Name That Stimulus
A student is suddenly stressed when they see red pen on a friend’s paper, even though it isn’t their assignment. What is the conditioned stimulus?
Red ink
A teen washes dishes to avoid their parents from reminding them. What type of conditioning is this?
Negative Reinforcement
A teacher assigns extra homework for talking. What type of punishment is this?
What is positive punishment?
Twiggy the squirrel learns to ski through small, progressively reinforced steps. What is this process called?
Shaping; through positive reinforcement
True or False, why? “Negative reinforcement is punishment.”
False; negative reinforcement increases behaviour; punishment decreases it
A dog hears a can opener, drools, then later begins drooling at the sound of the metal drawer opening before the can opener is even used. What happened?
Generalization or stimulus generalization; dog has generalized the UCS with multiple stimuli.
The car plays a persistent sharp-beeping noise if you drive without your seatbelt on.
What type of conditioning is this an example of?
Negative Reinforcement
Why might a Teacher assigning extra homework, fail to reduce talking in class? (think “Dangers of Punishment”)
1. it can create resentment to the punisher (the teacher) or
2. reduces motivation to do any work via decreasing intrinsic motivation
3. can potentially negatively reinforce attending the class. Students will avoid class to avoid discipline and extra work
A teen cleans their room faster when parents stop nagging. What broader learning principle does this show?
What is operant conditioning?
Correct the misconception: “Positive reinforcement requires something big like money.”
positive reinforcement can be any added stimulus; Primary Reinforcers or Secondary Reinforcers (conditioned)
A student spilled their lunch in the cafeteria and now feels anxious seeing the lunch period crowd, not the cafeteria itself. Identify the Conditioned Stimulus.
Sight of the lunch-period crowd?
Your pulled over for speeding 10 km/h over the speed ticket, and you receive a fine.
What type of reinforcement is this an example of?
Positive Punishment
A coach makes players run laps for every mistake. Why might this punishment backfire long-term? (think Operant conditioning leading to classical conditioning)
Overly and unfairly punished for small/weak behaviours can lead to Players associating the sport itself with the punishment (i.e., the sport/team is no longer enjoyable)
ex) Player(s) now skip going to practice to avoid running laps (more ‘skipping’ practice to avoid running)
A student starts feeling anxious simply hearing a classmate talk about deadlines because they associate deadlines with stress. Name the phenomenon.
What is higher-order conditioning?
Fix the myth: “Punishment teaches the correct behaviour.”
punishment teaches what not to do (decreases a behaviour), but does not replace or reinforce another behaviour
A teen used to get scolded for being late. After switching schools, they still tense up when walking through any classroom door. What conditioning process is happening?
What is generalization?
A student takes out the trash to stop nagging — BUT they only stop hearing nagging sometimes, not every time. Which schedule applies?
What is variable negative reinforcement (variable ratio-like pattern)?
A parent removes a teenager’s driving privileges after mistakes. What is a possible unintended behavioural shift? (Dangers of Punishment)
Teenager will begin lying or hiding behaviours to avoid punishment (Learning how not to get caught)
A child bitten by a large, loud dog, now develops a phobia for ALL dogs.
Type of Conditioning, and Name of Phenomenon that applies to multiple stimuli?
After spending time with gentle/friendly dogs, they eventually only fear barking dogs. Name the shift that occurred.
Classical conditioning; generalization
Discrimination
Correct the claim: “Classical conditioning only applies to animals.”
classical conditioning applies widely to human; to our emotions, our fears, and our learned associations
A student used to become anxious at cafeteria noises after the humiliation. Months later, cafeteria noises no longer bother them until one day they suddenly feel anxious again. Name the phenomenon. (when the behaviour returns after a prolonged absence)
Spontaneous Recovery
A teen’s parents remove their phone for staying up late. The teen stops staying up late, BUT also stops helping with chores. What unintended effect occurred?
What is Generalization?
A teacher uses punishment inconsistently — sometimes assigns extra work, sometimes ignores talking. Predict the likely classroom effect.
What is the reinforcement of talking through intermittent reinforcement (behaviour becomes harder to extinguish)?
A police officer pulls you over for going 26km/h over the speed limit and suspends your driver’s license on the spot. What type of conditioning is this?
Negative punishment. Negative because it is taking away something pleasant (privilege to drive); Punishment because it is decreasing a behaviour (excessive speeding/stunt driving)
True or False? “Reinforcement works instantly.”
reinforcement requires consistency and timing to shape/modifiy behaviour