Module 21

Classical conditioning focuses on ________________ behavior, whereas operant conditioning focuses on ________________ behavior.

respondent; operant

When grocery shopping with his mother, 3-year-old Dre sometimes throws temper tantrums if his mother refuses his requests for a particular cereal. Parent-training experts would suggest that his mother should:

continue shopping while ignoring Dre's tantrums.

According to B. F. Skinner

environmental factors determine a person's behavior.

With continuous reinforcement, an organism is reinforced ________________. With intermittent reinforcement, an organism is reinforced ________________.

every time the desired behavior occurs; sporadically when the desired behavior occurs

Irene is having trouble convincing her husband that spanking isn't necessarily the best way to control their child's behavior. Which of the following arguments should she use to support her position?

All of these arguments support her position to avoid spanking.

_______________________ involves an aversive stimulus that, when removed after a response, strengthens the response.

Negative reinforcement

__________________ behavior operates on the environment, whereas ________________ behavior involves actions that are automatic responses to a stimulus.

Operant; respondent

According to operant conditioning principles, which of the following would NOT be recommended when dealing with a young girl who is resistant to going to school every morning?

Parents should express their anger by yelling at the girl.

Which of the following statements about B. F. Skinner is TRUE?

Skinner believed that human behavior is determined by environmental consequences, not by individual choice or free will.

The law of effect laid the foundation for:

Skinner's experiments on reinforcement

The law of effect states that rewarded behavior is likely to recur and is this psychologist's principle.

Thorndike

Critics of B. F. Skinner were concerned that:

he dehumanized people because he ignored the existence of personal freedom and dignity.

Shaping is a method used by skinner to

a. guide an organism to exhibit a complex behavior using successive approximations.

Both classical and operant conditioning are forms of:

associative learning.

Which of the following is an example of a respondent behavior?

blushing when embarrassed

Children who receive a payoff for playing with an interesting toy have later been observed to play with the toy more often than those who did not receive the reward. These findings provide support for the role of _________________ in operant behavior.

cognitive processes

A word of praise is to a delicious meal as ______________ is to ______________.

conditioned reinforcer; primary reinforcer

During a typical morning, Colin will check the clock more frequently as the time for his regularly scheduled lunch break approaches. Colin's clock-checking behavior is reinforced on a ________ schedule.

fixed-interval

Secondary reinforcers are powerful tools for shaping behavior because they have become associated with primary reinforcers. Which of the following is NOT a secondary reinforcer?

food

One main difference between punishment and reinforcement is that the goal of reinforcement is to ____________ a behavior, while the goal of punishment is to ____________ a behavior

increase; decrease

Classical and operant conditioning are similar in many ways. Which of the following processes does NOT apply commonly to both types of learning?

involuntary responses

Nannette's daughter refused to brush her teeth and threw her toys across the room. Nannette gave her daughter a 20-minute time-out. Nannette's response is an example of:

negative punishment

5. Michael is busy with his work project that he brought home. His son wants him to put a movie in the DVD player. Michael tells him to wait 10 minutes; however, his son whines and complains so much that Michael decides to put the movie in right now. Michael's whining best illustrates:

negative reinforcement

Classical conditioning is to operant conditioning as _____ are to _____.

nvoluntary responses; voluntary responses

If children get attention for doing cartwheels, they will repeat the trick if they find this attention to be enjoyable. This best illustrates:

operant conditioning

Four years ago, the Acme Tool and Dye manufacturers included its employees in a profit-sharing plan in which workers receive quarterly bonuses based on the company's profits. Since this plan was initiated, worker productivity at Acme Tool and Dye has nearly doubled. This productivity increase is best explained in terms of:

operant conditioning.

B. F. Skinner's critics have claimed that he neglected the importance of the individual's

personal freedom.

To reduce the self-destructive behavior of some children, a therapist might squirt water in the children's faces whenever they bite themselves. The squirt of water is a:

positive punishment.

_______________________ involves any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

positive reinforcement

7You have been working nights and weekends to get a project completed at work. You are successful, and a couple of weeks later you come into work and your boss presents you with a bonus check. This bonus then encourages you to work more nights and weekends. This best illustrates the value of:

positive reinforcement.

Which of the following is LEAST likely to be considered an important component of effective student instruction involving the use of interactive software?

respondent behavior

Kendra learned how to make 3-point basketball shots by successfully making very short shots before shooting from increasingly longer distances from the hoop. This learning strategy best illustrates the process of:

shaping

B. F. Skinner believed that teaching machines could promote effective learning because they allow for both:

shaping and immediate reinforcement.

Rhonda has oversight responsibility for the servicing and repair of her company's fleet of cars, so she frequently calls the garage mechanic to inquire whether service on various cars has been completed. Because service completion times are unpredictable, she is likely to be reinforced with positive responses to her inquiries on a ______________ schedule.

variable interval

3. Gamblers and fishermen have a difficult time controlling their need to gamble and fish because of the _____________ schedule of reinforcement.

variable-ratio

For professional baseball players, swinging at a pitched ball is reinforced with a home run on a _____________ schedule.

variable-ratio

Jack finds it extremely difficult to pull himself away from the blackjack table. He keeps thinking he will break even as the next hand will be his winning one. This is a ________ schedule.

variable-ration