Suppose We Observed That the More Firefighters There Were at a Fire

question 17

Multiple Choice

Suppose we observed that the more firefighters there were at a fire site, the greater the amount of fire damage. Suppose we also observed that the size of the fire was related to both the amount of damage and the number of firefighters present. The relationship between numbers of firefighters and the amount of fire damage illustrates that:

• A)the relationship between the two variables is causal.
• B)the number of firefighters causes the damage.
• C)the relationship between firefighters and the amount of damage is spurious.
• D)the number of firefighters at a fire may cause the amount of damage.
• E)the amount of damage at a fire causes firefighters to appear at the fire.

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Definitions:

Positive Reinforcement

Increasing behaviors by presenting positive reinforcers. A positive reinforcer is any stimulus that, when presented after a response, strengthens the response.

Discriminative Stimulus

A stimulus in the environment that increases the likelihood of a particular response being emitted due to its association with a reinforcement.

Operant Response

Is a behavior or action that is a consequence of the operant conditioning process, wherein behaviors are modified through reinforcement or punishment.

Reinforced

In psychology, refers to the process of strengthening a behavior by providing a reward or removing an adverse stimulus after the behavior occurs.