Types of Reinforcers

In operant conditioning, we learn associations between

• the behavior of others and our desire to imitate it.

• reinforcements and punishments.

• unrelated events.

• our behavior and its consequences.

What is a reinforcer?

• Anything that decreases the frequency of a behavior
• Anything that the subject likes 
• Anything that the subject will work for 
• Anything that follows a behavior and increases the frequency of a behavior

Which of the following describes negative reinforcement?

• Noah stops shooting bad free-throws because his coach benches him when he does.

• Sebastian studies hard because it earns him "A" grades in math.

• Deja used to walk to school but does not do so anymore because she was attacked by a dog in the neighborhood last month.

• Mia smokes because her anxiety is reduced when she does so.

• Darius wears his seatbelt because his driving teacher cited accident statistics in class.

All of the following are examples of primary reinforcers except a

• rat's food reward in a Skinner box

• cold drink on a hot day

• high score on an exam for which a student studied diligently

• hug from a loved one

• large meal following an extended time without food

Bradley is a distractible second-grade student who finds schoolwork boring. After a couple of minutes of working silently, Bradley often starts to misbehave until his teacher, Ms. Skinner, calls his name and scolds him. However, he enjoys this attention from her and continues to misbehave. With respect to Bradley's misbehavior, Ms. Skinner’s attention serves as

• punishment

• positive reinforcement

• negative reinforcement

• primary reinforcement

• differential reinforcement

When a child behaves well for an entire day, the child earns a star. After acquiring fifteen stars, the child is allowed to pick a prize from a toy chest. The star is best described as

• an unconditioned stimulus

• an unconditioned response

• a conditioned response

• a primary reinforcer

• a secondary reinforcer

Which of the following describes negative reinforcement?

• A mother gives her son praise for doing homework

• Sarah studies hard because it earns her "A" grades in English

• Dennis used to walk to school but does not do so anymore because he was attacked by a dog in the neighborhood last month.

• Bob washes the dishes in order to stop his mother's nagging

My dad puts on his seatbelt to make his car stop beeping

• positive reinforcement

• negative reinforcement

• conditioned reinforcement

• unconditioned reinforcement