Olympus Mons Is an Enormous Volcano on Mars

question 56

Essay

Olympus Mons is an enormous volcano on Mars. It is the largest volcano in the Solar System. Compositionally and structurally, Olympus Mons is most like a shield volcano on Earth, but it is many times larger. Why should Mars produce such a monstrous shield volcano, while Earth isn't capable of producing one that large?

---

Definitions:

Reinforcement Schedules

Patterns or rates of providing or withholding reinforcers.

Respondent Behavior

Respondent behavior refers to automatic, reflexive responses to stimuli, as described in classical conditioning theories in psychology.

Operant Behavior

Behavior that is controlled by consequences, such as rewards or punishments.

Variable-Interval Schedule

A reinforcement schedule in operant conditioning where a behavior is rewarded after an unpredictable amount of time has passed.