Operant Conditioning Flashcards: Reinforcement & Punishment
Practice reinforcement and punishment with 48 English flashcards: original scenarios, clear behavior changes, and checks for insufficient information.
Um þennan stokk
Practice reinforcement and punishment with 48 English flashcards for introductory psychology. The focus is classifying consequences from a named person’s action, the stimulus added or removed, and the stated change in that same behavior. These are simplified hypothetical cases: where a consequence is said to cause a change, use that stipulated relationship. Ordinary anecdotes alone do not prove causation.
The cards practice terms to definitions, the four basic definitions back to their terms, original scenarios to consequence categories, and selected comparisons between confusable categories. Other prompts identify the target behavior or stimulus and diagnose missing evidence. A separated pair follows two people in one exchange to show why the chosen actor matters. Answers put the result first, followed by a short reason when useful.
The sequence introduces the two classification axes and the four terms, then mixes short scenarios with reverse recall and evidence checks. Later cards address unintended effects, combined consequences, individual differences, and tracking the wrong behavior. Closely related variants are separated; the review scheduler handles longer-term spacing. Every card uses the operant-conditioning tag.
Arbitrary category-to-example prompts are omitted because many examples would be valid. Reinforcement schedules, classical conditioning, famous-study trivia, clinical applications, and child-discipline or animal-training instructions are outside this focused deck. No exam or complete-course alignment is claimed.
The questions, scenarios, explanations, organization, and metadata were written independently with AI assistance and checked against psychological reference facts. No competitor cards, textbook examples, examination questions, or source diagrams were copied. Factual references include the APA Dictionary’s reinforcement entry and Control Learning and Human Potential. Reference works retain their own rights; common facts are not claimed as proprietary. Original material, including the AI-generated decorative cover, is dedicated under CC0 1.0 to the extent applicable rights exist. This is independent study material without institutional endorsement.
Spjöld í þessum stokki
Spjald 1
Spurning
What changes through operant conditioning?
Svar
The future likelihood of a behavior changes through its consequences.
Spjald 2
Spurning
In operant conditioning, what does positive mean?
Svar
A stimulus is added after the behavior. The word does not mean good or desirable.
Spjald 3
Spurning
What makes a consequence reinforcement?
Svar
It increases the future likelihood of the behavior it follows.
Spjald 4
Spurning
Before classifying an operant consequence, what behavior should you identify?
Svar
The specific action by the specific person whose later behavior you are tracking.
Spjald 5
Spurning
In operant conditioning, what does negative mean?
Svar
A stimulus is removed, prevented, or postponed through the behavior. The word does not mean bad.
Spjald 6
Spurning
What makes a consequence punishment?
Svar
It decreases the future likelihood of the behavior it follows.
Spjald 7
Spurning
What does it mean for a consequence to be contingent on a behavior?
Svar
Its occurrence depends on that behavior. Simply happening later does not establish that relationship.
Spjald 8
Spurning
What is positive reinforcement?
Svar
Adding a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior more likely in the future.
Spjald 9
Spurning
What is negative punishment?
Svar
Removing a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior less likely in the future.
Spjald 10
Spurning
Does an intended reward automatically count as reinforcement?
Svar
No. It must actually increase the future likelihood of the target behavior.
Spjald 11
Spurning
What is negative reinforcement?
Svar
Removing or preventing a stimulus through a behavior makes that behavior more likely in the future.
Spjald 12
Spurning
What is positive punishment?
Svar
Adding a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior less likely in the future.
Spjald 13
Spurning
In a study game, completing a recall round earns Mira a token. This makes her complete more rounds later. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. Tokens are added, and completing recall rounds increases.
Spjald 14
Spurning
In a puzzle game, using a shortcut removes a token from Jo’s earned balance. This makes Jo use the shortcut less often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative punishment. An earned token is removed, and shortcut use decreases.
Spjald 15
Spurning
A behavior becomes more frequent because it removes an ongoing stimulus. Which operant process is this?
Svar
Negative reinforcement.
Spjald 16
Spurning
In a simulated task, pressing the striped button adds a bothersome message. As a result, Lee presses it less often in later trials. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive punishment. The message is added, and pressing the striped button decreases.
Spjald 17
Spurning
A tutor gives Pat a compliment after a practice session. Nothing is known about Pat’s later practice. Can you conclude that practice was reinforced?
Svar
No. You need evidence that the compliment increased Pat’s later practice; the compliment alone is insufficient.
Spjald 18
Spurning
A behavior becomes more frequent because it produces a stimulus. Which operant process is this?
Svar
Positive reinforcement.
Spjald 19
Spurning
A behavior becomes less frequent because it causes a stimulus to be taken away. Which operant process is this?
Svar
Negative punishment.
Spjald 20
Spurning
Selecting a display setting stops a distracting flicker. Because of this relief, Ari selects that setting more often when the flicker returns. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative reinforcement. The flicker is removed, and selecting the setting increases.
Spjald 21
Spurning
A behavior becomes less frequent because it produces a stimulus. Which operant process is this?
Svar
Positive punishment.
Spjald 22
Spurning
Sending a draft earns Noor an encouraging reply from a collaborator. Because of those replies, Noor sends drafts more often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. Encouraging replies are added, and sending drafts increases.
Spjald 23
Spurning
A consequence is known to increase a behavior, but the account never says what changed in the environment. What can you classify?
Svar
Reinforcement, but not whether it is positive or negative. You still need to know whether a stimulus was added or removed.
Spjald 24
Spurning
In a game, skipping the tutorial removes access to a favorite avatar. This makes Ren skip tutorials less often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative punishment. Access to the avatar is removed, and skipping tutorials decreases.
Spjald 25
Spurning
Submitting a status note stops unwanted reminder messages. This makes Sam submit status notes more often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative reinforcement. The reminders stop, and submitting status notes increases.
Spjald 26
Spurning
Uma sends a sketch, receives a reply, and then sends sketches more often because of the replies. What is the target behavior being reinforced?
Svar
Uma’s sending sketches. Receiving a reply is the consequence, not the target action.
Spjald 27
Spurning
In a simulation, choosing the fast route adds a tedious confirmation task. This makes Alex choose that route less often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive punishment. The confirmation task is added, and choosing the fast route decreases.
Spjald 28
Spurning
In a music app, finishing a rhythm exercise plays a melody that Dev enjoys. The melody makes Dev finish exercises more often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. The melody is presented, and finishing exercises increases.
Spjald 29
Spurning
In a simulated task, touching the red tile switches off music the participant enjoys. As a result, red-tile touches decrease. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative punishment. Enjoyed music is removed, and touching the red tile decreases.
Spjald 30
Spurning
A bonus is added after each completed task, but it has no effect on later task completion. Has a reinforcing effect been demonstrated?
Svar
No. A bonus counts as a reinforcer for that behavior only if it increases the behavior’s future likelihood.
Spjald 31
Spurning
Closing a blind removes glare from a screen. This relief makes Kit close the blind more often when glare appears. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative reinforcement. Glare is removed, and closing the blind increases.
Spjald 32
Spurning
At a voluntary workshop, speaking up brings public applause. For Dana, the applause causes speaking up to decrease over later sessions. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive punishment. Applause is added, and Dana’s speaking up decreases, even though applause is often intended as a reward.
Spjald 33
Spurning
Turning a dial removes an irritating tone, making future dial turns more frequent. What is removed in this negative reinforcement example?
Svar
The tone. Negative refers to removal of the stimulus, not removal of the dial-turning behavior.
Spjald 34
Spurning
What separates negative reinforcement from negative punishment when both remove a stimulus?
Svar
The effect on the target behavior: it increases with negative reinforcement and decreases with negative punishment.
Spjald 35
Spurning
A group responds to Morgan’s interruptions with attention. That added attention makes Morgan interrupt more often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. Attention is added and interruptions increase; reinforcement can strengthen an unwanted behavior.
Spjald 36
Spurning
In a cooperative board game, claiming an extra turn costs Nia her next turn. This makes Nia claim extra turns less often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative punishment. Access to the next turn is removed, and claiming extra turns decreases.
Spjald 37
Spurning
Moving a desk fan away removes an annoying hum. This makes Jules move the fan away more often when the hum returns. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative reinforcement. The hum is removed, and moving the fan away increases.
Spjald 38
Spurning
After a move in a simulation, a tone is added and a token is removed. The move then decreases. Can you assign one positive-or-negative punishment label from this account?
Svar
No. The decrease is linked to a combined consequence. You need to isolate whether the added tone, the removed token, or both caused it.
Spjald 39
Spurning
After Taylor shares an unfinished design, a peer adds blunt criticism. The criticism makes Taylor share unfinished designs less often. Which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive punishment. Criticism is added, and sharing unfinished designs decreases.
Spjald 40
Spurning
How do negative reinforcement and positive punishment differ on both classification axes?
Svar
Negative reinforcement removes a stimulus and increases behavior. Positive punishment adds a stimulus and decreases behavior.
Spjald 41
Spurning
Bea asks Sol for a file; Sol sends it. Receiving the file makes Bea ask again more often in similar situations. For Bea’s asking, which operant process is shown?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. Bea gains the requested file, and Bea’s asking increases.
Spjald 42
Spurning
Practice rises during the same week that badges are introduced. Other conditions also change. Does this alone prove the badges reinforced practice?
Svar
No. The timing alone does not establish that the badges caused the increase. Other changes could explain it.
Spjald 43
Spurning
The same added comment increases one person’s participation and decreases another’s. Must it have the same operant function for both?
Svar
No. It is positive reinforcement for the first person and positive punishment for the second; function depends on the effect on each person’s behavior.
Spjald 44
Spurning
After a token is offered, a participant presses a key once. Is that single response enough to show that tokens increased key pressing?
Svar
No. One response does not establish an increase in future key pressing compared with its previous level.
Spjald 45
Spurning
Sol sends Bea a file; Bea’s repeated requests stop. Ending those requests makes Sol send files more readily next time. For Sol’s sending, which operant process is shown?
Svar
Negative reinforcement. Repeated requests are removed, and Sol’s sending increases.
Spjald 46
Spurning
How do positive reinforcement and negative punishment differ on both classification axes?
Svar
Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus and increases behavior. Negative punishment removes a stimulus and decreases behavior.
Spjald 47
Spurning
Extra pop-ups follow opening a reference panel, and completed exercises later increase. Why is that insufficient to classify the pop-ups as punishment of opening the panel?
Svar
The stated outcome tracks a different behavior. You need evidence that the pop-ups reduced opening the panel; more completed exercises does not establish that.
Spjald 48
Spurning
A speaker is given extra attention meant to discourage off-topic remarks. Instead, that attention makes the remarks more frequent. How should the consequence be classified?
Svar
Positive reinforcement. Added attention increases the target behavior, regardless of the intention to discourage it.
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Operant Conditioning Flashcards: Reinforcement & Punishment
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