Operant Conditioning (CH07)

Operant conditioning relies most heavily on the events that:

• a. occur most directly before an response.
• b. initiate the response.
• c. occur simultaneously with the response.
• d. occur as a result of the response.

Of the following, the person most associated with operant conditioning is:

• a. Bandura.
• b. Pavlov.
• c. Skinner.
• d. Freud.

The term most closely associated with the idea of stimulus-response-consequence (S1-R-S2) is:

• a. vicarious learning.
• b. social cognitive theory.
• c. classical conditioning.
• d. operant conditioning.

An increase in a behavior as the result of a consequence that follows the behavior best describes:

• a. extinction.
• b. punishment.
• c. reinforcement.
• d. generalization.

The process of increasing a behavior by providing a desired consequence is:

• a. positive reinforcement.
• b. negative reinforcement.
• c. presentation punishment.
• d. removal punishment.

Teachers consciously try to praise students for good work and desirable behavior. Praise is intended as:

• a. contiguity.
• b. a conditioned stimulus.
• c. a positive reinforcer.
• d. a form of modeling.

Robert continues to improve in spelling because he has been receiving happy-face stickers when his scores on spelling quizzes improve. Of the following, which is the best description of the happy-face stickers?

• a. They are positive reinforcers.
• b. They are negative reinforcers.
• c. They are conditioned stimuli.
• d. They are forms of response cost.

Schools often give certificates to students, which parents are encouraged to stick on the bumpers of their cars. The certificates typically say something such as: MY CHILD IS AN HONOR ROLL STUDENT AT WESTVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. The certificates are intended as:

• a. positive reinforcers.
• b. negative reinforcers.
• c. classical conditioners.
• d. vicarious reinforcers.

Mr. Lynch has always used his “mean face” to stop undesirable behavior in his first graders. However, even though he looks at Tommy with this face each time Tommy talks out of turn, Tommy is talking more than ever now. For Tommy the “mean face” is apparently a:

• a. positive reinforcer.
• b. negative reinforcer.
• c. presentation punisher.
• d. conditioned stimulus.

Jolene does not turn in her homework regularly. The teacher is particularly concerned because without regular practice she will fall behind and she is a talented student in math. Jolene is given a token for every homework assignment she completes. When she has eight tokens, she gets two bonus points on her math average. She is now doing her homework regularly. This displays which type of operant conditioning?

• a. Positive reinforcement
• b. Negative reinforcement
• c. Presentation punishment
• d. Removal punishment