REVIEW/TEST: Reinforcement and Punishment

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

A family counselor tells Jacob and Samantha that they should ignore their daughter's temper tantrums if they want her to stop because giving her attention is only increasing her behavior.

Which type of operant conditioning in being recommended to the parents?

negative punishment

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Justine is bothering her parents while they are shopping at the store. They buy her a toy in order to calm her down.

Which type of conditioning is shaping Justine's behavior?

positive reinforcement

Explain the difference between an interval schedule of reinforcement and a ratio schedule of reinforcement.

In an interval schedule of reinforcement, a certain period of time must pass between reinforcements. For example, if the interval is five minutes, then the first successful demonstration of the target behavior after five minutes will be rewarded. No other target behaviors will be rewarded until another five minutes have passed, and then the next demonstration will receive a reinforcement.

In a ratio schedule of reinforcement, a certain number of successful demonstrations of the target behavior must occur before reinforcement is provided. For example, if the ratio is four, then reinforcement will be given on the fourth example of a successful demonstration of the target behavior.

Describe the difference between continuous reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement.

Continuous reinforcement occurs when a specific response is reinforced each time the response occurs. Partial or intermittent reinforcement occurs when a specific response is reinforced only some of the time that the response occurs.

Compare negative reinforcement and positive punishment.

Negative reinforcement encourages a behavior by removing an unwanted or unpleasant stimulus. Positive punishment discourages a behavior by introducing an unwanted or unpleasant stimulus.

Variable reinforcement schedules generally demonstrate greater resistance to extinction than fixed reinforcement schedules.

T

In positive reinforcement, the reinforcement for the target behavior can most accurately be described as __________.

pleasant

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Roland takes a walk through the desert. While there, he becomes extremely thirsty. To quench his thirst, he drinks a bottle of cold water. The water pleasantly refreshes him and he plans on bringing water more often on his desert hikes.

Which type of operant conditioning in occurring in the scenario?

positive reinforcement

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Susan is watching a football game when the game goes to commercial. She knows that each commercial break during the game takes a different amount of time to resolve. She gets up to make a snack for herself. She checks back frequently to see if the game is back from commercial. After 3 minutes and 30 seconds, the game comes back on and Susan returns to the room.

Which of the following statements is true?

Susan is on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Jimmer is playing basketball. After 24 seconds, the shot clock goes off and he loses the ball. This happens every time he gets the ball, because he refuses to pass or shoot.

Which of the following statesments is true?

Jimmer is playing basketball. After 24 seconds, the shot clock goes off and he loses the ball. This happens every time he gets the ball because he refuses to pass or shoot.

Which of the following statements is true?

Jimmer is on a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement.

One example of a fixed-interval reward schedule is the biweekly paycheck many workers earn.

T

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Justine starts yelling in the store when she wants something. Her parents buy her a toy in order to get Justine to stop yelling.

What type of conditioning is shaping the parents' behavior?

NOT: positive reinforcement

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Harrison sends an e-mail to his boss. Harrison expects a response within five minutes, but he can't help himself and checks every 30 seconds. After five minutes, a replying e-mail is delivered just as he expected.

Which of the following statements is true?

NOT: Harrison is on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

Both positive and negative reinforcement serve to strengthen wanted behavior.

T

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Molly is eating red and black jellybeans from a paper bag. She is not looking at the jellybeans as she eats them. She likes red jellybeans, but she does not like black jellybeans. The amount of jellybeans she has to take from the jar before she gets a red one is never the same.

Which of the following statements is true?

Molly is on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Positive punishment occurs when a pleasant stimulus is removed after demonstration of a behavior.

F

Lighting a fire on a cold night to get warm is an example of a positive reinforcement.

F

Receiving an electrical shock when you forget to turn off the power before working on an electrical socket is an example of a negative punishment.

F

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Molly catches her dog chewing on her favorite slippers. Molly swats the dog on the nose so that it will not chew her slippers again.

Which type of operant conditioning in occurring in the scenario?

positive punishment

Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows.

Glenda is a gymnast. She performs a perfect triple backflip off the high bars. After landing successfully, the crowd erupts in applause.

Which type of operant conditioning is occurring in the scenario?

A