Psych 387 Unit 3 Operant
Reinforcement Test With 100%
Correct Answers
Describe the essential components of a Skinner box. How did the Skinner
box get its name? - Ans--One of Skinner's original experimental boxes, now
generally referred to as a Skinner box. One wall has been cut away to show
the inside of the box. The food magazine and other apparatuses were
contained in the space outside the left panel. Each time a rat pressed the
lever, it activated the food magazine, which dropped a few pellets of food
into the tray.
What is operant learning or operant conditioning? What other name refers
to operant conditioning? ( - Ans--Skinner called experiences whereby
behavior is strengthened or weakened by its consequences operant
learning because the behavior operates on the environment. The behavior
is typically instrumental in producing the events that follow it, so this type of
learning is also called instrumental learning. - It goes by other names as
well, including response learning, consequence learning, and RS learning.
- The term operant learning indicates that the individual operates on the
environment, and the effects of this action strengthen or weaken the
behavior. There are four types of operant learning: positive and negative
reinforcement and positive and negative punishment. The terms positive
and negative have to do with whether something is added or removed
following a behavior. Reinforcement of either type strengthens behavior.
Reinforcing events cannot be identified a priori; the only proof that a
consequence is reinforcing is that it strengthens the behavior it follows.
Define reinforcement. Name the three essential features of reinforcement.
Be able to explain and reproduce the contingency square - Ans--In learning,
reinforcement means an increase in the strength of behavior due to its
consequence. - Charles Catania (2006) maintains that an experience must
have three characteristics to qualify as reinforcement: First, a behavior
must have a consequence. Second, the behavior must increase in strength
,(e.g., occur more often). Third, the increase in strength must be the result of
the consequence.
What are the two basic types of reinforcement? What are their similarities
and differences? Be able to provide and recognize original examples of
each type. - Ans--In positive reinforcement (reward training) a behavior is
followed by the appearance of, or an increase in the intensity of, a stimulus.
The stimulus is called a positive reinforcer (something the organism seeks
out) Ex: Saying "please" gets you a drink of water. In positive reinforcement
the behavior is more likely to occur due to the stimulus (pos. reinforcer). - In
negative reinforcement, a behavior is strengthened by the removal of, or a
decrease in the intensity of a stimulus - called a negative reinforcer -
ordinarily something the organism tries to escape or avoid. Ex: putting
headphones in on the airplane to avoid listening to a screaming child.
Putting the headphones in blocks out the noise and is therefore reinforced. -
Note that both positive and negative reinforcement increase the strength of
behavior. The difference is that in positive reinforcement, something is
added to the situation, while in negative reinforcement something is
removed.
What is escape training? - Ans--What reinforces behavior in negative
reinforcement is escaping from an aversive (unpleasant) situation. Once
you have learned to do this, you often learn to avoid it entirely. For example,
after escaping from the loud noise of your car radio, you may in the future
turn down the volume control before you turn on the ignition. For this reason,
negative reinforcement is sometimes called escape learning or escape-
avoidance learning.
Distinguish between escape and avoidance as the text does not: - Ans--The
text does not make a clear distinction between escape and avoidance. In
escape, an organism's response terminates an aversive stimulus. For
example, on a sunny day, putting on a pair of sunglasses (a response)
terminates the glare of the sun (an aversive stimulus) that you (the
organism) are experiencing. In avoidance, the response prevents or
postpones a consequence. For example, suppose you put on your
sunglasses while still inside your house. Putting on the sunglasses does not
terminate the glaring sun consequence, but it does prevent it from occurring
(avoidance). In escape, the response terminates some aversive stimulus.
, In avoidance, the response produces no immediate consequence. Instead,
in avoidance, failing to respond produces a consequence. In our
sunglasses example, when you put on the sunglasses while still inside, it
has no consequence: it does not produce or remove the sun's glare.
However, failure to put on the sunglasses (while still inside) will lead to the
aversive glare of the sun when you step outside. Another example of an
avoidance contingency is the late charge you are assessed on your utility
bill. If you pay your bill on time, nothing happens: you do not receive a late
charge. However, failure to pay your bill on time produces the aversive late
charge. In a conceptual exercise later in this unit, you will practise
discriminating between instances of escape and avoidance
Describe some of the potential problems in differentiating positive and
negative reinforcement. Refer to the experiment of Hundt et al. - Ans--
Although positive and negative reinforcement are often discussed as
though they were independent of one another, in reality they often occur
together. Thorndike's puzzle box experiments illustrate this. Confinement
to a small space is often aversive to cats. If the cat pulled a string and the
door fell open, the cat was able to escape from the box. Escape from the box
negatively reinforced pulling the string. Once the cat was out of the box, it
could eat the food that had been out of reach. Reaching the food positively
reinforced pulling the string. So what Thorndike called a satisfying state of
affairs was most likely a combination of positive and negative
reinforcement. - Another problem with the distinction between positive and
negative reinforcement is that what is positively reinforcing at one time can
be negatively reinforcing at another. Alan Hundt and David Premack (1963)
demonstrated this in a very clever experiment. They put rats in a chamber
with a motorized exercise wheel that could be turned on by pressing a lever
and turned off by licking water from a dispenser. Once a rat turned the wheel
on, it continued to spin (which meant the rat had to run) until the rat licked
water (which it had to do while running). The rats pressed the lever and ran
for a while, then licked water and stopped exercising. Thus, spinning of the
wheel positively reinforced lever pressing, and stopping of the wheel
negatively reinforced licking. - Sometimes the distinction between positive
and negative reinforcement is impossible to make. Brian Iwata (1987) gives
the example of a person in a cold room who turns up the heat. Is the
reinforcer an increase in warmth (a positive reinforcer) or a decrease in cold
(a negative reinforcer)?
Reinforcement Test With 100%
Correct Answers
Describe the essential components of a Skinner box. How did the Skinner
box get its name? - Ans--One of Skinner's original experimental boxes, now
generally referred to as a Skinner box. One wall has been cut away to show
the inside of the box. The food magazine and other apparatuses were
contained in the space outside the left panel. Each time a rat pressed the
lever, it activated the food magazine, which dropped a few pellets of food
into the tray.
What is operant learning or operant conditioning? What other name refers
to operant conditioning? ( - Ans--Skinner called experiences whereby
behavior is strengthened or weakened by its consequences operant
learning because the behavior operates on the environment. The behavior
is typically instrumental in producing the events that follow it, so this type of
learning is also called instrumental learning. - It goes by other names as
well, including response learning, consequence learning, and RS learning.
- The term operant learning indicates that the individual operates on the
environment, and the effects of this action strengthen or weaken the
behavior. There are four types of operant learning: positive and negative
reinforcement and positive and negative punishment. The terms positive
and negative have to do with whether something is added or removed
following a behavior. Reinforcement of either type strengthens behavior.
Reinforcing events cannot be identified a priori; the only proof that a
consequence is reinforcing is that it strengthens the behavior it follows.
Define reinforcement. Name the three essential features of reinforcement.
Be able to explain and reproduce the contingency square - Ans--In learning,
reinforcement means an increase in the strength of behavior due to its
consequence. - Charles Catania (2006) maintains that an experience must
have three characteristics to qualify as reinforcement: First, a behavior
must have a consequence. Second, the behavior must increase in strength
,(e.g., occur more often). Third, the increase in strength must be the result of
the consequence.
What are the two basic types of reinforcement? What are their similarities
and differences? Be able to provide and recognize original examples of
each type. - Ans--In positive reinforcement (reward training) a behavior is
followed by the appearance of, or an increase in the intensity of, a stimulus.
The stimulus is called a positive reinforcer (something the organism seeks
out) Ex: Saying "please" gets you a drink of water. In positive reinforcement
the behavior is more likely to occur due to the stimulus (pos. reinforcer). - In
negative reinforcement, a behavior is strengthened by the removal of, or a
decrease in the intensity of a stimulus - called a negative reinforcer -
ordinarily something the organism tries to escape or avoid. Ex: putting
headphones in on the airplane to avoid listening to a screaming child.
Putting the headphones in blocks out the noise and is therefore reinforced. -
Note that both positive and negative reinforcement increase the strength of
behavior. The difference is that in positive reinforcement, something is
added to the situation, while in negative reinforcement something is
removed.
What is escape training? - Ans--What reinforces behavior in negative
reinforcement is escaping from an aversive (unpleasant) situation. Once
you have learned to do this, you often learn to avoid it entirely. For example,
after escaping from the loud noise of your car radio, you may in the future
turn down the volume control before you turn on the ignition. For this reason,
negative reinforcement is sometimes called escape learning or escape-
avoidance learning.
Distinguish between escape and avoidance as the text does not: - Ans--The
text does not make a clear distinction between escape and avoidance. In
escape, an organism's response terminates an aversive stimulus. For
example, on a sunny day, putting on a pair of sunglasses (a response)
terminates the glare of the sun (an aversive stimulus) that you (the
organism) are experiencing. In avoidance, the response prevents or
postpones a consequence. For example, suppose you put on your
sunglasses while still inside your house. Putting on the sunglasses does not
terminate the glaring sun consequence, but it does prevent it from occurring
(avoidance). In escape, the response terminates some aversive stimulus.
, In avoidance, the response produces no immediate consequence. Instead,
in avoidance, failing to respond produces a consequence. In our
sunglasses example, when you put on the sunglasses while still inside, it
has no consequence: it does not produce or remove the sun's glare.
However, failure to put on the sunglasses (while still inside) will lead to the
aversive glare of the sun when you step outside. Another example of an
avoidance contingency is the late charge you are assessed on your utility
bill. If you pay your bill on time, nothing happens: you do not receive a late
charge. However, failure to pay your bill on time produces the aversive late
charge. In a conceptual exercise later in this unit, you will practise
discriminating between instances of escape and avoidance
Describe some of the potential problems in differentiating positive and
negative reinforcement. Refer to the experiment of Hundt et al. - Ans--
Although positive and negative reinforcement are often discussed as
though they were independent of one another, in reality they often occur
together. Thorndike's puzzle box experiments illustrate this. Confinement
to a small space is often aversive to cats. If the cat pulled a string and the
door fell open, the cat was able to escape from the box. Escape from the box
negatively reinforced pulling the string. Once the cat was out of the box, it
could eat the food that had been out of reach. Reaching the food positively
reinforced pulling the string. So what Thorndike called a satisfying state of
affairs was most likely a combination of positive and negative
reinforcement. - Another problem with the distinction between positive and
negative reinforcement is that what is positively reinforcing at one time can
be negatively reinforcing at another. Alan Hundt and David Premack (1963)
demonstrated this in a very clever experiment. They put rats in a chamber
with a motorized exercise wheel that could be turned on by pressing a lever
and turned off by licking water from a dispenser. Once a rat turned the wheel
on, it continued to spin (which meant the rat had to run) until the rat licked
water (which it had to do while running). The rats pressed the lever and ran
for a while, then licked water and stopped exercising. Thus, spinning of the
wheel positively reinforced lever pressing, and stopping of the wheel
negatively reinforced licking. - Sometimes the distinction between positive
and negative reinforcement is impossible to make. Brian Iwata (1987) gives
the example of a person in a cold room who turns up the heat. Is the
reinforcer an increase in warmth (a positive reinforcer) or a decrease in cold
(a negative reinforcer)?
