PSYC 331 EVALUATION EXAMS 2026/2027 QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Variable-interval schedule - ✔✔the first response after an average of Nth length of
time is reinforced
✔✔Steps when the problem is a behavioral excess (3) to decrease behavior? - ✔✔1.
eliminate the reinforcer for the target behavior
2. reinforce the competing behavior
3. punish the target behavior
✔✔Steps when the problem is a behavioral deficit (2) to increase behavior? - ✔✔1.
strengthen the reinforcer for the target behavior
2. eliminate reinforcers for competing behavior
✔✔Extinction - ✔✔behavior is eliminated by eliminating reinforcers for the behavior
✔✔How can extinction be used: An elementary school-aged child frequently
misbehaves in class, leaves his seat, and speaks out of turn. - ✔✔Remove attention
and reinforcement of getting out of work, a positive reinforcer
✔✔Extinction of positive reinforcement - ✔✔the behavior is no longer producing the
reinforcing consequence (removing attention)
✔✔Extinction of negative reinforcement - ✔✔the behavior no longer eliminates the
aversive stimulus (getting out of work, classmates, learning)
✔✔How can extinction be used in this scenario: a toddler used to cry every night after
going to bed in order to get their parents in their room. - ✔✔extinction of positive
reinforcement...eliminate coddling, toddler will stop nighttime crying
✔✔How can extinction be used in this scenario: an adult used to take a particular type
of medicine to treat headaches, but lately the medicine hasn't been helping so they
stopped using it - ✔✔Extinction of negative reinforcement...medication to relieve
headaches is negative reinforcement
✔✔Extinction follows a ______ curve; large reductions in the behavior at first, and it
takes some time to completely eliminate the behavior - ✔✔learning
✔✔There is no universal extinction curve due to what reasons (3)? - ✔✔1. Extinction
occurs more quickly when a person or animal has experienced extinction for a given
behavior in the past
2. Extinction occurs more quickly when a stimulus helps signal that extinction is
occurring
, 3. Extinction occurs relatively quickly if the behavior was always reinforced in the past,
and more slowly if the behavior had been intermittently reinforced with variable
schedules instead
✔✔The speed of extinction is affected by ____ indicating how likely a behavior is to be
reinforced; clear indicators that a behavior will definitely not be reinforced result in rapid
extinction. for example, a person won't attempt to use a vending machine that displays
an "out of order" message - ✔✔signals
✔✔Extinguished behaviors can sometimes? - ✔✔Reappear
✔✔Extinction can have ____ effects on behavior. - ✔✔detrimental
✔✔Spontaneous recovery - ✔✔the reappearance of a response after extinction has
occurred; produces less and less of a response until eventually get to a point where it
doesn't occur at all
✔✔Spontaneous recovery may occur simply because? - ✔✔it is unclear whether or not
reinforcement will occur
✔✔Side effects of extinction (4)? - ✔✔1. extinction bursts
2. increased behavioral variability
3. aggression
4. depression (possibly)
✔✔Extinction burst - ✔✔a temporary increase in the behavior when extinction first
begins
✔✔Upon introducing extinction, sometimes the behavior is ____ . - ✔✔intensified
✔✔Extinction graph components? - ✔✔1. behavior vs time
2. baseline
3. intervention
4. extinction burst
5. spontaneous recovery
✔✔Examples of increased behavioral variability as side effect of extinction? - ✔✔1.
child whines, cries, "I don't like you Mommy"
✔✔Behavior is a ____ to achieve an outcome. - ✔✔choice
✔✔When one behavior undergoes ___, it may be replaced by another that produced
reinforcement in the past. - ✔✔extinction
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔Variable-interval schedule - ✔✔the first response after an average of Nth length of
time is reinforced
✔✔Steps when the problem is a behavioral excess (3) to decrease behavior? - ✔✔1.
eliminate the reinforcer for the target behavior
2. reinforce the competing behavior
3. punish the target behavior
✔✔Steps when the problem is a behavioral deficit (2) to increase behavior? - ✔✔1.
strengthen the reinforcer for the target behavior
2. eliminate reinforcers for competing behavior
✔✔Extinction - ✔✔behavior is eliminated by eliminating reinforcers for the behavior
✔✔How can extinction be used: An elementary school-aged child frequently
misbehaves in class, leaves his seat, and speaks out of turn. - ✔✔Remove attention
and reinforcement of getting out of work, a positive reinforcer
✔✔Extinction of positive reinforcement - ✔✔the behavior is no longer producing the
reinforcing consequence (removing attention)
✔✔Extinction of negative reinforcement - ✔✔the behavior no longer eliminates the
aversive stimulus (getting out of work, classmates, learning)
✔✔How can extinction be used in this scenario: a toddler used to cry every night after
going to bed in order to get their parents in their room. - ✔✔extinction of positive
reinforcement...eliminate coddling, toddler will stop nighttime crying
✔✔How can extinction be used in this scenario: an adult used to take a particular type
of medicine to treat headaches, but lately the medicine hasn't been helping so they
stopped using it - ✔✔Extinction of negative reinforcement...medication to relieve
headaches is negative reinforcement
✔✔Extinction follows a ______ curve; large reductions in the behavior at first, and it
takes some time to completely eliminate the behavior - ✔✔learning
✔✔There is no universal extinction curve due to what reasons (3)? - ✔✔1. Extinction
occurs more quickly when a person or animal has experienced extinction for a given
behavior in the past
2. Extinction occurs more quickly when a stimulus helps signal that extinction is
occurring
, 3. Extinction occurs relatively quickly if the behavior was always reinforced in the past,
and more slowly if the behavior had been intermittently reinforced with variable
schedules instead
✔✔The speed of extinction is affected by ____ indicating how likely a behavior is to be
reinforced; clear indicators that a behavior will definitely not be reinforced result in rapid
extinction. for example, a person won't attempt to use a vending machine that displays
an "out of order" message - ✔✔signals
✔✔Extinguished behaviors can sometimes? - ✔✔Reappear
✔✔Extinction can have ____ effects on behavior. - ✔✔detrimental
✔✔Spontaneous recovery - ✔✔the reappearance of a response after extinction has
occurred; produces less and less of a response until eventually get to a point where it
doesn't occur at all
✔✔Spontaneous recovery may occur simply because? - ✔✔it is unclear whether or not
reinforcement will occur
✔✔Side effects of extinction (4)? - ✔✔1. extinction bursts
2. increased behavioral variability
3. aggression
4. depression (possibly)
✔✔Extinction burst - ✔✔a temporary increase in the behavior when extinction first
begins
✔✔Upon introducing extinction, sometimes the behavior is ____ . - ✔✔intensified
✔✔Extinction graph components? - ✔✔1. behavior vs time
2. baseline
3. intervention
4. extinction burst
5. spontaneous recovery
✔✔Examples of increased behavioral variability as side effect of extinction? - ✔✔1.
child whines, cries, "I don't like you Mommy"
✔✔Behavior is a ____ to achieve an outcome. - ✔✔choice
✔✔When one behavior undergoes ___, it may be replaced by another that produced
reinforcement in the past. - ✔✔extinction
