Operant Conditioning Flashcards: Reinforcement & Punishment

Question 1

What changes through operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

The future likelihood of a behavior changes through its consequences.

Question 2

In operant conditioning, what does positive mean?

Accepted Answer

A stimulus is added after the behavior. The word does not mean good or desirable.

Question 3

What makes a consequence reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

It increases the future likelihood of the behavior it follows.

Question 4

Before classifying an operant consequence, what behavior should you identify?

Accepted Answer

The specific action by the specific person whose later behavior you are tracking.

Question 5

In operant conditioning, what does negative mean?

Accepted Answer

A stimulus is removed, prevented, or postponed through the behavior. The word does not mean bad.

Question 6

What makes a consequence punishment?

Accepted Answer

It decreases the future likelihood of the behavior it follows.

Question 7

What does it mean for a consequence to be contingent on a behavior?

Accepted Answer

Its occurrence depends on that behavior. Simply happening later does not establish that relationship.

Question 8

What is positive reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Adding a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior more likely in the future.

Question 9

What is negative punishment?

Accepted Answer

Removing a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior less likely in the future.

Question 10

Does an intended reward automatically count as reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

No. It must actually increase the future likelihood of the target behavior.

Question 11

What is negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

Removing or preventing a stimulus through a behavior makes that behavior more likely in the future.

Question 12

What is positive punishment?

Accepted Answer

Adding a stimulus after a behavior makes that behavior less likely in the future.

Question 13

In a study game, completing a recall round earns Mira a token. This makes her complete more rounds later. Which operant process is shown?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. Tokens are added, and completing recall rounds increases.

Question 14

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment. An earned token is removed, and shortcut use decreases.

Question 15

A behavior becomes more frequent because it removes an ongoing stimulus. Which operant process is this?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement.

Question 16

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment. The message is added, and pressing the striped button decreases.

Question 17

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?

Accepted Answer

No. You need evidence that the compliment increased Pat’s later practice; the compliment alone is insufficient.

Question 18

A behavior becomes more frequent because it produces a stimulus. Which operant process is this?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement.

Question 19

A behavior becomes less frequent because it causes a stimulus to be taken away. Which operant process is this?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment.

Question 20

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement. The flicker is removed, and selecting the setting increases.

Question 21

A behavior becomes less frequent because it produces a stimulus. Which operant process is this?

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment.

Question 22

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. Encouraging replies are added, and sending drafts increases.

Question 23

A consequence is known to increase a behavior, but the account never says what changed in the environment. What can you classify?

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement, but not whether it is positive or negative. You still need to know whether a stimulus was added or removed.

Question 24

In a game, skipping the tutorial removes access to a favorite avatar. This makes Ren skip tutorials less often. Which operant process is shown?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment. Access to the avatar is removed, and skipping tutorials decreases.

Question 25

Submitting a status note stops unwanted reminder messages. This makes Sam submit status notes more often. Which operant process is shown?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement. The reminders stop, and submitting status notes increases.

Question 26

Uma sends a sketch, receives a reply, and then sends sketches more often because of the replies. What is the target behavior being reinforced?

Accepted Answer

Uma’s sending sketches. Receiving a reply is the consequence, not the target action.

Question 27

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment. The confirmation task is added, and choosing the fast route decreases.

Question 28

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. The melody is presented, and finishing exercises increases.

Question 29

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment. Enjoyed music is removed, and touching the red tile decreases.

Question 30

A bonus is added after each completed task, but it has no effect on later task completion. Has a reinforcing effect been demonstrated?

Accepted Answer

No. A bonus counts as a reinforcer for that behavior only if it increases the behavior’s future likelihood.

Question 31

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement. Glare is removed, and closing the blind increases.

Question 32

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment. Applause is added, and Dana’s speaking up decreases, even though applause is often intended as a reward.

Question 33

Turning a dial removes an irritating tone, making future dial turns more frequent. What is removed in this negative reinforcement example?

Accepted Answer

The tone. Negative refers to removal of the stimulus, not removal of the dial-turning behavior.

Question 34

What separates negative reinforcement from negative punishment when both remove a stimulus?

Accepted Answer

The effect on the target behavior: it increases with negative reinforcement and decreases with negative punishment.

Question 35

A group responds to Morgan’s interruptions with attention. That added attention makes Morgan interrupt more often. Which operant process is shown?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. Attention is added and interruptions increase; reinforcement can strengthen an unwanted behavior.

Question 36

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative punishment. Access to the next turn is removed, and claiming extra turns decreases.

Question 37

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement. The hum is removed, and moving the fan away increases.

Question 38

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?

Accepted Answer

No. The decrease is linked to a combined consequence. You need to isolate whether the added tone, the removed token, or both caused it.

Question 39

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive punishment. Criticism is added, and sharing unfinished designs decreases.

Question 40

How do negative reinforcement and positive punishment differ on both classification axes?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement removes a stimulus and increases behavior. Positive punishment adds a stimulus and decreases behavior.

Question 41

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. Bea gains the requested file, and Bea’s asking increases.

Question 42

Practice rises during the same week that badges are introduced. Other conditions also change. Does this alone prove the badges reinforced practice?

Accepted Answer

No. The timing alone does not establish that the badges caused the increase. Other changes could explain it.

Question 43

The same added comment increases one person’s participation and decreases another’s. Must it have the same operant function for both?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 44

After a token is offered, a participant presses a key once. Is that single response enough to show that tokens increased key pressing?

Accepted Answer

No. One response does not establish an increase in future key pressing compared with its previous level.

Question 45

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?

Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement. Repeated requests are removed, and Sol’s sending increases.

Question 46

How do positive reinforcement and negative punishment differ on both classification axes?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus and increases behavior. Negative punishment removes a stimulus and decreases behavior.

Question 47

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?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 48

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?

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement. Added attention increases the target behavior, regardless of the intention to discourage it.

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Operant Conditioning Flashcards: Reinforcement & Punishment