Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Roger was wearing green underwear when he aced his calculus test at the beginning of the semester. Ever since, Roger always wears green underwear on test days in his college classes. In operant conditioning terms, Roger's superstitious behavior is the result of:
A)accidental reinforcement.
B)a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.
C)shaping.
D)behavior modification.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Roger's behavior is not intentionally reinforced, but rather accidental. He falsely associates wearing green underwear with his success on the calculus test. This is an example of accidental reinforcement, where a behavior is reinforced by chance, rather than intentionally. The other choices (B, C, and D) do not accurately describe the situation because they imply intentional and systematic reinforcement or behavior modification.

Unbeknownst to the Rest of the World, Roger Was Wearing