Operant Conditioning and Learning Concepts Part 1
This deck covers key concepts of operant conditioning through multiple-choice questions, focusing on reinforcement, punishment, and behavior modification techniques.
Mary Gives her two young sons a sticker every time they clean up their rooms, take the dog out for a walk, and empty the garbage. When they earn 30 stickers, they can go to the movies. This approach to behavior modification is known as:
(A) A token economy
(B) Positive reinforcement
(C) Primary reinforcement
(D) Cognitive behavioral therapy
(E) Cuing principle
A: A token economy is where reinforces can be used as a form of currency.
Key Terms
Mary Gives her two young sons a sticker every time they clean up their rooms, take the dog out for a walk, and empty the garbage. When they earn 30 stickers, they can go to the movies. This approach to behavior modification is known as:
(A) A token economy
(B) Positive reinforcement
(C) Primary reinforcement
(D) Cognitive behavioral therapy
(E) Cuing principle
A: A token economy is where reinforces can be used as a form of currency.
The key difference between primary and secondary reinforcement is:
(A) One is a positive form of reinforcement and the other is a negative form of reinforcement
(B) One is naturally satisfying and unlearned while the other is something learned through positive experience
(C) One is a form of escape conditioning while the other is a form of avoidance conditioning
(D) One uses a variable schedule of reinforcement and the other a continuous schedule of reinforcement
(E) One is an example of operant conditioning and the other of classical conditioning
B. Primary reinforces are biological. Food, drink, and pleasure are the most common examples of primary reinforces. Most human reinforces are secon...
What is one major difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning?
(A) Operant conditioning takes place as a result of some voluntary action, while classical conditioning takes place without choice
(B) Operant conditioning takes place before the response, while classical conditioning takes place after the response
(C) Operant conditioning is learned by association, while classical conditioning is learned by reinforcement
(D) Classical conditioning is part of social cognitive learning, while operant conditioning is not
(E) Classical conditioning has a stimulus but no response, while operant conditioning has both a stimulus and a response
A. Operant conditioning is a kind of learning in which a behavior is performed, followed by a consequence. Learning takes place as a result of some...
Suspending a basketball player for committing a flagrant foul is an example of:
(A) Negative Reinforcement
(B) Positive reinforcement
(C) Punishment
(D) Primary reinforcement
(E) Secondary reinforcement
C. Punishment. Very often students get confused between negative reinforcement and punishment. Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleas...
A defendant is harassed and tortured until he confesses. This is an example of:
(A) Positive reinforcement
(B) Negative reinforcement
(C) Punishment
(D) Positive punishment
(E) Negative punishment
B. In this scenario the defendant is harassed until he confesses. The harassment is something unpleasant and it will be taken away once the confess...
Punishment can be best defined as:
(A) The reinforcement of a behavior every time is occurs
(B) Taking away something unpleasant when the subject performs the correct behavior
(C) An attempt to weaken a response by following it with something unpleasant
(D) Adding something unwanted when the subject is not doing the correct behavior and then stopping it when he or she displays the correct behavior
(E) Anything that comes to represent a primary reinforcer
C. Remember, punishment is an attempt to stop an unwanted behavior. It is not contingent upon a person doing the correct behavior.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Mary Gives her two young sons a sticker every time they clean up their rooms, take the dog out for a walk, and empty the garbage. When they earn 30 stickers, they can go to the movies. This approach to behavior modification is known as: | A: A token economy is where reinforces can be used as a form of currency. |
The key difference between primary and secondary reinforcement is: | B. Primary reinforces are biological. Food, drink, and pleasure are the most common examples of primary reinforces. Most human reinforces are secondary, or conditioned. |
What is one major difference between operant conditioning and classical conditioning? | A. Operant conditioning is a kind of learning in which a behavior is performed, followed by a consequence. Learning takes place as a result of some voluntary action by the learner. |
Suspending a basketball player for committing a flagrant foul is an example of: | C. Punishment. Very often students get confused between negative reinforcement and punishment. Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleasant is taken away if the subject does something. |
A defendant is harassed and tortured until he confesses. This is an example of: | B. In this scenario the defendant is harassed until he confesses. The harassment is something unpleasant and it will be taken away once the confession is given, making it negative reinforcement and not punishment. |
Punishment can be best defined as: | C. Remember, punishment is an attempt to stop an unwanted behavior. It is not contingent upon a person doing the correct behavior. |
Which of the following statements best explains E.L. Thorndike's law of effect? | D. The law of effect says that if a random act is followed by a pleasurable consequence, such actions are strengthen and will likely occur again. Choice D is the definition of the Law of Effect. |
Davey is a young boy who interacts with the family dog by hugging it. Every time the parents witness this interaction, they take Davey's hand and perform a stroking motion on the dog, followed by praising Davey for being good with the dog and then doing an enjoyable activity with Davey. This procedure is known as: | E. Shaping is a procedure in which the experimenter successively reinforces behaviors that lead up to the desired behavior. |
Schedules of reinforcement have a direct effect on maintaining training your behavior. Which schedule of reinforcement is identified by your calling in this example: Calling a friend and getting a busy signal because he or she is frequently on the phone? | B. Variable interval refers to an unknown amount of time, more or less waiting for a desired response to occur. Because it does not matter how many times you pick up the phone to call your friend, the correct answer is variable interval and not variable ratio. |
Which of the following is the best example of a negative reinforcement? | D. Once the mother takes an aspirin, the unpleasantness of the headache will go away. |
Which of the following best describes the principal behind operant conditioning? | A. Because operant conditioning is learning by reinforcement, which takes place after the response. |
What is the goal of both positive and negative reinforcement? | B. Positive reinforcement occurs when something the subject wants is added to encourage the wanted behavior to continue. Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleasant is taken away once the wanted behavior continues. |