After His Mother Smiles, Jimmy's Request for a Snack Is

question 5

Multiple Choice

After his mother smiles, Jimmy's request for a snack is reinforced. But if his mother is not smiling, his subsequent request for a snack is not reinforced. By indicating that Jimmy's request for a snack will be reinforced, the mother's smile is a

• A) primary reinforcer.
• B) discriminative stimulus.
• C) respondent behavior.
• D) unconditioned reinforcer.

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Definitions:

Variable Ratio

A reinforcement schedule in which a response is rewarded after a random number of responses, leading to a high resistance to extinction.

Fixed Interval

A schedule of reinforcement where the first response is rewarded only after a specified amount of time has elapsed, leading to a pattern of responses.

Variable Interval

Variable interval refers to a type of reinforcement schedule in operant conditioning where a response is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed, leading to a steady and resistant response rate.

Variable Ratio

A schedule of reinforcement where a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses, making it highly resistant to extinction.