Behavior: Basic Concepts

Which of the following is not a behavior John is engaging in?

• John picks up a pencil with his right hand
• John writes his name at the top of the page
• A mosquito lands on Johns left arm and "bites" him
• John puts down his pencil and scratches the mosquito bite 

Remember, Best Answer

Respondent conditioning is most effective when the neutral stimulus is presented:

• immediately after or simultaneous with the unconditioned stimulus
• immediately before or simultaneous with the unconditioned stimulus
• with an extra reinforcer
• as a consequence following the behavior

What is not part of the definition of behavior?

• An organism's interaction with its environment
• detectable displacement in space through time of some part of the organism
• A property or attribute of the organism
• results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment

Brenda was laying in bed and did not want to step onto the cold floor to turn the light off. Brenda tried reaching the light switch with her arm, she then tried using the selfie stick by her bed to reach the light switch, when both of these options were unsuccessful she threw her book and hit the target! These behaviors would all be in the same:

• Response Class
• Response Topography
• Stimulus Class
• Reflex Class

Consequences affect:

• only current behavior
• only future behavior
• only past behavior
• only observable 

Operant conditioning refers to the process and selective effects of ___________ on behavior.

• antecedents
• stimuli
• reinforcers
• consequences

Remember, Best Answer

If a behavior is followed closely in time by a stimulus event and as a result the future frequency of that type of behavior increases in similar conditions, _____________ has taken place.

• positive reinforcement
• negative punishment
• reinforcement
• negative reinforcement

Roger is sitting at a coffee shop reading Walden Two and notices a pair of siblings sitting with their mother. One child falls to her side and the sibling laughs. The first child falls over again and the sibling laughs again. The siblings continue this -fall and laugh- routine for 10 minutes. The laugh functions as:

• reinforcement
• negative reinforcement
• positive reinforcement
• punishment

A behavior change tactic is:

• a non-evidence based attempt at changing behavior
• nothing more than bribery
• a principle of behavior
• a research based method for changing behavior

A behavior that occurs more frequently under some antecedent conditions than it does in others is called a(n):

• discriminative stimulus
• conditioned reinforcer
• discriminated operant
• unconditioned reinforcer