Deck 5: Operant Conditioning: Learning the Outcome of Behaviors

Question 1

Which statement is TRUE?

A) Only primary reinforcers trigger dopamine release in the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra pars compacta.
B) Animals will continue to work for electrical brain stimulation if dopamine transmission is blocked.
C) Dopamine seems to be involved in liking, rather than wanting, a reinforcer.
D) A trained animal will reduce its response rate if dopamine transmission is blocked.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

If one buys lottery tickets, one may win on average every 15 times one plays. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-ratio
D) variable-interval

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In what way does operant conditioning differ from classical conditioning?

A) In classical conditioning, learning is fastest during the early trials, while, in operant conditioning, learning is fastest during the later trials.
B) In classical conditioning, the consequence arrives regardless of the animal's behavior, while, in operant conditioning, it only arrives once the animal has made a response.
C) Classical conditioning can be used to train animals to make responses they would not normally make; operant conditioning cannot be used to do this.
D) Extinction occurs in classical conditioning but not in operant conditioning.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Using an umbrella when it rains allows one to escape from getting wet. In this case, the stimulus is _____, the response is _____, and the outcome is _____.

A) the rain; using an umbrella; staying dry
B) staying dry; rain; using an umbrella
C) using an umbrella; rain; staying dry
D) rain; staying dry; using an umbrella

Question 5

Darren is trying to get his young son to eat his peas. At first, Darren praises him whenever he moves his fork near the peas; after the child does this reliably, Darren praises him only if he actually puts a pea on his fork; then Darren's praise is only given when the child puts a pea on his fork and moves the fork toward his mouth. Darren carries on this way until the child eats his peas. Darren is using _____ to get his son to eat his peas.

A) the matching law
B) a token economy
C) shaping
D) chaining

Question 6

Malcolm's 2-year-old daughter throws a tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants. Malcolm has decided to ignore his daughter whenever she has a tantrum. This is an example of:

A) extinction.
B) distancing.
C) reinforcement of alternative behaviors.
D) delayed reinforcement.

Question 7

The process by which an organism learns to produce a specific response in order to avoid or obtain an outcome is:

A) observing.
B) learning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 8

In which example would one MOST likely see a steady rate of responding without any noticeable pauses?

A) A charitable organization receives a donation for every 10 phone calls it makes on average.
B) A teenager receives an allowance every Saturday.
C) A college student gets a call from home every Friday morning.
D) A blueberry picker receives $1 each time he fills three boxes.

Question 9

The dorsal striatum seems to be especially important for learning:

A) whether an outcome is pleasant or unpleasant.
B) the identity of an expected outcome.
C) R-O associations.
D) S-R associations.

Question 10

If a little boy can hear his mother moving around in the kitchen downstairs in the morning, he can be fairly certain that it is time to get up and have his breakfast. The discriminative stimulus in this example is the:

A) breakfast.
B) sounds of his mother moving around.
C) little boy.
D) kitchen.

Question 11

According to the Premack principle, if a teenager would rather go shopping than clean her room:

A) her desire to clean her room will be increased by restricting her access to going shopping.
B) her desire to go shopping will be increased by restricting her access to cleaning her room.
C) allowing her to go shopping could be used as a reward for cleaning her room.
D) cleaning her room could be used as a reward for going shopping.

Question 12

What is the main difference between classical and operant conditioning?

A) Operant conditioning shows extinction but classical conditioning does not.
B) Classical conditioning shows extinction but operant conditioning does not.
C) In operant conditioning, the outcome depends on the response, while, in classical conditioning, the outcome occurs, regardless of the response.
D) In classical conditioning, the outcome depends on the response, while, in operant conditioning, the outcome occurs, regardless of the response.

Question 13

According to the law of effect, Thorndike's cats learned to escape the puzzle box because they:

A) learned the correct sequence of responses that led to a desirable outcome.
B) instinctively knew how to escape.
C) acquired an understanding of what they needed to do in order to escape.
D) learned the correct sequence of responses by watching other cats escape from similar boxes.

Question 14

Which is an example of a primary reinforcer?

A) money
B) praises
C) grades
D) food

Question 15

According to the law of effect, which circumstance would lead to a weakening of the association between stimulus and response?

A) giving candy to a whining child
B) grounding a teenager for staying out too late
C) giving a child $1 for doing well on a spelling test
D) taking a painkiller to get rid of a headache

Question 16

Six-year-old Timmy was misbehaving in class one morning. Which punishment is likely to be the MOST effective in preventing Timmy from misbehaving again?

A) making Timmy stay after school
B) making Timmy sit in the corner
C) taking Timmy aside at lunchtime and asking him to stop misbehaving
D) giving Timmy a warning, and making the punishment more severe if he misbehaves again

Question 17

The major difference between an individual who uses cocaine weekly and tried to stop and can't and an individual that skydives weekly and can't stop is that:

A) they both have a bad habit and can't stop it.
B) the first individual is experiencing a pathological addiction, while the second individual is experiencing a behavioral addiction.
C) both individuals are seeking a "high," but the skydiver isn't worried about becoming addicted.
D) There is no difference-both individuals are suffering from a type of dysfunction.

Question 18

Swatting a dog with a newspaper would be _____ of the behavior of chewing up one's favorite socks.

A) positive reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) negative punishment

Question 19

In the case of Thorndike's cats learning to escape from a puzzle box, the stimulus (S) was _____ and the response (R) was _____.

A) their movements that opened the door; escaping and getting food
B) escaping and getting food; the box
C) the box; their movements that opened the door
D) escaping and getting food; their movements that opened the door

Question 20

If it rains, opening the umbrella keeps one from getting wet. Escaping from getting wet would be _____ of the behavior of opening the umbrella.

A) positive reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) negative punishment

Question 21

If a pigeon is allowed to peck at the switch in order to receive food whenever it chooses, this is an example of which type of paradigm?

A) learning
B) free-operant
C) operational conditioning
D) discrete trial

Question 22

Which item is an example of a secondary reinforcer?

A) money
B) food
C) sleep
D) sex

Question 23

For punishment to be MOST effective:

A) it should start out weak and become gradually stronger each time the behavior is repeated.
B) the organism should know under what circumstances a particular behavior will and will not be punished.
C) the behavior cannot be concurrently reinforced.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 24

Skinner's method of studying learning is known as a:

A) discrete-trial paradigm.
B) behavioral economics method.
C) drive-reduction paradigm.
D) free-operant paradigm.

Question 25

Chaining involves _____, whereas shaping involves _____.

A) reinforcement; punishment
B) punishment; reinforcement
C) reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior; training individual components of a complex response
D) training individual components of a complex response; reinforcing successive approximations to a desired behavior

Question 26

Which statement demonstrates operant rather than classical conditioning?

A) A car salesperson receives a bonus for doing a good job at work. Afterwards, she continues to work hard at selling cars.
B) A toddler squeals and curls up in a ball when his mother moves her fingers as if she is going to tickle him.
C) A diner begins salivating as soon as he sees the waiter bringing dessert to the table.
D) Hearing the music of an ice cream truck causes children to get excited.

Question 27

A _____ is a device that records total number of behavioral responses.

A) stimulus reactor
B) Skinner box
C) cumulative recorder
D) graphical log

Question 28

If a person wants to use shaping to train a new puppy to respond to a name, he would call the name and then:

A) reward once the puppy comes all the way to him.
B) reward when the puppy looks at him, then for turning toward him, and then for taking a few steps in his direction.
C) jingle some keys or shake a dog toy to get the puppy interested enough to come over to him.
D) pull the puppy with a leash, then reward when the puppy reaches him.

Question 29

Which item is an example of a primary reinforcer?

A) money
B) praise
C) water
D) grades

Question 30

Which statement demonstrates the free-operant paradigm?

A) After reaching the end of a maze, a rat is returned to the starting point by the experimenter.
B) When a cat escapes from a puzzle box, the experimenter puts the cat back in.
C) A rat in a Skinner box can press a bar at any time to receive food.
D) After reaching the end of a maze, a rat is put back inside its home cage.

Question 31

The main difference between reinforcement and punishment is that:

A) punishment involves adding a consequence, while reinforcement involves removing a consequence.
B) punishment involves removing a consequence, while reinforcement involves adding a consequence.
C) punishment increases a behavior, while reinforcement decreases a behavior.
D) punishment decreases a behavior, while reinforcement increases a behavior.

Question 32

Which statement demonstrates the use of a token economy to encourage good behavior in school children?

A) giving children praise whenever they are behaving well
B) making children stay after school when they misbehave
C) awarding children successively more privileges for longer periods of good behavior
D) awarding children points for good behavior, which they can exchange at the end of the day for small toys

Question 33

The process of providing consequences for a behavior that decreases the probability of that behavior is called:

A) reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) discrete-trial learning.
D) free-operant learning.

Question 34

A conditioning chamber called a _____ delivers reinforcement or punishment automatically whenever an animal makes a particular response.

A) classroom
B) Thorndike box
C) pigeon box
D) Skinner box

Question 35

Which statement is TRUE about shaping?

A) It is a difficult and time-consuming process.
B) It has not yet been successfully used for modifying human behavior.
C) It is a good way to train an animal very quickly.
D) It involves giving bigger rewards as one gets closer to making the correct response.

Question 36

After working for $15 an hour, Sally's pay was cut to $8 an hour. She stopped working so hard, working much less than her coworkers, who had been earning $8 an hour all along. This is an example of:

A) negative contrast.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) positive punishment.
D) negative punishment.

Question 37

In a _____, items called "tokens" work like secondary reinforcers that can be exchanged for items of value.

A) primary reinforcer
B) negative reinforcer
C) token economy
D) token system

Question 38

If an organism expects its favorite reinforcer but receives a less-preferred reinforcer, the phenomenon of _____ predicts that the organism may respond less than if it had received that less-preferred reinforcer at the start.

A) negative contrast
B) negative reinforcement
C) negative behavior
D) negative correlation

Question 39

A mouse is placed in a maze and timed to see how long it takes him to reach the end. Once the first trial is completed, the experimenter places him back in the maze again to see if the speed in which he completes it changes; this is referred to as a:

A) token response.
B) drive-reduction method.
C) free-operant paradigm.
D) discrete trial.

Question 40

Discriminative stimuli are:

A) successive approximations to a desired response.
B) stimuli that signal whether a particular response will lead to a particular outcome.
C) outcomes that increase the probability of a behavior.
D) outcomes that decrease the probability of a behavior.

Question 41

The matching law of choice behavior states that, given two responses that are reinforced on different VI schedules, an organism will:

A) give only the response that provides the better rate of reinforcement.
B)respond in order to approximately match the relative rate of reinforcement for each response.
C)
Give both responses at roughly equal rates.
D)
Become confused and stop responding altogether.

Question 42

Negative punishment involves _____ an outcome to _____ a behavior.

A) adding; increase
B) adding; decrease
C) taking away; increase
D) taking away; decrease

Question 43

A baseball player gets a hit approximately every third time at bat. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-ratio
D) variable-interval

Question 44

A pigeon is given a choice between pecking an upper key on a VI 2' schedule and pecking a lower key on a VI 4' schedule. According to the matching law of choice behavior, the pigeon should:

A) always peck the lower key.
B) always peck the upper key.
C) peck the lower key twice as frequently as the upper key.
D) peck the upper key twice as frequently as the lower key.

Question 45

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie. The cessation of the child's whining would be _____ of the parents' behavior of giving the cookie.

A) positive reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) negative punishment

Question 46

Suppose a man has his driver's license revoked due to several unpaid traffic tickets. The taking away of his license would be _____ of the man's behavior of not paying tickets.

A) positive reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) negative punishment

Question 47

A professor gives her class donuts every Monday. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-ratio
D) variable-interval

Question 48

Suppose a person is trying to save for a new television, but his friends are pressuring him to go out with them tonight to the new club in town. He is MOST likely to stay home and save his money if he:

A) is a teenager.
B) has arranged for his paycheck to be automatically deposited into a savings account.
C) knows it will be a long time before he has enough money to buy the television.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 49

Children may misbehave in order to get the attention that is associated with being punished. In this example, the attention serves as _____ for misbehavior.

A) negative reinforcement
B) positive reinforcement
C) negative punishment
D) positive punishment

Question 50

The study of how organisms allocate their time and resources among possible options is known as:

A) the matching law.
B) behavioral economics.
C) chaining.
D) shaping.

Question 51

A hotel maid is allowed to take a 15-minute break every time she cleans three rooms. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-ratio
D) variable interval

Question 52

Suppose a child whines continuously until his parents give him a cookie. The cookie would be _____ of the child's behavior of whining.

A) positive reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) negative reinforcement
D) negative punishment

Question 53

A postreinforcement pause is seen when _____ schedules of reinforcement are used.

A) variable-interval and variable-ratio
B) fixed-interval and fixed-ratio
C) variable-interval and fixed-ratio
D) fixed-interval and variable-ratio

Question 54

If a pigeon is being trained to peck at a disc for a food reward, which delay between pecking and receiving the reward will lead to the FASTEST learning?

A) 0 seconds
B) 2 seconds
C) 5 seconds
D) 10 seconds

Question 55

Which statement is an example of how discriminative stimuli can encourage cheating?

A) A child who makes silly faces during class is reprimanded by the teacher, but his classmates tell him how funny he is.
B) A teenager is punished for swearing at home but still swears when she is with her friends at school.
C) A drug user is given a warning for his first offense and jail time if he repeats the offense.
D) A politician who is exposed for illegally obtaining money one way will then find another way to obtain the money.

Question 56

Positive reinforcement involves _____ an outcome to _____ a behavior.

A) adding; increase
B) adding; decrease
C) taking away; increase
D) taking away; decrease

Question 57

Parents who decide to use punishment on a misbehaving child should:

A) spank the child, as spanking is the only effective punisher.
B) make sure that the punishment involves giving the child lots of attention.
C) not use spanking because it has been shown to be completely ineffective.
D) also reinforce good behavior.

Question 58

A student watches for shooting stars on a clear night and sees one approximately every 2 minutes. This is an example of a _____ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed-ratio
B) fixed-interval
C) variable-ratio
D) variable-interval

Question 59

Which statement is TRUE about punishment?

A) There is a general agreement that it is an ineffective way to change a behavior.
B) It is considered a good way to change behavior, regardless of how it is used.
C) It is most effective when one begins with a weak punishment and gradually works up to a stronger punishment.
D) Its effects can be counteracted if the punished behavior is simultaneously being reinforced.

Question 60

A child is given a gold star every time she gets an "A" on a test. This is an example of:

A) partial reinforcement.
B) a fixed-interval schedule.
C) continuous reinforcement.
D) a variable-interval schedule.

Question 61

Which area of the brain was informally known as the "pleasure center" after Old's experiment where the rats "liked" the electrical stimulation?

A) the nueral cortex
B) the orbitofrontal cortex
C) the substantia nigra pars compacta
D) the ventral tegmental area

Question 62

Electrical stimulation of the _____ is reinforcing to rats.

A) orbitofrontal cortex
B) dorsal striatum
C) ventral tegmental area
D) motor cortex

Question 63

Which region in the brain contains the dopamine-producing neurons that project to the frontal cortex?

A) the nueral cortex
B) the orbitofrontal cortex
C) the substantia nigra pars compacta
D) the ventral tegmental area

Question 64

Which region in the brain contains the dopamine-producing neurons that project to the striatum?

A) the nueral cortex
B) the orbitofrontal cortex
C) the substantia nigra pars compacta
D) the ventral tegmental area

Question 65

In humans, through the use of PET and f/MRI, increased activity can be seen in dopamine target sites such as the striatum. What triggers this activity?

A) video games
B) cocaine
C) both video games and cocaine
D) None of the answers is correct.

Question 66

The orbitofrontal cortex is particularly important for learning:

A) automatic S-R associations.
B) to predict the outcomes of behaviors.
C) R-O associations.
D) the hedonic value of a stimulus.

Question 67

Hedonic value refers to _____, while motivational value refers to _____.

A) how much one wants a reinforcer; how much one likes a reinforcer
B) how much one likes a reinforcer; how much one wants a reinforcer
C) the strength of a reinforcer; the salience of a stimulus
D) the salience of a stimulus; the strength of a reinforcer

Question 68

A rat with a dorsal striatum lesion would have trouble learning to:

A) press a bar for a food reward.
B) jump over a barrier to escape shock.
C) run in an exercise wheel to obtain a drink of water.
D) receive food when a red light comes on.

Question 69

Which statement is TRUE regarding the orbitofrontal cortex?

A) Orbitofrontal neurons respond when the outcome is expected to be pleasant, but not when it is expected to be unpleasant.
B) Orbitofrontal neurons respond when the outcome is expected to be unpleasant, but not when it is expected to be pleasant.
C) Neurons code the expectation as well as the specific outcome.
D) Orbitofrontal neurons code the pleasantness of a stimulus, but not its identity.

Question 70

The dorsal striatum seems to be particularly important for learning which association(s) in operant conditioning?

A) S-R
B) R-O
C) S-O
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 71

If one has just finished eating one's favorite meal, then that meal will probably have _____ hedonic value and _____ motivational value.

A) high; low
B) low; high
C) high; high
D) low; low

Question 72

Which part of the brain seems to be especially important for maintaining habitual or automatic S-R associations?

A) the dorsal striatum
B) the orbitofrontal cortex
C) the sensory cortices
D) the ventral tegmental area

Question 73

In rats, dopamine is released from the VTA/SNc is triggered by encounters with:

A) food.
B) sex.
C) secondary reinforcers.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 74

If one has been reading for hours and the idea of taking a break to clean the room sounds very attractive, one is exhibiting:

A) chaining.
B) the Premack principle.
C) response deprivation.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 75

Which statement BEST describes behavioral economics?

A) The average high school student spends $100 a week.
B) A dieter on a fixed calorie diet must decide whether to eat several low-calorie meals or have a bowl of ice cream.
C) An average college students spends more time studying than sleeping.
D) If one allocates earnings, one can save enough for early retirement.

Question 76

What neurotransmitter is damaged in individuals suffering from Parkinson's disease?

A) dopamine
B) seratonin
C) striatum
D) endorphins

Question 77

_____ expresses that, if an organism has the option to perform, highly frequent behavior can reinforce a less frequent behavior.

A) Response deprivation
B) Preference response
C) The matching law of choice
D) The Premack principle

Question 78

According to the Premack principle, if a child would rather wash dishes than do homework:

A) homework could be used as a reward for washing dishes.
B) washing dishes could be used as a reward for doing homework.
C) the child's desire to do homework will be increased by restricting access to washing dishes.
D) the child's desire to do dishes will be increased by restricting access to doing homework.

Question 79

In behavioral economics, the _____ refers to the distribution of resources that maximizes the individual's subjective value or satisfaction.

A) behavioral economic
B) economical distribution
C) bliss point
D) economical dispersal

Question 80

If an individual is restricted from performing a specific behavior, in an attempt to make an opportunity to perform this behavior more enticing, the use of the restricted behavior as a reinforcer is known as:

A) free-operant paradigm.
B) response deprivation.
C) operant conditioning.
D) classical conditioning.