All AP Psychology Resources
With which type of conditioning is Skinner's box associated?
Possible Answers:
Positive Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Punishment Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Negative Conditioning
Correct answer:
Operant Conditioning
Explanation:
B.F. Skinner is considered to be the founder of operant conditioning [the type of learning in which the effects of an action determine whether it will be repeated in the future]. He is most famous for Skinner's box-- a box in which he placed animals to conduct operant conditioning experiments.
Classical conditioning can be thought of as learning through association and operant conditioning as learning through effect. Positive, negative, and punishment conditioning as methods do not exist.
Which of the following best describes the difference between a reinforcer and a punishment in operant conditioning?
Possible Answers:
Punishments and reinforcers both decrease the likelihood that the subject will repeat their action in the future.
A reinforcer is a consequence that makes it more likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future; a punishment is a consequence that makes it less likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future.
A punishment is a consequence that makes it more likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future; a reinforcer is a consequence that makes it less likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future.
A reinforcer is an association made between an unconditioned and a conditioned stimulus; a punishment is the cessation of the association between an unconditioned and a conditioned stimulus.
Punishments and reinforcers both increase the likelihood that the subject will repeat their action in the future.
Correct answer:
A reinforcer is a consequence that makes it more likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future; a punishment is a consequence that makes it less likely that the subject will repeat their action in the future.
Explanation:
This question is purely definitional. Operant conditioning is learning by consequence, and a reinforcer is a good consequence that increases the possibility that the action will be repeated and a punishment is a bad consequence that decreases the possibility that the action will be repeated. It is important to note that if any of the answer choices use the term “association” with operant conditioning, then it is wrong because “association” is a term tied specifically to classical conditioning.
Sarah's dad increases Sarah's chores after she fails a test for the first time. The chores best represent which of the following types of operant conditioning consequences?
Possible Answers:
Positive punishment
Negative association
Negative reinforcer
Positive reinforcer
Negative punishment
Correct answer:
Positive punishment
Explanation:
Operant conditioning is learning by consequence, and a reinforcer is a good consequence that increases the possibility that the action will be repeated and a punishment is a bad consequence that decreases the possibility that the action will be repeated. Sarah's dad is trying to get Sarah to not repeat her action in the future and is using chores as punishment. Positive punishment is when a bad thing is added and negative punishment is when a good thing is taken away. Since a bad thing is added to decrease the likelihood that she will repeat her action, adding more chores is a positive punishment.
Sarah's dad takes away her cell phone after she fails a test for the first time. The taking away of the phone best represents which of the following types of operant conditioning consequences?
Possible Answers:
Positive punishment
Negative association
Negative punishment
Positive reinforcer
Negative reinforcer
Correct answer:
Negative punishment
Explanation:
Operant conditioning is learning by consequence, and a reinforcer is a good consequence that increases the possibility that the action will be repeated and a punishment is a bad consequence that decreases the possibility that the action will be repeated. Sarah's dad is trying to get Sarah to not repeat her actions in the future and is taking away her phone as a punishment. Positive punishment is when a bad thing is added and negative punishment is when a good thing is taken away. Since a good thing is taken away to decrease the likelihood that she will repeat her action, the removal of the phone is a negative punishment.
Sarah's dad bakes her a batch of her favorite cookies after she gets straight A's for the first time. The cookies best represent which of the following types of operant conditioning consequences?
Possible Answers:
Positive reinforcer
Negative reinforcer
Positive punishment
Positive association
Negative punishment
Correct answer:
Positive reinforcer
Explanation:
Operant conditioning is learning by consequence, and a reinforcer is a good consequence that increases the possibility that the action will be repeated and a punishment is a bad consequence that decreases the possibility that the action will be repeated. Sarah's dad is trying to get Sarah to repeat her action in the future and is using the cookie reward as a reinforcer. Positive reinforcers are when a good thing is added and negative reinforcers are when a bad thing is taken away. Since a good thing is added to increase the likelihood that she will repeat her action, the cookies represent a positive reinforcer.
In operant conditioning, the process by which reinforcers guide a response closer and closer towards a desired behavior is called __________.
Possible Answers:
tweaking
modeling
reconditioning
shaping
approximation
Explanation:
The process of shaping also involves customizing the timing of reinforcement, in addition to the nature of the reinforcements themselves, in order to produce the desired behavior in the desired manner over the desired timeframe.
Which of the following thoughts best represents intrinsic motivation?
Possible Answers:
"Susan is a member of Debate Club. If I want to be like Susan, I need to join Debate Club also."
"I shouldn't steal from my workplace, since I'll probably get caught."
"I wish this teacher would slow down, but I don't think I should ask her to. It'd be rude."
"If I can study for two hours every night before the test, I should be able to pass with a C or better."
"I should help my neighbor carry in his groceries, since people ought to be kind to one another."
Correct answer:
"I should help my neighbor carry in his groceries, since people ought to be kind to one another."
Explanation:
Intrinsic motivations are those motivations which result from a desire to perform an act for its own sake, and not for any promised rewards or threatened punishments. The correct answer is the only one which both deals with a motivation for performing a task, and provides an intrinsic reason for that motivation.
A beggar holds up a sign asking for spare change on a street corner, and sometimes people who walk by will drop some change into his cup. Which reinforcement schedule does this best represent?
Possible Answers:
Variable ratio
Continuous
Fixed ratio
Variable interval
Fixed interval
Correct answer:
Variable ratio
Explanation:
Variable ratio reinforcement is a schedule where a behavior is reinforced after an unpredictable amount of responses. Note that the amount of responses does not have to be a dependent variable truly free of interaction. For example, research shows that a person is far more likely to give change to a beggar if they first witness other people not giving change, so in our example the odds of the beggar getting a reinforcing response may rise over time, but they still don't know exactly when the reinforcement will occur.
Variable ratio is acknowledged as being the schedule of reinforcement which produces the longest-lasting results after extinction of the reinforcer. In some cases, the modified behavior can be permanent.
Which of the following best represents a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement?
Possible Answers:
A student receives an A after studying for 3 hours the night before a test.
A pet dog is fed in the morning when his owner gets up, and then again in the evening when the owner gets home.
A random number generator dispenses a food pellet into a pigeon's cage on either every third, fifth, or seventh press of a button.
An office worker receives a biweekly paycheck for $630.
A gambler wins a jackpot after 1,000 spins on a slot machine, then immediately wins a second jackpot on the next spin.
Correct answer:
An office worker receives a biweekly paycheck for $630.
Explanation:
A fixed interval schedule of reinforcement occurs when a reinforcer predictably occurs after a set number of responses [or time] have passed. Paychecks and report cards [if good] are both examples of fixed interval reinforcers. The dog's feeding schedule may seem like a good example of fixed interval at first, but is actually a continuous schedule of reinforcement, since [unless the owner is negligent] there will be no morning or evening that passes where the dog is not fed.
As a reward for helping his younger sister with her homework without being asked, John’s mother tells him he doesn’t have to do his chores. This example is best described as which of the following types of operant conditioning?
Possible Answers:
Positive reinforcement
Negative punishment
Negative reinforcement
Positive punishment
Correct answer:
Negative reinforcement
Explanation:
This is an example of negative reinforcement. It is a form of reinforcement because John’s mother wants to encourage him to continue a good behavior [e.g. helping his sister] by presenting a consequence that he enjoys [e.g. not doing chores]. It is considered “negative” because something is being taken away [e.g. the chores] as a consequence: remember that negative refers to something being taken away, without any regard for whether or not the thing taken away is “good” or “bad.”