Exam 21: A: Operant Conditioning

A trainer wants a pigeon to quickly learn to peck a button to obtain food. She also wants to be sure the behavior is resistant to extinction. So, she should use ________ reinforcement until the response is mastered followed by ________ reinforcement.

A slow but steady rate of operant responding is associated with the ________ schedule of reinforcement.

A conditioned reinforcer gains its reinforcing power through its link with a

Which of the following is the best example of a primary reinforcer?

The law of effect refers to the tendency to

Because Mandisa always picked up her newborn daughter when she cried, her daughter is now a real crybaby. In this case, picking up the infant served as a(n) ________ for crying.

Money is to food as ________ is to ________.

The psychologist most closely associated with the study of operant conditioning was

Which of the following behaviors is typically reinforced on a variable-ratio schedule?

Associative learning is best illustrated by

When children misbehave, some parents a use time-out, removing the children from their reinforcing surroundings. This practice best illustrates

Escape from a punishing event is a ________ reinforcer.

Receiving money as a reward and having a monetary fine suspended are both ________ reinforcers.

Most psychologists think that the use of punishment is

Because Saleem was spanked on several occasions for biting electric cords, he no longer does so. Saleem's behavior change best illustrates the value of

An automatic response to some stimulus is called

A positive reinforcer is anything that when ________ a response, strengthens the response.

A small-town radio disc jockey frequently announces how much money is currently in a jackpot. Every day several randomly selected residents are called and asked to identify the amount, and thereby win it. Those who keep track of the jackpot amount are most likely to be reinforced on a ________ schedule.

The introduction of an unpleasant stimulus is to ________ as the withdrawal of an unpleasant stimulus is to ________.

A reinforcement is any event that