Quiz 3 (Skinner)

Question 1

Skinner: Human behavior is shaped by three forces

Answer 1

(1) the individual’s personal
history of reinforcement
(2) natural selection
(3) the evolution of
cultural practices

Question 2

learning takes place mostly because of the effects that follow a response, and he called this observation

Answer 2

Thorndike the law of effect

“stamped in”

“stamped out”

Question 3

rewards or punishment more predictable?

Answer 3

effects of rewards are more predictable than the effects of punishments in shaping behavior

Question 4

learning takes place mostly because of the effects that follow a response, and he called this observation

Answer 4

Thorndike the law of effect

“stamped in”

“stamped out”

Question 5

second and more direct influence on Skinner was the work of

Answer 5

John B. Watson // consciousness and introspection must play no role in the scientific study of human behavior // the goal of psychology is the prediction and control of behavior

Question 6

Scientific Behaviorism (Skinner) can best be studied without reference to

Answer 6

needs, instincts, or motives

Question 7

Skinner’s Philosophy of Science

Answer 7

interpretation should not be confused with an explanation

Question 8

Characteristics of Science

Answer 8

cumulative

empirical observation

lawful relationships:
scientific method consists of prediction, control, and description

Question 9

classical conditioning, behavior is

Answer 9

elicited

Question 10

operant conditioning, behavior is

Answer 10

emitted

called operant because organism operates on the environment to produce a specific effect

Question 11

Skinner believed that most human behaviors are learned through

Answer 11

operant conditioning

Question 12

operant conditioning, three conditions are present:

Explain three essential components

Answer 12

1. the antecedent / environment
2. the behavior / telling a joke
3. the consequence / people laugh

Question 13

A response to a similar environment in the absence of previous reinforcement is called

Answer 13

stimulus generalization

Question 14

3 Effects of Punishment

Answer 14

better served by positive and negative reinforcement than by punishment

1) suppress behavior
- if a boy teases his younger sister, his parents
can make him stop by spanking him, but unfortunately this punishment will not
improve his disposition toward his sister. It merely suppresses teasing temporarily

2) conditioning of a negative feeling
- thought of being spanked may elicit a classical conditioned response, such as fear, anxiety, guilt, or shame. Lamentably, it offers no positive instruction to the child

3) the spread of its effects
- behavior toward his family becomes maladaptive. Yet this inappropriate behavior serves the purpose of preventing future punishment. Skinner recognized
the classical Freudian defense mechanisms as effective means of avoiding pain

Question 15

There are two types of punishment:

Answer 15

The first requires the presentation of an aversive stimulus

The second involves the removal of a positive reinforcer

An example of the former is pain encountered from falling as the result
of walking too fast on an icy sidewalk. An example of the latter is a heavy fine levied
against a motorist for driving too fast.

Question 16

Money is a

Answer 16

conditioned reinforcer, sometimes called secondary reinforcers

it is a generalized reinforcer because it is associated with more than one primary reinforcer

Question 17

primary reinforcers

Answer 17

food, water, sex, or physical

comfort

Question 18

five important generalized reinforcers that sustain

much of human behavior:

Answer 18

1. Attention
2. Submission of others
3. Token (money)

Question 19

behavior trained on an intermittent schedule is much more ______ to extinction

Answer 19

Slow

Question 20

Skinner’s Theory is called

Answer 20

Behavioral Analysis