Ch 4: Practice Test Flashcards
_______ is defined as a process in which a behavior is strengthened by the immediate _______ that reliably follows its occurrence.
Reinforcement, consequence
To say that a behavior is strengthened means that the behavior is more likely to _______ again in the future or that it will increase in _______ , _______ , _______ , or _______ in the future.
occur frequency, duration, intensity, speed
A behavior that is strengthened through the process of reinforcement is called a(n) _______ behavior.
operant
An _______ behavior acts on the _______ to produce a consequence and in turn is controlled by, or occurs as a result of, its _______ consequence.
operant, environment, immediate
Positive reinforcement is when the occurrence of a behavior is followed by the _______ of a stimulus or an _______ in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the strengthening of the behavior.
addition, increase
Negative reinforcement is when the occurrence of a behavior is followed by the _______ of a stimulus or a decrease in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the _______ of the behavior.
removal, strengthening
Kevin’s behavior of giving his girlfriend a compliment was _______ reinforced with a kiss, and therefore, Kevin was more likely to compliment his girlfriend in the future.
positively
Bonnie’s behavior of reaching over and turning off her alarm clock was _______ reinforced by the removal of the aversive buzzing, thus strengthening her behavior of turning off the clock when it buzzes.
negatively
Negative reinforcement _______ or ________ a behavior.
increases, strengthens
Punishment _______ or _______ a behavior.
decreases, weakens
In negative reinforcement, the stimulus that is removed or avoided following the behavior is called a(n) _______ stimulus.
aversive
The buzzer on the alarm clock is a(n) _______ stimulus that is removed when you turn off the alarm clock.
aversive
An _______ reinforcer is a reinforcer that requires no training or conditioning to develop as a reinforcer.
unconditioned
Examples of unconditioned positive reinforcers are
food, water, sexual stimulation
Examples of unconditioned negative reinforcers are
pain, cold, heat, discomforting/aversive stimulation
An unconditioned reinforcer is also called a
primary reinforcer
A conditioned reinforcer is also called a
secondary reinforcer
A conditioned reinforcer is a stimulus that was once _____ but became established as a reinforcer by being paired with an _______ reinforcer or an already _______ conditioned reinforcer.
neutral, unconditioned, established
The five factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement are
- the immediacy
- consistency of the consequence
- Motivating operations
- individual differences
- magnitude of the consequence
_______ refers to the temporal relationship between a response and a reinforcer. For a consequence to be most effective as a reinforcer, it should occur _______ after the behavior occurs.
Contiguity, immediately
The longer the delay between the response and the consequence, the ____ effective the consequence will be because the _______ or _______ between the two is weakened.
less, contiguity, connection
A contingency exists between the response and the consequence when the response produces the _______ and the consequence does not occur unless the _______ occurs first.
consequence, response
Reinforcement is most effective when the reinforcer is _______ on the behavior.
contingent
An _______ operation is an event that makes a reinforcer more potent.
establishing
Give 2 examples of an establishing operation
- food will be a more powerful reinforcer when a person hasn’t eaten all day.
- Water will be a more potent reinforcer for someone who has just run a race than for someone who has been sitting on the porch drinking iced tea.
An _______ operation is an event that makes a reinforcer less potent.
abolishing
Give an example of an abolishing operation.
Completing a large meal makes food less reinforcing at that time.
A stimulus can be said to function as a _______ for an individual if the behavior which produced the stimulus increases (is strengthened) in the future.
reinforcer
A _______ schedule is one in which each occurrence of a response is followed by a reinforcer.
continuous reinforcement
In an ________ schedule, each occurrence of the behavior is not followed by a reinforcer.
intermittent reinforcement
A CRF schedule is used when a person is learning a behavior or engaging in the behavior for the _______.
first time
Once the person has acquired or learned a behavior, a(n) _______ schedule is used so that the person continues to engage in the behavior.
intermittent reinforcement
In _______ and _______ schedules, the delivery of the reinforcer is based on the number of responses that occur.
fixed ratio (FR), variable ratio (VR)
In a _______ ratio schedule of reinforcement, a specific number of responses must occur before the reinforcer is delivered.
fixed
In a _______ ratio schedule, the number of responses required for reinforcement changes each time around an average number.
variable
In fixed _______ and variable _______ schedules, a response is reinforced only after a period of time has passed.
interval, interval
Ratio schedules are _____ likely to be used in training programs, because they produce ______ and more _____ rates of responding.
more, higher, steady
