Ch. 6, 7 and 8 (Pre-test Q's)

In early November, Malcolm always buys a few cords of hardwood so keep his cabin warm in the winter. Which of the following best describes Malcolm's actions?

avoidance activity

A decrease in the rate of reinforcement on one component of a multiple reinforcement schedule that results in an increase in rate of response on the other component is a(n) ________.

positive contrast effect

What is often a side effect of extinction?

depressive-like symptoms

Which of the following methods is grounded in a step-by-step approach to behavioral learning?

shaping

Which of the following has the most influence according to the Premack principle?

Behavior

In which of the following will it be easiest to achieve the behavioral bliss point?

Eating at a buffet restaurant

How did Skinner think that operant conditioning differs from classical conditioning?

He believed operant behavior is voluntary.

Which statement accurately describes a strength and a weakness of errorless discrimination training?

It can help in the rote learning of facts, but may be an impediment for learning more complex information that requires flexibility.

What effect does differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) have on the extinction process?

It greatly enhances extinction.

To help his tired mom, one day Matt decided to vacuum and dust the house before she came home from work. Which of the following would be an effective punisher for Matt's behavior?

Mom comes home and criticizes Matt's cleaning technique.

How can spontaneous recovery be overcome in order to extinguish a behavior?

One must be persistent in not rewarding the behavior that is to be extinguished.

In order to receive reinforcement on a conjunctive schedule, a subject must do which of the following?

Perform A and B.

Why do people more frequently pursue punishment strategies over reward strategies to change the behavior of others?

Punishment works faster.

After using instrumental conditioning to train a rat to press a lever for food, the researchers begin extinction trials. For one week after completing the extinction trials, the rat rested, receiving no training or intervention from the researchers. After that week, the researchers placed the rat back in the experimental box, and the rat immediately ran to press the lever. This rat's behavior best illustrates ________.

Spontaneous Recovery

What is one explanation for the peak shift effect?

Subjects respond to relative values rather than absolute values during discrimination training.

Why can duration schedules present problems for researchers?

They do not address level of effort.

Which animal has been trained using a form of stimulus control known as targeting?

a dolphin that touches a stick with its snout

Which option creates the greatest resistance to extinction?

a partial reinforcement schedule

Which of the following would be a discriminative stimulus for Jeremiah, a third grade student who takes pride in being labeled the class clown?

a roomful of students

In what type of schedule is a subject's hard work "rewarded" with even more hard work?

adjusting schedule

A temporary increase in the frequency and intensity of responding when extinction is first implemented is known as ________.

an extinction burst

How does the subject have significant control in the process of operant conditioning?

by assessing the payoff of a behavior

After playing outside all day in the woods, Luke's mother told him that he was too dirty to sit at the supper table. An operant conditioning researcher would predict that Luke will perform which of the following behaviors?

clean up

Rhonda loves going to visit her grandmother Elsa. No matter how stressful Rhonda's life might be, the moment she arrives Elsa gives her a big hug and makes everything feel better. Which type of reinforcement schedule is Elsa practicing?

continuous reinforcement

Which theory of reinforcement is associated with primary reinforcers?

drive reduction theory

Iman recently adopted an older dog named Rusty. The shelter warned that Rusty will relentlessly beg for food, and his past owners let the dog become overweight. Now no matter how much Rusty looks at her with sad eyes, Iman will not give Rusty food except for his set mealtimes. What is Iman trying to accomplish with Rusty?

extinction

LaToya's favorite time of year is Halloween, because she knows that she can go to every house in her neighborhood and get a treat. What reinforcement schedules play a role in LaToya's experience?

fixed ratio; fixed time

Tracey has been working on her dissertation for months, and the process has often been a struggle with a good deal of procrastination. But doing the final revisions over the past week, Tracey found that she was more productive than ever. What caused this change in Tracey's behavior?

goal gradient effect

Which of the following is a natural reinforcer for the team who is at bat in a baseball game?

hitting a home run

What does the steepness of a generalization gradient indicate?

how much generalization is occurring

What makes people decide to watch a kung fu movie marathon instead of studying for the bar exam, when getting into law school is clearly an important goal?

immediate reinforcement

According to Thorndike's law of effect, a subject will repeat a behavior if

it offers pleasant consequences

In many TV situation comedies, a woman will withhold sex from her husband until he stops an annoying behavior. It's a classic storytelling device. It's also an example of

negative punishment using a primary reinforcer

Which of the following is an example of negative punishment?

not allowing a girl to go to a slumber party

In the classic "I Love Lucy" TV show, Lucy and Ethel get jobs at a candy factory, wrapping chocolates on an assembly line. Because they perform so well, the supervisor speeds up the line so the candies come faster and faster. Eventually, Lucy and Ethel can't maintain the pace and give up, watching the candies pass them by and fall on the floor. Which of the following is demonstrated in this comedic scene?

ratio strain

In the language of operant conditioning contingencies, the word "negative" refers to

removal of a stimulus

Estella always did yoga for an hour a day. But since the baby was born she barely has time to do more than a few quick poses in a week. Even though she can't stand her sister-in-law, Estella is willing to ask her to come and watch the baby so she can have a yoga break now and then. Which of the following is reflected in Estella's situation?

response deprivation

Charles is setting up a factory to build a gadget he invented. To maximize his profits, he wants to get the highest level of production out of his employees. Which reinforcement schedule should Charles establish for the factory workers?

response rate

Four-year-old Timothy is having a temper tantrum at the dinner table because he wants ice cream instead of the soup that the family is eating for dinner. His parents do not give in, and after Timothy realizes he will not be getting ice cream instead of soup, he asks his mother to spoon feed him the soup, something he has not asked for since he was two years old. Timothy's reaction illustrates ________.

resurgence

The fact that a person answers a phone when it rings illustrates ________.

stimulus control

The tendency for an operant response to be emitted in the presence of a stimulus that is similar to a discriminative stimulus is known as ________.

stimulus generalization

In an experiment with an FD-30 schedule, what does the number 30 indicate?

the amount of time the subject must respond

Which of the basic reinforcement schedules produces steady responses at a moderate rate?

variable interval

Casino slot machines are designed so that people keep playing - often to their own financial detriment - because there is always the possibility that they may win big on the next attempt. Which reinforcement schedule are the game designers employing?

variable ratio