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Using Skinner boxes, researchers can study behavior in a carefully controlled environment. If a rat presses a lever to obtain a food pellet, the pellet of food is described as:

A. a negative reinforcer.
B. a positive reinforcer.
C. negative punishment.
D. shaping.


Sagot :

Final answer:

In operant conditioning, a positive reinforcer strengthens a behavior by presenting something pleasant. Skinner boxes enable researchers to study behavior in controlled environments using positive reinforcement like food pellets. B.F. Skinner's work emphasized how positive reinforcement shapes behavior.


Explanation:

A positive reinforcer is a term used in operant conditioning to describe an event that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a behavior. In the context of a rat in a Skinner box, if the rat receives a food pellet by pressing a lever, the food pellet represents a positive reinforcer.

Operant conditioning, studied extensively by B. F. Skinner, involves using reinforcers like food pellets to shape behavior. Positive reinforcement involves presenting something pleasant after a response, increasing the likelihood of that behavior happening again in the future.

Skinner boxes are chambers that allow researchers to study behaviors in a controlled environment by delivering positive reinforcement, like food pellets, to animals when they exhibit desired behaviors such as pressing a lever.


Learn more about Operant conditioning and positive reinforcement here:

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