Deck 5: Schedules of Reinforcement

Question 1

Resurgence happens when:

A) High-probability behavior persists
B) Reinforcement magnitude is doubled
C) Response variability declines
D) Behavior is put on extinction

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When analyzing response patterns during extinction, if there are increasing periods of pausing followed by high rates of response, the organism's behavior is in a ______ pattern.

A) Postreinforcement pause
B) Preratio pause
C) Respondent
D) Break-and-run

Answer 2

D

Question 3

If food is presented every time a pigeon pecks a key, then the behavior is on a ______ schedule of reinforcement.

A) Concurrent
B) Continuous
C) Ratio
D) Interval

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Mechner notation describes:

A) Stimulus effects
B) Dependent variables
C) Independent variables
D) Response contingencies

Question 5

Schedules that generate predictable stair-step patterns are:

A) Random ratio
B) Variable ratio
C) Fixed ratio
D) Fixed interval

Question 6

What is the relationship between the experimental analysis of behavior and the organism's memories and thought processes?

A) It is important to use behavior as a means to infer both cognitions and memories in the individual exhibiting the behavior
B) An experimental analysis of behavior discourages speculations on memories and thought processes
C) Without an understanding of the organism's thought process, behavior cannot be changed
D) An experimental analysis of behavior rejects free choice and therefore sees cognition and memory as irrelevant

Question 7

Human performance on FI varies from animal data due to ______.

A) Alternate strategies
B) Intelligence differences
C) Self-instruction
D) Contingency effects

Question 8

Variable-ratio schedules generate:

A) Postreinforcement pauses
B) Break-and-run performance
C) High rates of response
D) Locked rates

Question 9

Schedules of reinforcement were first described by:

A) Francis Mechner
B) B. F. Skinner
C) Fergus Lowe
D) Charles Ferster

Question 10

The major conclusion of Cohen, Richardson, Klebez, Febbo, and Tucker's (2001) study investigating forearm-muscle tension and feedback on five different schedules is that:

A) Variable schedules produce higher response rates than fixed schedules
B) Changes in physiological responses during biofeedback show that internal responses are operant behaviors
C) Internal responses are highly resistant to external reinforcement
D) Biofeedback is a useful clinical treatment for muscle pain

Question 11

The shape of the response pattern generated by an FI is called a ______.

A) Break and pause
B) Ogive
C) Accelerating dynamic
D) Scallop

Question 12

Infrequent reinforcement generates responding that is persistent, which is called the:

A) Postreinforcement pause
B) Molar maximizing
C) Partial reinforcement effect
D) Intermittent resistance

Question 13

Behavior is said to be in transition when it is between:

A) Stable states
B) A rock and a hard place
C) A response run
D) One schedule and another

Question 14

A rat receives a pellet for the first response after 5 minutes regardless of how often they press the lever. This is an example of a(n) _____ schedule.

A) Interval
B) Ratio
C) Concurrent
D) Baseline

Question 15

Organisms become _______ in their responding as reinforcement becomes less frequent or predictable.

A) More variable
B) Faster
C) Less variable
D) Slower

Question 16

Schedules that combine time and responses are called:

A) Partial reinforcement schedules
B) Complex schedules
C) Interval schedules
D) Fixed-time schedules

Question 17

_______ is the increase in topographic variability during extinction after a period of reinforcement.

A) Resurgence
B) Resistance
C) Reinforcement
D) Baseline return

Question 18

Mechner notation used in behavioral analysis describes ___________.

A) The consequence, not the response
B) The behavior of the organisms, not what the experimenter does
C) The response, not the consequence
D) What the experimenter does, not the behavior of the organisms

Question 19

From a behavior analysis perspective, peoples' stable dispositions and personality traits can be viewed as:

A) Internal influences on behavior
B) Reactions to random changes in the environment
C) Products of consistent schedules of reinforcement in the environment
D) Products of the interplay between genes and environment

Question 20

From a behavioral analysis standpoint, a child working hard to achieve good grades is caused by _______.

A) High motivation
B) Low motivation
C) Environmental contingencies
D) Positive reinforcement

Question 21

Which of the following best describes performance of rats in the CON (contingent) food access group in the study of progressive-ratio (PR) schedules on wheel running in a closed economy? (Fonseca et al., 2014).

A) The rats met the PR requirement in each phase of the study and increased the amount eaten each day compared to baseline
B) The rats met the PR requirement in each phase of the study, but ate less each day compared to baseline
C) The rats failed to meet the PR requirement in the later phases of the study and continued to eat the same amount each day compared to baseline
D) The rats failed to meet the PR requirement in the later phases of the study, but ate less each day compared to baseline

Question 22

Progressive-ratio (PR) schedules are frequently used to evaluate:

A) How fast an organism can respond
B) The value of a reinforcer
C) An organism's ability to tolerate increased work loads
D) The physical health of an organism

Question 23

Which of the following is not a characteristic of behavioral dynamics?

A) Relies on sophisticated mathematical modeling to model changes over time
B) Suggests that equilibrium and the matching of time allocation among activities may be important to understanding behavior
C) Views behavior as a type of physics
D) Focuses primarily on the effects of ratio schedules on behavior

Question 24

A schedule that is made up of a series of alternately presented fixed-ratio (FR) schedules with the values FR 5, FR 10, FR 20, FR 25, and FR 40 would be best described as:

A) A variable-ratio 20 schedule
B) A fixed-ratio 20 schedule
C) A variable-ratio 100 schedule
D) A fixed-ratio 100 schedule

Question 25

Lowe and colleagues (1983) explained their observation that humans generated either high or low rates of responding, but not the typical schedule patterns observed in animals, during schedule training, by arguing that:

A) Language causes humans to behave according to a rule rather than the arranged contingencies
B) Schedule studies in humans are too short to develop the stereotypical patterns
C) Schedule effects do not generalize from animal to human behavior
D) Humans are not motivated to be in the study so they do not pay sufficient attention to the contingencies

Question 26

Online farming games often require the player to return after a certain amount of time to collect the crop. If the player fails to check the crop within a specified amount of time after it is ready for harvest, it dies and no longer pays off when harvested. This is an example of:

A) A limited hold
B) A postreinforcement pause
C) Break-and-run responding
D) Behavioral momentum

Question 27

When considering ratio and interval schedules of reinforcement:

A) Interval schedules produce a higher rate of response
B) Ratio schedules produce a higher rate of response
C) To get the highest rate of responding the researcher must alternate between ratio and interval schedules
D) Rate of responding is equal

Question 28

Darius works as a salesperson, getting clients to buy his products. He is paid a commission whenever he makes a sale. This is an example of a ______ schedule of reinforcement.

A) Fixed-ratio
B) Variable-ratio
C) Fixed-interval
D) Variable-interval

Question 29

Roll, Higgins, and Badger (1996) tested the effectiveness of schedules of reinforcement for reducing cigarette smoking. The results of their study indicated that:

A) Progressive schedules produced the highest level of abstinence and reduction in smoking
B) Providing a constant payout produced the highest level of abstinence and reduction in smoking
C) Both the progressive and constant schedules were equally as effective and both were better than the control condition
D) Neither schedule showed improvements over the control condition

Question 30

McDowell and Wixted's (1986) schedule with the molar properties of a VR schedule, but with the molecular properties of a VI schedule, is called a:

A) Variable ratio plus linear feedback (VR+) schedule
B) Variable interval plus linear feedback (VI+) schedule
C) Variable ratio plus variable interval (VR+VI+) schedule
D) Linear feedback plus IRT (LF+IRT) schedule

Question 31

Apple's iPhone 6 introduced 3D touch, a technology that allows the phone to respond differently depending on how much force is used to touch the screen. This is an example of:

A) Conjugate reinforcement
B) Extinction burst
C) Resurgence
D) Biofeedback

Question 32

Behavioral momentum:

A) Refers to the higher rate of behavior observed in ratio schedules compared to interval schedules
B) Refers to the tendency for behavior that is intermittently reinforced to be more resistant to extinction than behavior on continuous reinforcement
C) Refers to the high rate of behavior observed on variable schedules compared to fixed schedules of reinforcement
D) Refers to behavior that persists or continues in the presence of a stimulus for reinforcement despite disruptive factors

Question 33

On a fixed-interval schedule, the postreinforcement pause is approximately ____ the length of the interreinforcement interval.

A) Three-fourths
B) One-half
C) One-third
D) One-fourth

Question 34

The postreinforcement pause is not caused by:

A) The moment of reinforcement
B) The upcoming ratio requirement
C) Pausing to consume the reinforcer
D) The magnitude of the reinforcer

Question 35

The feedback function of schedule performance refers to:

A) The time between any two occurrences of a behavior
B) The reinforcement that occurs for shorter breaks between responses on ratio schedules
C) The relation between response rate and reinforcement rate
D) The tendency for ratio schedules to produce longer postreinforcement pauses

Question 36

Mark's boss allows him to take a break after every 10 keychains that he assembles. This is an example of a ______ schedule of reinforcement.

A) Variable-interval
B) Variable-ratio
C) Fixed-interval
D) Fixed-ratio

Question 37

Increasing the number of responses required in a ratio schedule of reinforcement too quickly often results in a stereotyped pattern of behavior that includes emotional responding and a failure to perform the required behavior. This pattern of behavior is referred to as:

A) Ratio strain
B) A postreinforcement pause
C) A prereinforcement pause
D) An inter-trial interval

Question 38

Maria is paid on Friday, every two weeks. This is an example of a ______ schedule of reinforcement.

A) Variable-interval
B) Fixed-interval
C) Fixed-ratio
D) Variable-ratio

Question 39

The critical measure on progressive-ratio (PR) schedules is typically:

A) The rate of responding
B) The frequency of responding
C) The length of the postreinforcement pause
D) The breakpoint where the organism fails to complete the requirement

Question 40

The finding that the force of response changes as animals get closer to completing the ratio requirement on a work task challenges the idea of:

A) The postreinforcement pause
B) The prereinforcement pause
C) Ratio strain
D) The equal cost assumption