Dog Training Applied Learning Theory 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dog learns that a clicker sound predicts a treat. The clicker is functioning as which type of reinforcer?
- Conditioned (secondary) reinforcer (Correct answer)
- Primary reinforcer
- Negative reinforcer
- Punisher
Correct answer: Conditioned (secondary) reinforcer
A clicker gains reinforcing value through association with food, making it a conditioned or secondary reinforcer.
Question 2: Which schedule of reinforcement produces behavior that is most resistant to extinction?
- Variable ratio (Correct answer)
- Continuous
- Fixed interval
- Fixed ratio
Correct answer: Variable ratio
Variable ratio schedules reward unpredictably, making the behavior persist strongly even when reinforcement stops.
Question 3: A dog stops jumping when you turn your back and remove attention. This is an example of:
- Negative punishment (Correct answer)
- Positive reinforcement
- Negative reinforcement
- Positive punishment
Correct answer: Negative punishment
Removing something the dog wants (attention) to decrease a behavior is negative punishment.
Question 4: When a previously reinforced behavior temporarily increases in intensity after reinforcement stops, this is called:
- An extinction burst (Correct answer)
- Spontaneous recovery
- Latent learning
- Habituation
Correct answer: An extinction burst
An extinction burst is a brief escalation of the behavior when expected reinforcement is withheld.
Question 5: Shaping a complex behavior works by reinforcing:
- Successive approximations toward the goal (Correct answer)
- Only the perfect final behavior
- Random behaviors equally
- The dog after every session ends
Correct answer: Successive approximations toward the goal
Shaping reinforces gradually closer approximations until the full target behavior is achieved.
Question 6: A dog generalizes a 'sit' cue learned in the kitchen to the park. This demonstrates:
- Stimulus generalization (Correct answer)
- Stimulus discrimination
- Counter-conditioning
- Flooding
Correct answer: Stimulus generalization
Responding to the cue in new contexts is stimulus generalization.
Question 7: In counter-conditioning, the goal is to change the dog's:
- Emotional response to a stimulus (Correct answer)
- Physical appearance
- Breed instincts permanently
- Reinforcement schedule only
Correct answer: Emotional response to a stimulus
Counter-conditioning pairs a feared or disliked stimulus with something positive to alter the emotional response.
Dog Training Applied Learning Theory 2
A dog learns that a clicker sound predicts a treat.
The clicker is functioning as which type of reinforcer?