Julie has a desk right next to her manager's office.Whenever her manager is in his office,Julie makes sure that she works hard at her computer.However,if the manager is away from his office she often works much more slowly and takes more breaks.In this case,the manager being in his office is acting as
A) a positive reinforcer for working hard.
B) a negative reinforcer for working hard.
C) a discriminative stimulus for working hard.
D) an unconditioned stimulus for working hard.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The manager being in his office is a discriminative stimulus because it signals to Julie that she should work hard. When the manager is not in his office, Julie does not have that same stimulus signaling the need to work hard. It is not a positive or negative reinforcer because it is not directly reinforcing any behavior, and it is not an unconditioned stimulus because it does not naturally elicit a response from Julie.

Julie Has a Desk Right Next to Her Manager's Office