Week 4

Question 1

Positive Reinforcer

Answer 1

Is anything that when presented immediately following a behavior causes the behavior to increase in frequency

Question 2

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 2

if someone in a given situation does something that is followed immediately by a positive reinforcer, then that person is more likely to do the same thing the next time he or she encounters a similar situation

Question 3

Operant Behaviour

Answer 3

Behavior that
affects (“operates on”) the
environment to produce
consequences which is, in turn,
influenced by those conditions

Question 4

Operant Learning

Answer 4

Behavior is
modified (selected) by its
consequences

Question 5

8 Factors Related to the Effectiveness of Positive Reinforcement

Answer 5

1. Selecting
   the Behavior
   to Be
   Increased
2. Choosing Reinforcers
3. Motivating
   Operations
4. Reinforcer
   Size
5. Instructions: Make Use of Rules
6. Reinforcer
   Immediacy
7. Contingent vs. Noncontingent Reinforcers

Question 6

Motivating Operations

Answer 6

Are related to
states of deprivation and satiation or
habituation

Question 7

Value Altering

Answer 7

Temporarily alter the effectiveness of
a reinforcer

Question 8

Behaviour Altering

Answer 8

Alter the frequency of behavior
reinforced by that reinforcer

Question 9

Food Deprivation

Answer 9

• Establishes food as an effective
  reinforcer (alters its value)
• Momentarily increases behaviors
  that have been reinforced by food
  (behavior altering)

Question 10

Satiation

Answer 10

Refers to the condition in which the individual has experienced the reinforcer to such an extent that it is no longer reinforcing

Question 11

Contingent Reinforcement

Answer 11

A specific behavior must
occur before the reinforcer will be presented

Question 12

Natural Reinforcers

Answer 12

Reinforcers that follow behavior in the course of everyday living

Question 13

Noncontigent Reinforcement

Answer 13

The reinforcer is presented at a particular time, regardless of the preceding behaviour

Question 14

Simple Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 14

• A conditioned reinforcer that
  is paired with a single backup reinforcer
• E.g., Fuel card, Compass card, Gift certificate for entrance to the Capilano Suspension Bridge

Question 15

Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer

Answer 15

• A conditioned reinforcer
  that is paired with more than one kind of backup reinforcer
• E.g., Money, praise, Starbucks card, iTunes card

Question 16

Unconditioned Reinforcement

Answer 16

Reinforcement that works without prior learning

Question 17

Conditioned Reinforcement

Answer 17

A stimulus that acts as reinforcement because of the individual’s learning history

Question 18

Four Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Conditioned Reinforcement

Answer 18

1. Strength of Backup Reinforcers
2. Variety of
   Backup
   Reinforcers
3. Number of
   Pairings with
   a Backup
   Reinforcer
4. Loss of
   Value of a
   Conditioned
   Reinforcer