application of the matching law to ultimately reduce the amount of time a child spends playing computer games.

Precommitment involves

Whenever the price of hamburger rises too much, you are willing to buy hotdogs for your summer picnics. From a behavioral economics perspective, hamburgers and hotdogs would be considered

A student finds that his purchase of drawing pencils for art class is directly related to the amount of art paper he buys. According to behavioral economics, these art supplies would be classified as

Commodities are most likely to show inelasticity when they are

A hungry and thirsty rat spends 40% of its time lever pressing for food and 60% of its time lever pressing for water. Because it is pressing more for water, water appears to be more reinforcing than food. What additional factors need to be considered, according to the field of behavioral economics?

Skinner's definition of a reinforcer and the matching law both can be characterized as circular because

Sydney spends about as much time studying as she does with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend starts to demand more time, so she breaks up with him and spends that time studying. From the perspective of behavior regulation theory, which statement best explains Sydney's choice?

According to Hull's theory of reinforcement,