Operant Conditioning: Homework (75 points!!!!)

Instructions: Below you will find descriptions of behaviors (in bold type and underlined) and the consequences (in italics) that follow each of those behaviors. In each case, you must:

  1. IDENTIFY the behavior of interest.
  2. Determine whether the consequence that follows each behavior is APPETITIVE (meaning the consequence either involves the presentation of a pleasant stimulus or involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus). If neither is true then you must determine if the consequence that follows the behavior is AVERSIVE (meaning the consequence involves the presentation of an unpleasant stimulus or the removal of a pleasant stimulus). The third option is that NO consequence follows the behavior.

3) Next, you must indicate whether the consequence is likely to result in (a) an increase in the behavior or (b) a decrease in the behavior.

  1. Finally, you must identify the consequence as either a form of POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT, NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT, PUNISHMENT, or EXTINCTION.

Description

Identify the BEHAVIOR of interest. Yes, it is the one underlined.

Just do it for me anyway.

Is the consequence following the behavior Aversive (unpleasant), Appetitive (pleasant), OR is there NO consequence?

(You have three choices here!)

Is the consequence likely to lead to an increase or a decrease in the behavior of interest?

Is the consequence an example of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment or extinction?

What is likely to happen?

1) Vito doesn’t understand operant conditioning principles and is afraid of doing his homework assignment on his own. His best friend, Mike, decides to let him copy his answers.

Is Vito likely to attempt to do his homework alone in the future?

2) When Mr. Granato stopped eating spicy foods for dinner, his heartburn disappeared.

What is Mr. Granato likely to eat next time he has lunch?

3) Just before winter break, Dorothy made her AP class some cookies. They never said "thank you", but instead asked for hints about the final exam essay.

How likely is it that Dorothy will make cookies for her class again?

4) Whenever Shelly stands up to her abusive husband, Rick, he loses his temper and hits her.

What is Shelly likely to do next time she disagrees with Rick?

5) After Rick has hit Shelly, she becomes very passive and apologizes for "being "bad". He then hugs her and tells her that he loves her and will "never be violent again".

Is Shelly likely to apologize to her husband in the future for "being so bad"?

6) When Lucile complains to her mother that she can’t do her homework, her mother bakes her chocolate chip cookies to make her feel better.

What is Lucile likely to do next time she has a lot of homework?

7) Marla bought a new pair of shoes. After wearing them for a couple of days, her feet HURT. She took her shoes off. Now, her feet don’t hurt.

Is Marla going to wear her painful shoes again? (Hey, look at this one in terms of operant conditioning, not vanity).

8) Marla continued to wear those painful pair of shoes. After just a couple of days, a really good-looking hunk doing construction work in front of her office said, "W00, you look hot baby".

Is Marla going to wear her painful shoes again?

"YES" or "NO" may be correct (It just depends on how you feel about hunky plumbers--oops, I mean construction workers).

9) When 5-year old Bobby shoots spit-wads at his teacher, neither the teacher nor the other kids seem to notice.

Will Bobby continue to shoot spit wads? This question is more complicated than it seems.

10) When Oedipus (Diane’s cat) sharpens his claws on the furniture, she squirts him with water.

Will Ed (Oedipus) continue to ruin Diane’s favorite couch?

11) When her parents are assertive and tell little Carol that she can’t have a Twinkie before dinner, she throws a huge temper-tantrum.

Are her parents likely to tell her that she can’t have Twinkies in the future.

12) When her parents tell little Susie that she can’t have a Twinkie before dinner, she throws a huge temper tantrum. Her parents promptly send her to her room.

After several of these incidents, will little Susie continue to throw tantrums?

13) When her parents tell little Susie that she can’t have a Twinkie before dinner, she throws a huge temper tantrum. After a few minutes, her parents give her the damned Twinkie.

Will little Susie continue to throw tantrums?

 

 

14) While Bart’s mom was away from the house buying donuts for Homer, Bart ruined Lisa’s science project. When Marge got home, she said, "Oh, Bart, I know that you didn’t mean to upset your sister". Being "Marge", she then sat down and let Bart eat some incredible little meatballs.

        

Is Bart unlikely to ruin Lisa’s next project because he knows that type of behavior is "bad"?

15) After Bart ruins Lisa’s science project, Marge sends him to his room. He immediately throws a major temper tantrum. After Bart has been in his room for about 10 minutes, he stops screaming, and throwing things. At that point, Marge lets him out of his room so he can have donuts for dinner with his dad.

        

Is Bart more or less likely to "stop" screaming next time he gets upset with the world?

 


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