About 65 Percent of Adults Over the Age of 20

question 15

Multiple Choice

About 65 percent of adults over the age of 20 are overweight. Based on what we know about operant conditioning, which of the following may contribute to the problem?

• A) Eating is pleasurable for most people. (Positive reinforcement for eating happens immediately.)
• B) Punishment (gaining weight) happens right away.
• C) People watch how the people who eat junk food gain weight (observational learning).
• D) Eating is reinforced on a continuous scale which is prone to quick extinction.

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Definitions:

Smooth Muscle

Involuntary, non-striated muscle found in the walls of internal organs and blood vessels, controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

Arteries

Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body's tissues.

Arteriosclerosis

The thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries, often leading to restricted blood flow.

Tunica Intima

The innermost layer of a blood vessel, composed of a thin layer of endothelial cells that lines the interior surface.