Applied Learning Theory Flashcards

Which quadrant of operant conditioning adds an aversive to decrease behavior?

Answer: Positive punishment

Positive punishment adds an unpleasant stimulus to reduce the likelihood of a behavior.

A dog that has learned it cannot escape an aversive and stops trying may develop:

Answer: Learned helplessness

Learned helplessness occurs when repeated unavoidable aversives cause a dog to give up attempting to respond.

Premack's principle is applied when you use:

Answer: A high-probability behavior to reinforce a low-probability one

The Premack principle uses access to a preferred activity as a reward for performing a less-preferred one.

Fading a lure means:

Answer: Gradually reducing the food prompt until the cue alone works

Fading systematically diminishes the lure so the dog responds to the cue without the food prompt.

Classical conditioning differs from operant conditioning because it involves:

Answer: Involuntary associations between stimuli

Classical conditioning pairs stimuli to create involuntary responses, while operant conditioning links voluntary behavior to consequences.

A dog associates the sight of a leash with going for a walk and gets excited. The leash is a:

Answer: Conditioned stimulus

Through pairing with walks, the leash becomes a conditioned stimulus that triggers excitement.

Thinning the reinforcement schedule too quickly often causes:

Answer: Behavior to weaken or extinguish

Reducing rewards too fast can leave the behavior under-reinforced and lead to its breakdown.