Skinner Once Placed Some Pigeons in Skinner Boxes and Reinforced

question 380

Multiple Choice

Skinner once placed some pigeons in Skinner boxes and reinforced them with food randomly no matter what they were doing. Despite the fact that there was no real connection between their behavior and its consequences, each pigeon acted as if there were with one bird flapping its left wing, another hopping on one foot, and a third turning in complete circles. Skinner used which of the following terms to describe such behaviors that are repeated because they appear to produce reinforcement when really the behaviors are unnecessary?

• A)modeling
• B)latent learning
• C)positive transfer
• D)superstitious behavior

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Definitions:

Union Shop

A workplace where employees are not required to join the union in order to be hired but must join shortly thereafter and remain members as a condition of employment.

Secondary Picketing

Picketing at other than the employer’s place of business.

Severance Pay

Compensation provided to an employee upon termination of employment, often depending on the length of service.

Discretionary Bonuses

Additional pay that is awarded at the employer's discretion and is not guaranteed, often based on company or individual performance.