CDT Training Techniques & Methodologies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which training principle states that a behavior followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated?
- Law of Effect (Correct answer)
- Law of Contiguity
- Law of Frequency
- Law of Recency
Correct answer: Law of Effect
Thorndike's Law of Effect states that behaviors producing satisfying outcomes are strengthened and more likely to recur.
Question 2: A trainer uses a clicker the instant a dog sits, then delivers a treat. What is the clicker functioning as in this scenario?
- Secondary reinforcer (Correct answer)
- Primary reinforcer
- Punisher
- Negative reinforcer
Correct answer: Secondary reinforcer
The clicker is a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer because it gains value by being paired with a primary reinforcer like food.
Question 3: What is 'shaping' in dog training?
- Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior (Correct answer)
- Using physical guidance to place the dog in position
- Repeating a command until compliance occurs
- Withholding food to increase motivation
Correct answer: Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior
Shaping involves reinforcing incremental steps that progressively get closer to the final desired behavior.
Question 4: When a trainer adds an unpleasant stimulus to reduce a behavior, this is called:
- Positive punishment (Correct answer)
- Negative punishment
- Positive reinforcement
- Negative reinforcement
Correct answer: Positive punishment
Positive punishment involves adding (positive) an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior.
Question 5: A dog that has learned 'sit' in the kitchen struggles to perform it at the park. What training concept does this illustrate?
- Lack of generalization (Correct answer)
- Stimulus control failure
- Spontaneous recovery
- Behavioral contrast
Correct answer: Lack of generalization
Generalization is the ability to perform a learned behavior across varied contexts; dogs often need explicit training in multiple environments.
Question 6: Which schedule of reinforcement produces the highest rate of responding and greatest resistance to extinction?
- Variable ratio (Correct answer)
- Fixed ratio
- Fixed interval
- Variable interval
Correct answer: Variable ratio
Variable ratio schedules reinforce after an unpredictable number of responses, producing high, steady response rates with strong resistance to extinction.
Question 7: A dog barks at the door and the owner asks it to sit before opening it. Over time the dog automatically sits at the door. This is an example of:
- Behavior chain (Correct answer)
- Counter-conditioning
- Desensitization
- Extinction burst
Correct answer: Behavior chain
A behavior chain links individual behaviors in sequence where each behavior cues the next, culminating in a final reinforcer.
CDT Training Techniques & Methodologies 2
Which training principle states that a behavior followed by a pleasant consequence is more likely to be repeated?