Operant Conditioning
Instructions: For each of the following conditioning examples, identify the type of conditioning that is taking place: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, or punishment. Be sure to include a
sentence or two describing how you know that the conditioning you chose is correct.
1. A rat receives an electric shock to his brain every time he presses a bar. Before long, the rat is pressing the bar fifty times an hour. How is the rat being conditioned?
2. Fred’s upstairs neighbors have a habit of engaging in noisy arguments. Fred quickly finds that when the neighbors are yelling, he can bang on the pipes of his apartment with a hammer and the neighbors quiet down. How is Fred being conditioned? How are his noisy neighbors being conditioned?
3. Serika’s parents were having a dinner party when Serika decided to throw a tantrum at the table because she didn’t want to eat her dinner. Her parents immediately sent her to her room. Angry about
being in her room, Serika proceeded to throw her toys about, stomp on the floor, and tear the sheets off the bed. Embarrassed by their uncooperative daughter, Serika’s parents agreed to let her out of her room. How was Serika initially conditioned? When her parents let her out of her room, how was Serika conditioned? How were Serika’s parents conditioned?
4. Tim is learning to play the trombone. His teacher notices that Tim likes baseball so she begins to give him a baseball card every time he successfully learns to play a new piece of music. How is Tim being conditioned?
5. Anna ate something that upset her stomach. Anika suggested that she take a special mixture of
peppermint tea and saltine crackers. Anna took the cure and felt much better. The next time Anna felt
sick to her stomach, she fixed herself peppermint tea and crackers. How has Anna been conditioned?
6. If he doesn’t do the dishes every night, Joseph knows he’ll have to stay home all day Saturday and cut the grass. How has Joseph been conditioned?
7. Frederick refuses to take out the trash so his mother refuses to allow him to watch his favorite TV
show in the evening. How has Frederick been conditioned?
8. Maretta is carrying a heavy load of books to her car. She tries to reach into her pocket to find her keys, loses control of the books, and they fall, breaking her left toe. Following this unfortunate incident, Maretta buys herself a backpack. When the books fell, how was Maretta conditioned? When she uses the backpack, how is Maretta being conditioned?
9. The hamsters on the eighth floor are getting on a fitness kick. When a horn sounds, they jump on their wheels and begin running. They know if they don’t jump on the wheel, a blast of cold air will blow. How are the hamsters being conditioned?
10. Andrew is upset because every time he goes to school, the 5th grade boys make fun of him. Andrew’s mother has noticed that Andrew is complaining of being sick every morning and asking to stay home from school. How have the 5th grade boys conditioned Andrew? If his mother allows him to stay home, how will his mother condition his behavior?