Operant Conditioning Quiz

Tabish and Frida are taking their child, Aleena, on a hiking trip to the montains. To their dismay, Aleena has a bad habit of running ahead of them. They would like to devise a plan to teach Aleena to stop running ahead on the hiking trails. Using operant conditioning, which of the following principles could be applied? 

• Positive Reinforcement

• Negative Reinforcement

• Negative Punishment

• Positive Punishment

Answer explanation

Correct! Negative punishment involves taking something away to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. 

Tabish and Frida decide to sit Aleena in time out each time she runs ahead on the hiking trail. They believe this will teach Aleena to stop this undesirable behavior. What type of operant conditioning are they using? 

• Positive punishment

• Negative punishment

• Positive reinforcement

• Negative reinforcement

Answer explanation

Correct! Negative punishment involves taking something away to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. 

Aleena has been in time out three times today for runnning on the hiking trails. Her parents decide to pop her hand each time she runs ahead of them on the trails. They hope that adding this adverse stimulus will teach her to stop running ahead. What form of operant conditioning are they using? 

• Positive Punishment

• Negative reinforcement

• Positive reinforcement

• Negative punishment

Answer explanation

Correct! Positive punishment involves adding something to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. 

Trenton and Dylan are playing in the snow. Dylan wants Trenton to play with him, but Trenton is building a snowman. Dylan starts yelling "Trenton, play! Trenton, play!" He continues to yell until Trenton comes over to play with him. Which type of conditioning is Dylan using to increase Trenton's time playing with him?  

• Positive Punishment

• Negative Reinforcement

• Positive reinforcement

• Negative punishment

Answer explanation

Correct! Negative reinforcement works by removing an adverse stimulus to increase a behavior. Dylan's yelling was an adverse stimulus. When Trenton played with him, Dylan stopped yelling, removing the negative stimulus. 

Dylan and Trenton's parents are happy that their children are playing together. They want to increase the likelihood that Dylan and Trenton will play together in the future. Which types of operant conditioning could Dylan and Trenton's parents use to increase the amount of time their children play together?  

• Negative Reinforcement

• Negative Punishment

• Positive Reinforcement

• Positive Punishment

Answer explanation

Correct! Positive reinforcement adds something to increase a behavior. 

The purpose of ____________________is to decrease a behavior. 

The purpose of _____________________ is to increase a behavior. 

Positive punishment works by __________________ an adverse stimulus in order to a behavior.

Negative reinforcement works by __________________an adverse stimulus in order to increase a behaviour.

Positive __________________works by adding a stimulus inorder to increase a behaviour.