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a. Positive, removal
b. Negative, removal
c. Positive, presentation
d. Negative, presentation
Jason experiences nicotine withdrawal symptoms
(e.g., a slight headache) after he has not smoked a
cigarette for 20 minutes. When he smokes another
cigarette, this symptom disappears, but then reoccurs
20 minutes later when he must smoke still another
cigarette to make his headache go away again. Which
of the following operant conditioning terms best
explains why Jason continues to smoke, even though
he knows nonsmokers live an average of 10 years
longer than smokers?
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. punishment by application
d. punishment by withdrawal
Although the subject of all three of these
questions is negative reinforcement, each
question requires a student to use a different
critical thinking skill.
The first question requires the ability to remember information
accurately because the correct answer is the exact, word-for-
word definition of negative reinforcement taken directly from
the textbook.
Practice this definition by turning the card over to the term side, trying to
recall its word-for-word definition, and then turning the card to the
definition side to see if you remembered it. Repeat this process until you
can recall the definition accurately. This procedure will enable you to
know and to practice this definition so you can remember it accurately in
the future when you are asked to recognize it in its original form on a
multiple-choice question.
After you have successfully memorized the definition from the textbook,
the next step is to create your own definition that contains as few words
as possible from the textbook’s definition, and then write this under the
textbook’s definition.
Creating your own definition will help you move from simply memorizing
the textbook’s definition to actually being able to understand the
meaning of the term. After you master this definition with the procedure
described on the previous slide, you will own the definition of this term,
rather than just borrowing it from your textbook’s author.
After you have produced your own definition of the term, it is now time
for you to invent an original example of how you have experienced this
term in your own life.
My dog loves to have her ears scratched, and when she wants me to do
this, she scratches my arm with her sharp little claws until I start
scratching her ears. I now understand that my dog has been negatively
reinforcing me for scratching her ears because she stops doing something
I don’t like (i.e., scratching my arm) when I do what she wants me to do
(i.e., scratch her ears). My dog has used negative reinforcement to
operantly condition me to scratch her ears because every time she jumps
up on the couch next to me, I start scratching her ears so she doesn’t
scratch my arm.
Creating this example will help you apply your understanding of a term to
a real-life situation that is relevant and meaningful to you.
The other side of your card
should now look like the next slide.
Negative reinforcement occurs when aversive or unpleasant events are taken
away after the performance of a behavior.
My dog loves to have her ears scratched, and when she wants me to do this,
she scratches my arm with her sharp little claws until I start scratching her
ears. I now understand that my dog has been negatively reinforcing me for
scratching her ears because she stops doing something I don’t like (i.e.,
scratching my arm) when I do what she wants me to do (i.e., scratch her ears).
My dog has used negative reinforcement to operantly condition me to scratch
her ears because every time she jumps up on the couch next to me, I start
scratching her ears so I can avoid having my arm scratched.
Now let us revisit our three original
multiple-choice questions to see if
the strategy described in this
presentation has helped you answer
these questions more successfully
than when you first saw them.
Which of the following best describes negative
reinforcement?
a. Positive, removal
b. Negative, removal
c. Positive, presentation
d. Negative, presentation
Jason experiences nicotine withdrawal symptoms
(e.g., a slight headache) after he has not smoked a
cigarette for 20 minutes. When he smokes another
cigarette, this symptom disappears, but then reoccurs
20 minutes later when he must smoke still another
cigarette to make his headache go away again. Which
of the following operant conditioning terms best
explains why Jason continues to smoke, even though
he knows nonsmokers live an average of 10 years
longer than smokers?
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. punishment by application
d. punishment by withdrawal
No study technique is perfect, and you will
encounter some multiple-choice questions
that require critical thinking skills other than
remembering, understanding, and applying.
However, these are the three skills most often
emphasized in introductory psychology
classes, so using the technique
- described in
this presentation will provide you with a
strategy that will prepare you for the majority
of the multiple-choice questions you will
encounter on your tests.
I have two more recommendations
that can help you learn the
information you will need for
multiple-choice tests. The first is
based on the results of more than a
century of psychological research on
how humans learn and the second is
technology-based.
Recommendation #1
StudyBlue
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FlashCardMachine
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References