operant conditioning

Question 1

Respondent Behavior

Answer 1

Automatic, reflexive behavior in response to a stimulus.
Ex: Salivating when smelling food.

Question 2

Operant Behavior

Answer 2

Voluntary behavior that produces consequences/outcomes in the environment.
Ex: Studying to get good grades.

Question 3

Thorndike’s Law of Effect

Answer 3

Behaviors followed by rewards are more likely to happen again; behaviors followed by punishment are less likely.
Ex: A cat learns to press a lever to get food.

Question 4

Shaping

Answer 4

Gradually guiding behavior by rewarding closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.
Ex: Teaching a dog to roll over step by step.

Question 5

Positive Reinforcement

Answer 5

Adding something pleasant to increase a behavior.
Ex: Giving praise or candy for good behavior.

Question 6

Negative Reinforcement

Answer 6

Removing something unpleasant to increase a behavior.
Ex: Buckling your seatbelt to stop the beeping sound.

Question 7

Fixed-Ratio Schedule

Answer 7

Reinforcement after a set number of responses.
Ex: Worker gets paid after making 10 products.

Question 8

Variable-Ratio Schedule

Answer 8

Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses.
Ex: Slot machines.

Question 9

Fixed-Interval Schedule

Answer 9

Reinforcement after a fixed amount of time.
Ex: Getting a paycheck every 2 weeks.

Question 10

Variable-Interval Schedule

Answer 10

Reinforcement after varying, unpredictable time intervals.
Ex: Checking for a new message.

Question 11

Positive Punishment

Answer 11

Adding an unpleasant consequence to decrease a behavior
Ex: Scolding a child for playing in the street

Question 12

Negative Punishment

Answer 12

Removing a pleasant stimulus to decrese a behavior
Ex: Taking a teenager’s phone away for not doing their homework.