In a bar-pressing operant conditioning situation, Dr. Smith has defined a light as an S^D. During the experiment, whenever the light comes on, what should the participant (a rat) do? A) press the bar to discontinue a punisher B) press the bar to get a reinforcer C) do not press the bar, since bar-pressing will lead to a punishment D) do not press the bar, since bar-pressing will not lead to a reinforcer

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the S^D designation, the light signals the presence of a stimulus (SS), for which the response required is to press the bar once (U1). This pressing behavior then produces a primary punisher (P1), followed by a secondary discriminative stimulus (DS) indicating that any further bar presses will be punished (S1). However, the presence of a second secondary stimulus (S1) signals the absence of a reinforcer (P0). Therefore, the participant should press the bar to get a reinforcer before the onset of the secondary discriminative stimulus (S1).

In a Bar-Pressing Operant Conditioning Situation, Dr