Question 1

Allowing students with A-averages exemptions from taking a final exam is an example of ________ reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Allowing students with A-averages exemptions from taking...

Question 2

If parents handle discipline by employing mainly a punishment approach, which of the following can be assumed?

Accepted Answer

If parents are employing mainly a punishment approach to discipline, it can be assumed that they are interested in eliminating bad behaviors by presenting unpleasant consequences after bad behavior. This is the definition of punishment in behaviorism.

Question 3

Wearing shorts on a hot summer day is a behaviour that is established by way of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Wearing shorts on a hot summer day...

Question 4

Nicky tends to bite his nails when he becomes nervous because it calms him down. Nicky's behaviour is an example of

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior. In this case, biting nails removes the feeling of nervousness, thus calming Nicky down and reinforcing the behavior.

Question 5

Regarding operant conditioning, which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an aversive stimulus in response to the desired behavior. In this case, exemption from a weekly quiz (which can be seen as an aversive stimulus) is given in response to exemplary homework (the desired behavior).

Question 6

Suppose a student uses inappropriate language in class. Describe how you would attempt to change this student's behaviour using positive or negative reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose a student uses inappropriate language in...

Question 7

Bill hates to clean up after dinner. One night, he volunteers to bathe the dog before cleaning up. When he finishes with the dog and returns to the kitchen, his wife has cleaned everything up for him. Which of the following statements is accurate?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. In this case, the aversive stimulus is cleaning up after dinner, and Bill was able to avoid it because his wife had already cleaned everything up. Therefore, Bill's wife has negatively reinforced him for bathing the dog.

Question 8

Mark and Kathy take their two-year-old son to the supermarket every Saturday. Each week, the same sequence of events unfolds: their son screams, demanding that they buy him treats. Although they refuse to give in to his demands, he continues to scream. Finally, either Mark or Kathy gets in their son's face and yells at the top of their lungs "Shut up!" He stops screaming instantly. What operant conditioning concepts are illustrated in this story?

Accepted Answer

The parents are using punishment (yelling at their son) to suppress the screaming behavior, and this punishment is negatively reinforced by the cessation of the screaming. This teaches the child that screaming will result in unpleasant consequences, which will reduce the likelihood of him behaving in that way in the future.

Question 9

Punishment can be defined as any outcome

Accepted Answer

Punishment is a consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behavior to occur. Therefore, it is presented after a specific behavior to decrease the probability of its occurrence in the future.

Question 10

A ________ stimulus is one that signals the presence of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus indicates the availability of reinforcement for a specific response. It is a cue to the organism that a particular behavior will be followed by a consequence, such as a reward or punishment. Primary and secondary stimuli are not specifically linked to reinforcement, while a generalised stimulus is one that has been associated with many different reinforcements and may not elicit a specific response.

Question 11

A reinforcer is a consequence that ________ a behaviour, while a punisher is a consequence that ________ a behaviour.

Accepted Answer

A reinforcer strengthens a behaviour by increasing the likelihood that the behaviour will be repeated in the future. A punisher weakens a behaviour by decreasing the likelihood that the behaviour will be repeated in the future. Therefore, the best answer is D, which correctly identifies the processes by which reinforcers and punishers affect behavior.

Question 12

Which of the following will weaken the likelihood of behaviour reoccurring in the future?

Accepted Answer

Punishment is a consequence that decreases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future.

Question 13

A stimulus presented to a person or animal that weakens the probability of a particular response is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A stimulus presented to a person or...

Question 14

When a stimulus is removed from a person or animal, resulting in a decrease in the probability of response, it is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment involves the removal of a stimulus in order to decrease the probability of a response.

Question 15

A discriminative stimulus is a stimulus that ________.

Accepted Answer

A discriminative stimulus signals the presence of reinforcement, indicating that a particular response will be reinforced.

Question 16

________ increases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated, while ________ decreases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________ increases the likelihood of behaviour being...

Question 17

A negative reinforcer is a stimulus that is ________ and therefore ________ the probability of a response.

Accepted Answer

A negative reinforcer is a stimulus that is removed after a response, which increases the likelihood of that response occurring again in the future.

Question 18

Providing a child with a homework pass if she completes five word problems during class represents both ________ reinforcement and a ________ schedule of reinforcement.

Accepted Answer

Providing a homework pass is removing an aversive stimulus (homework), which is negative reinforcement. Completing five problems is a fixed ratio schedule.

Question 19

Describe how a parent could use operant conditioning to motivate their 9th grade child to move from a "C" student to an "A" student. Discuss positive and negative reinforcement, punishment, and schedules of reinforcement that you would employ.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how a parent could use operant...

Question 20

Olivia is punished for spilling her cereal. Her parents give her a spanking and send her to her room where she cries. Later, her puppy makes a mess on the floor. Olivia kicks her puppy and puts it out in the yard where it whines sadly. Which of the following statements explains her behaviour toward the puppy?

Accepted Answer

Olivia is modeling the aggressive behavior of her parents by punishing the puppy for making a mistake. This is evident as she has learned that it is acceptable to punish someone or something for making mistakes. However, this is not an effective way to teach the puppy to behave appropriately.

Quiz 6: Learning