Assignment: Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement vs Punishment
For each example below identify the type of consequence. Remember, in each case a consequence is
something which follows a behavior. Consequences may increase or decrease the likelihood (in the future)
of the behavior that
they follow. For example:
PR (positive reinforcement) - something good is presented, which encourages the behavior in the future
NR (negative reinforcement) - something bad is removed or avoided, which encourages the occurrence of
the behavior
. PP (positive punishment) - something bad is presented, which discourages the behavior in the future.
NP (negative punishment) - something good is removed, which discourages the behavior in the future.
_PR___ Police stop drivers and give them a prize if their seatbelts are buckled; seat belt
use increases in town.
__NP__ A basketball player who commits a flagrant foul is removed from the game; his
fouls decrease in later games.
__PP__ A soccer player rolls her eyes at a teammate who delivered a bad pass; the
teammate makes fewer errors after
that.
___PR_ The annoying child jumps up and down, hand raised, yelling "Me, me, me!" until
the teacher calls on her. The child jumps and yells even more in the future.
__PR__ After a good workout in physical therapy, hospital patients are given ice cream
sundaes. They work harder in
later sessions.
__NR__ Homeowners who re-cycle get to deduct 5% from their utility bill. Recycling increases
after this program
begins.
__PP__ After receiving a DWI, drivers are forced to attend an Alcohol Education
Program. The drivers are less likely to drink and drive later.
__NP__ After Jodi flirted with someone else at the party, her boyfriend stopped talking
to her. Jodi didn't flirt at the next party.
__PR__ The employee of the month gets a reserved parking space. Employees now work
harder.
_NP___ A dog is not allowed to come inside after soiling the living room carpet. The dog
has fewer accidents after that.
__NR__ A professor allows students with A averages in the class to skip the final exam.
Students work harder for As.
___NP_ Your mother takes away your phone you when you let your room get dirty. Now
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