Learning Theory (Interventions Operant Conditioning)

Question 1

Positive reinforcement is most effective when the reinforcer is delivered ________ the behaviour; and up to a point, the greater the magnitude of the reinforcer, the greater its effects.

Answer 1

immediately after

Question 2

_________ reduces the effectiveness of the reinforcement

Answer 2

satiation

Question 3

Prompts facilitate the acquisition of a new behaviour and the gradual removal of prompts is referred to as _________

Answer 3

fading

Question 4

Shaping, one form of positive reinforcement, involves reinforcing ______ to the desired behaviour

Answer 4

successive approximations

Question 5

shaping shouldn’t be confused with _______, which involves establishing a sequence of responses

Answer 5

chaining

Question 6

When using the Premack Principle, a ________ behaviour serves as a reinforcer for a behaviour that does not occur often enough; and when using ________, the target behaviour is ignored and alternative behaviours are reinforced

Answer 6

high frequency; differential reinforcement

Question 7

Punishment is most effective when it’s applied at the ______ on the target behaviour and when it’s applied on an ________ schedule

Answer 7

onset; continuous

Question 8

To avoid _______ punishment should be administered in moderate intensity from the start rather than beginning with a weak form and gradually increasing its intensity

Answer 8

habituation

Question 9

it’s important to keep in mind that punishment does not eliminate behaviour, but merely ______ it

Answer 9

suppresses

Question 10

Overcorrection consists of two procedures that can be used individually or together: ______ requires the person to overcorrect the effects of their behaviour, while _______ requires the person to practice alternative and more appropriate behaviours

Answer 10

restitution; positive practice

Question 11

response cost entails removing a ______ each time the target behaviour occurs, while ______ involves removing all sources of reinforcement for a pre-specified period of time following the behaviour

Answer 11

positive reinforcer; time-out

Question 12

operant extinction involves withholding reinforcement from a ________ behaviour to decrease that behaviour. To maximize its effectiveness, the reinforcement must be _______ withheld

Answer 12

previously reinforced; consistently

Question 13

one problem with extinction is that its use may produce a temporary ______ in the target behaviour

Answer 13

increase (extinction burst)

Question 14

A contingency contract is a formal written agreement between two or more parties about the behaviours that are to be modified and the ________ that will follow those behaviours

Answer 14

rewards and punishments

Question 15

a token economy is a structured environment in which desirable behaviours are increased by reinforcing them with _________ reinforcers (tokens) that can be exchanged for ____ reinforcers, while undesirable behaviours are decreased by removing or withholding reinforcers.

Answer 15

generalized secondary; back-up (primary)

Question 16

function-based interventions are derived from the results of a functional behavioural assessment, which identifies the characteristics of the target behaviour and its ________

Answer 16

antecedents and consequences

Question 17

A chimpanzee pushes a button to turn on a tone. Once the tone sounds, the chimpanzee pulls a lever to turn on a green light. Once the green light is on, the chimpanzee slides a door open to obtain a treat. Which of the following techniques was used to teach this sequence of behaviors to the chimpanzee?

Answer 17

chaining

Question 18

An operant technique in which all opportunities for positive reinforcement are made unavailable for a specified period of time following the performance of an undesirable behavior in order to reduce that behavior is known as:

Answer 18

time-out

Question 19

A teacher uses verbal reprimands whenever students in his class misbehave in order to reduce their misbehavior. If the reprimands have the desired effect, they are acting as which of the following?

Answer 19

positive punishment

Question 20

Differential reinforcement is best conceptualized as?

Answer 20

a combination of extinction and positive reinforcement

Question 21

“Grandma’s rule” – e.g., “You must eat your string beans before you can go outside to play” – is most similar to which of the following techniques?

Answer 21

Premack Principle
(Use of a high-frequency behavior (going out to play) to reinforce a low-frequency behavior (eating string beans) to increase the low-frequency behavior is referred to as the Premack Principle.)

Question 22

In a token economy, the tokens are:

Answer 22

generalized secondary reinforcers

Question 23

The technique known as “overcorrection” consists of:

Answer 23

restitution, positive practice, and physical guidance

Question 24

You would conduct a functional behavioral assessment to:

Answer 24

identify the antecedents and consequences that control or maintain a specific behavior.