MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 7c Operant Conditioning Reinforcement

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This deck focuses on 7c Operant Conditioning Reinforcement, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

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Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$) in operant conditioning?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced. Indicates when a behavior will produce reinforcement.

Flashcard 2: What is a variable-interval (VI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: First response after a variable time interval is reinforced. Like fishing: unpredictable timing keeps steady response rate.

Flashcard 3: What is negative reinforcement?

Answer: Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior. Eliminating an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior encourages its repetition to avoid discomfort.

Flashcard 4: What is spontaneous recovery in operant conditioning?

Answer: Reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a rest period. Shows that extinction doesn't erase learning, just suppresses it.

Flashcard 5: What is a continuous reinforcement schedule (CRF)?

Answer: Reinforcement is delivered after every correct response. This schedule builds strong initial associations by consistently rewarding each instance of the target behavior.

Flashcard 6: What is positive punishment?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior. "Positive" means adding; aversive consequences weaken behavior.

Flashcard 7: What is continuous reinforcement (CRF)?

Answer: Reinforcing every instance of the desired behavior. Best for initial learning but prone to extinction.

Flashcard 8: What is negative reinforcement?

Answer: Removing an aversive stimulus to increase the probability of a behavior. "Negative" means removing; taking away bad things strengthens behavior.

Flashcard 9: What is shaping?

Answer: Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior. Gradually reinforces closer approximations to desired behavior.

Flashcard 10: What is a fixed interval (FI) schedule of reinforcement?

Answer: First response after a fixed time interval is reinforced. Like checking mail at specific delivery times.

Flashcard 11: Which reinforcement schedule delivers reinforcement after a fixed number of responses?

Answer: Fixed ratio (FR). Like piece-rate pay - reinforcement after set number of responses.

Flashcard 12: What is extinction in operant conditioning?

Answer: Decrease of behavior when reinforcement is withheld. Behavior fades without reinforcement, reversing learning.

Flashcard 13: Identify whether this is reinforcement or punishment: A behavior becomes more frequent.

Answer: Reinforcement. Increased frequency indicates the consequence strengthened the behavior.

Flashcard 14: Identify the correct consequence type: taking away phone privileges to reduce texting in class.

Answer: Negative punishment. Removing desired item (phone) decreases unwanted behavior (texting).

Flashcard 15: Which schedule produces the greatest resistance to extinction: FR, VR, FI, or VI?

Answer: Variable ratio (VR). Unpredictability creates persistent responding, like gambling.

Flashcard 16: Identify the schedule: reinforcement is given for the first response after $30$ seconds.

Answer: Fixed interval (FI) schedule. Time-based with predictable intervals between reinforcements.

Flashcard 17: What is operant conditioning?

Answer: Learning in which behavior changes due to its consequences. Behaviors are shaped by rewards and punishments.

Flashcard 18: What is a conditioned (secondary) reinforcer?

Answer: Learned reinforcer paired with a primary reinforcer (e.g., money). Gains value through association with primary reinforcers.

Flashcard 19: What is negative punishment in operant conditioning?

Answer: Removing a desired stimulus to decrease a behavior. "Negative" means removing; taking away privileges punishes.

Flashcard 20: What is shaping in operant conditioning?

Answer: Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior. This technique gradually builds complex behaviors by rewarding closer approximations, facilitating learning step-by-step.

Flashcard 21: What is a fixed ratio (FR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after a set number of responses. Predictable rewards create post-reinforcement pauses.

Flashcard 22: Identify the term for a learned association between a behavior and its consequence.

Answer: Operant conditioning contingency. The if-then relationship between behavior and its outcome.

Flashcard 23: What is primary reinforcement?

Answer: Reinforcement that is inherently rewarding (for example, food, water). Satisfies biological needs without prior learning.

Flashcard 24: Which schedule produces the greatest resistance to extinction?

Answer: Variable ratio (VR) schedule. Unpredictability makes it hardest to extinguish (like slot machines).

Flashcard 25: What is negative punishment?

Answer: Removing a desired stimulus to decrease a behavior. Like taking away phone privileges for misbehavior.

Flashcard 26: What is a variable ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictability creates high, steady response rates.

Flashcard 27: Identify the concept: learning a behavior by observing the consequences for someone else.

Answer: Vicarious reinforcement (observational learning of consequences). Seeing others rewarded or punished influences our behavior.

Flashcard 28: What is negative punishment?

Answer: Removing a desired stimulus to decrease the probability of a behavior. "Negative" means removing; taking away rewards weakens behavior.

Flashcard 29: What is positive reinforcement?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior. "Positive" means adding; the added stimulus strengthens behavior.

Flashcard 30: What is a fixed-interval (FI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement for the first response after a set time has passed. Produces "scalloped" pattern with increased responding near interval end.

Flashcard 31: What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer: Inherently rewarding stimulus (e.g., food, water, warmth). Satisfies biological needs without prior learning.

Flashcard 32: What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer: A reinforcer that is inherently rewarding (meets biological needs). Food, water, and warmth naturally satisfy survival needs.

Flashcard 33: What is a variable ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses, around an average. Unpredictability creates steady, high response rates.

Flashcard 34: What is an extinction burst?

Answer: Temporary increase in behavior intensity/frequency during extinction. Like a vending machine being hit harder before giving up.

Flashcard 35: What is stimulus generalization in operant conditioning?

Answer: Responding similarly to stimuli resembling the $S^D$. Behaviors transfer to similar cues because of shared characteristics with the original discriminative stimulus.

Flashcard 36: What is a discriminative stimulus?

Answer: A cue signaling that a response will be reinforced. Signals when behavior will be rewarded.

Flashcard 37: What is a fixed ratio (FR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after a set number of responses. Predictable pattern (e.g., every 5th response).

Flashcard 38: What is negative reinforcement?

Answer: Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior. "Negative" means removing; relief from discomfort strengthens behavior.

Flashcard 39: What is positive punishment in operant conditioning?

Answer: Adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior. "Positive" means adding; punishment decreases behavior.

Flashcard 40: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$)?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced in that context. Environmental signal that reinforcement is available for a response.

Flashcard 41: What is spontaneous recovery after extinction?

Answer: Reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a time delay. Rest periods can temporarily restore extinguished responses.

Flashcard 42: What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer: Innately reinforcing stimulus (for example, food or water). Satisfies biological needs without prior learning.

Flashcard 43: What is operant conditioning?

Answer: Learning in which behavior is shaped by its consequences. Unlike classical conditioning, behaviors are modified by their outcomes.

Flashcard 44: Which reinforcement schedule produces the highest response rate and greatest extinction resistance?

Answer: Variable-ratio (VR) schedule. Unpredictability creates persistent responding (like gambling).

Flashcard 45: What is positive reinforcement?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior. Like giving praise or rewards to encourage behavior.

Flashcard 46: What is spontaneous recovery after extinction?

Answer: Reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a time delay. Rest period allows temporary return of extinguished response.

Flashcard 47: What is a fixed-ratio (FR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after a set number of responses. Predictable schedule creates steady response rate with pauses after reinforcement.

Flashcard 48: Which reinforcement schedule typically produces the highest response rate and greatest resistance to extinction?

Answer: Variable-ratio (VR) schedule. Unpredictability creates persistence even without reinforcement.

Flashcard 49: What is a variable ratio (VR) schedule of reinforcement?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictability sustains high, steady responding as each action could yield reward, akin to gambling.

Flashcard 50: What is operant conditioning in behavioral psychology?

Answer: Learning in which consequences shape the probability of behavior. Behavior is modified by its outcomes, unlike classical conditioning.

Flashcard 51: Which reinforcement schedule is variable ratio (VR)?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictability maintains high, steady response rates (like gambling).

Flashcard 52: What is a fixed interval (FI) schedule of reinforcement?

Answer: Reinforcement for the first response after a fixed time period. Time-based predictability leads to scalloped patterns with increased responding near the interval's end.

Flashcard 53: What is a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer?

Answer: Learned reinforcer paired with a primary reinforcer (e.g., money). Gains reinforcing value through association with primary reinforcers.

Flashcard 54: Which reinforcement schedule typically produces a scalloped response pattern (post-reinforcement pause then rising rate)?

Answer: Fixed interval (FI). Low responding after reinforcement, then acceleration.

Flashcard 55: What is operant conditioning?

Answer: Learning in which behavior changes due to consequences. Unlike classical conditioning, behaviors are modified by their outcomes.

Flashcard 56: What is a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer?

Answer: Learned reinforcer paired with a primary reinforcer (e.g., money). Gains value through association with primary reinforcers.

Flashcard 57: What is a discriminative stimulus in operant conditioning?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced or punished. Indicates when behavior will produce consequences.

Flashcard 58: What is a variable ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictable pattern maintains high response rates.

Flashcard 59: What is operant conditioning in behavioral psychology?

Answer: Learning in which consequences shape behavior frequency. Behaviors are modified by their outcomes through reinforcement or punishment.

Flashcard 60: What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer: Innately reinforcing stimulus that satisfies a biological need. These stimuli inherently motivate behavior due to their direct link to survival and basic physiological needs.

Flashcard 61: What is the Premack principle in operant conditioning?

Answer: High-probability behavior reinforces a low-probability behavior. "First eat vegetables, then dessert" uses preferred activities as rewards.

Flashcard 62: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$)?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced in that context. Environmental signal that reinforcement is available for a response.

Flashcard 63: What is positive reinforcement?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior. "Positive" means adding; rewards strengthen the behavior.

Flashcard 64: What is positive reinforcement?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior. Like giving praise or rewards to encourage behavior.

Flashcard 65: What is a variable ratio (VR) schedule of reinforcement?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Like slot machines; most resistant to extinction.

Flashcard 66: What is stimulus control in operant conditioning?

Answer: Behavior occurs more in presence of $S^D$ than in its absence. The $S^D$ gains control over when the behavior is performed.

Flashcard 67: Which term describes the removal of an expected reinforcer, leading to decreased behavior?

Answer: Extinction. Withholding reinforcement weakens the learned association, causing the behavior to diminish over time.

Flashcard 68: What is a fixed interval (FI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement for the first response after a fixed time period. Produces scalloped patterns with increased responding near deadline.

Flashcard 69: What is reinforcement in operant conditioning?

Answer: A consequence that increases the future probability of a behavior. Strengthens behavior by making it more likely to occur again.

Flashcard 70: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$)?

Answer: A cue signaling that a response will be reinforced. Like a green light indicating it's safe to proceed.

Flashcard 71: Identify whether this is reinforcement or punishment: Phone privileges removed after curfew violation.

Answer: Negative punishment. Desired privilege removed decreases curfew violations.

Flashcard 72: What is continuous reinforcement (CRF)?

Answer: Reinforcement delivered after every instance of the behavior. Every correct response gets reinforced; fastest learning but quick extinction.

Flashcard 73: What is a reinforcer in operant conditioning?

Answer: A consequence that increases the future frequency of a behavior. It strengthens the association between a behavior and its outcome, making the action more likely to recur.

Flashcard 74: What is a reinforcer in operant conditioning?

Answer: A consequence that increases the future frequency of a behavior. Strengthens behavior through positive outcomes.

Flashcard 75: Which reinforcement schedule is generally most resistant to extinction?

Answer: Variable ratio (VR). Intermittent and unpredictable rewards create strong habits that persist even without consistent reinforcement.

Flashcard 76: Which reinforcement schedule typically produces the highest, steadiest response rate?

Answer: Variable-ratio (VR) schedule. Unpredictability keeps organisms constantly responding.

Flashcard 77: Identify whether this is positive or negative: The consequence involves removing a stimulus.

Answer: Negative. "Negative" means subtraction, not bad—something is taken away.

Flashcard 78: What is a variable-ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Uncertainty maintains high, steady response rates.

Flashcard 79: What is positive punishment?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to decrease a behavior. Applying an aversive stimulus after a behavior discourages its future occurrence to avoid negative consequences.

Flashcard 80: What is a fixed interval (FI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: First response after a fixed time interval is reinforced. Time-based schedule produces scalloped response patterns.

Flashcard 81: What is a fixed-interval (FI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement for first response after a fixed time period. Like checking mail—reward available after predictable time passes.

Flashcard 82: What is punishment in operant conditioning?

Answer: A consequence that decreases the future frequency of a behavior. Weakens behavior by making it less likely to occur again.

Flashcard 83: What is a fixed ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement?

Answer: Reinforcement after a set number of responses. Like piece-rate pay; predictable reward after specific output.

Flashcard 84: What is extinction in operant conditioning?

Answer: Decreased behavior after reinforcement is withheld. Behavior fades when no longer followed by reinforcement.

Flashcard 85: Which reinforcement schedule produces the highest response rate and greatest resistance to extinction?

Answer: Variable ratio (VR). Unpredictability maintains behavior even without frequent rewards.

Flashcard 86: What is operant conditioning in the context of learning and behavior change?

Answer: Learning in which consequences shape the likelihood of a behavior. This form of learning modifies voluntary behaviors through rewards or punishments that follow them, increasing or decreasing their probability.

Flashcard 87: What is a variable-ratio (VR) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictability maintains high, steady responding (like gambling).

Flashcard 88: What is negative punishment?

Answer: Removing a desired stimulus to decrease a behavior. Like taking away privileges to reduce unwanted behaviors.

Flashcard 89: What is a variable ratio (VR) schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement after an unpredictable number of responses. Unpredictability maintains high, steady response rates.

Flashcard 90: What is a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer?

Answer: Learned reinforcer paired with primary reinforcers (e.g., money). Gains value through association with primary reinforcers.

Flashcard 91: What is positive reinforcement?

Answer: Adding a stimulus to increase a behavior. Like giving praise or rewards to strengthen desired behaviors.

Flashcard 92: Identify the term: the learned association between a behavior and its consequence.

Answer: Response-consequence association. The link formed between an action and what follows it.

Flashcard 93: What is spontaneous recovery after extinction?

Answer: Reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a rest period. Shows that extinction doesn't erase the learned association.

Flashcard 94: What is the difference between continuous and partial reinforcement?

Answer: Continuous: every response; partial: only some responses. Continuous is predictable; partial creates uncertainty and persistence.

Flashcard 95: What is a variable-interval (VI) reinforcement schedule?

Answer: Reinforcement for the first response after varying time intervals. Unpredictable timing produces slow, steady response rate.

Flashcard 96: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$) in operant conditioning?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced. Indicates when a behavior will produce reinforcement.

Flashcard 97: What is a discriminative stimulus ($S^D$) in operant conditioning?

Answer: Cue signaling that a response will be reinforced. It indicates the context where a specific response is likely to produce reinforcement, guiding behavior.

Flashcard 98: What is positive punishment?

Answer: Adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior. "Positive" means adding; the aversive stimulus weakens behavior.

Flashcard 99: What is continuous reinforcement (CRF)?

Answer: Reinforcing every instance of the desired behavior. Best for initial learning but prone to rapid extinction.

Flashcard 100: Which reinforcement schedule typically produces a "scalloped" response pattern over time?

Answer: Fixed-interval (FI) schedule. Response rate increases as reinforcement time approaches.