Module 21

Question 1

operant conditioning

Answer 1

associate voluntary actions with consequences

Question 2

law of effect

Answer 2

Thorndike; behaviors with rewards are more likely and vice versa

Question 3

behavior control

Answer 3

can use law of effect to control behavior and have people/animals act out of character

Question 4

operant chamber (Skinner Box)

Answer 4

contains a bar/key that an animal can manipulate to obtain food/water (positive reinforcer) while a device records progress

Question 5

reinforcement

Answer 5

any event that strengthens the behavior it follows

Question 6

shaping

Answer 6

procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approx of desired behavior; can help to understand what nonverbal organisms perceive and that they perceive concepts

Question 7

successive approximations

Answer 7

reinforcing responses that are even closer to final desired behavior and ignore all other responses

Question 8

discriminative stimulus

Answer 8

signals that a response will be reinforced

Question 9

positive reinforcer

Answer 9

behavior increases; desirable consequence given

Question 10

positive punishment

Answer 10

behavior decreases; undesirable consequence given

Question 11

negative punishment

Answer 11

behavior decreases; desirable consequence taken away

Question 12

negative reinforcement

Answer 12

behavior increases; undesriable consequence taken away

Question 13

primary reinforcer

Answer 13

innately reinforced stimulus, such as one that satisfies a biological need (ex: food)

Question 14

conditioned/secondary reinforcer

Answer 14

stimulus that gains reinforcing power through association with primary reinforcer (ex: money)

Question 15

immediate reinforcer

Answer 15

more likely to be effective than delayed reinforcer

Question 16

delayed gratification effects

Answer 16

socially competent and high-achieving adults

Question 17

reinforcement schedules

Answer 17

define how often a desired response will be reinforced

Question 18

continuous reinforcement

Answer 18

reinforcing desired behavior every time it occurs; learning and extinction are fast

Question 19

partial (intermittent) reinforcement schedules

Answer 19

responses are only sometimes reinforced; learning is slower but higher resistance to extinction

Question 20

fixed-ratio schedules

Answer 20

reinforce behavior after a set # of responses; high response rate

Question 21

variable-ratio schedules

Answer 21

provide reinforcers after an unpredictable # of responses; high response rate and consistency

Question 22

fixed inteval schedules

Answer 22

reinforcement for behavior after a fixed time; response rate increases as time draws near

Question 23

variable interval schedules

Answer 23

reinforcement for behavior after a random amount of time; high consistency

Question 24

punishment

Answer 24

consequence that decreases behavior

Question 25

drawbacks of physical punishment

Answer 25

since punished behavior is suppressed not forgotten, may negatively reinforce parents’ punishing bavhior; teaches discrimination among situations; can teach fear; can increase aggression by modeling violence as a way to cope with problems

Question 26

applications of operant conditioning

Answer 26

at school, in sports, at work, in parenting, and to change personal behavior