Operant Conditioning

a conditioned reinforcer; a primary reinforcer

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

environmental

According to B.F. Skinner _____ factors determine a person's behavior.

operant

According to _____ conditioning principles, parents should not yell to express their anger when dealing with a young girl who is resistant to going to school every morning.

negative

Danielle's daughter repeatedly hit her playmates during their game of tag. Danielle denied her daughter dessert as a consequence. This is an example of a(n) _____ punishment.

law of effect

Edward Thorndike's research with cats demonstrated that behavior changes due to its consequences. Favorable consequences lead to the behavior being repeated while unfavorable consequences make the behavior less likely. Thorndike referred to this as the _____.

reward specific, achievable behaviors rather than vaguely defined "merit."

Malina owns a landscaping company and employs several college students during the summer. She would like to improve the productivity of her employees. According to research on improving job performance through operant conditioning, Malina should:

negative reinforcement

Michael is busy with the work project that he brought home. His son wants him to put a movie into 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 away. This best illustrates the value of:

negative punishment

Nanette's daughter refused to brush her teeth and threw her toys across the room. Nanette gave her daughter a 9-minute time-out. This is an example of a(n):

fixed ratio

Nupura receives a money-saving credit card offer in the mail complete with a frequent-flyer reward program. Nupura is excited until she reads the fine print and realizes that the one mile for every dollar spent may not be such a great offer after all. She'll get a $500 airline ticket only after she acquires 25,000 miles or spends $25,000. This offer is a _____ schedule.

reward Jamal for not interrupting her during a phone call.

Whenever Shamika tries to talk on the telephone, her 10-year-old son Jamal repeatedly interrupts her. If Shamika wants to use operant conditioning principles to successfully alleviate the behavior, the most efficient response would be to:

Skinner advocated the greater use of punishment to control human behavior and achieve a more perfect society.

Which statement about B.F. Skinner's beliefs is false?