PSY 150: Classical Conditioning Practice
1. Your romantic partner always uses the same shampoo. Soon, the smell
of that shampoo makes you feel happy.
Unlearned reflex:
UCS (partner)
UCR (happy feeling)
After conditioning:
CS (shampoo)
CR (happy feeling)
2. The door to your house squeaks loudly when you come home from work.
Soon, your dog begins wagging its tail when the door squeaks.
Unlearned reflex:
UCS (you coming home)
After conditioning:
CS (squeak)
UCR (wag tail)
CR (wag tail)
3. The nurse says “Now this won’t hurt a bit” just before stabbing you with a
needle. The next time you hear “This won’t hurt” you cringe in fear.
Unlearned reflex:
UCS (pain/needle)
UCR (fear/cringe)
After conditioning:
CS (“this won’t hurt”)
CR (fear/cringe)
4. You have a meal at a fast food restaurant that causes food poisoning.
The next time you see a sign for that restaurant, you feel nauseous.
Unlearned reflex:
UCS (food poisoning)
UCR (nausea)
After conditioning:
CS (restaurant/sign)
CR (nausea)
PSY 150: Operant Conditioning Practice
Identify the following examples as positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement,
positive punishment or negative punishment.
1. A waiter is polite and attentive to customers, which results in larger tips.
When waiter is polite he gets tips (something is added). Now, he is more likely to be polite.
This is positive reinforcement.
2. Every time you talk about the problems between Israel and Palestine
with your roommate, you get in a heated argument. Now, you avoid the
subject.
When you talk about problems you get an argument (something is added). Now, you are
less likely to talk about the Israel-Palestine problems.
This is positive punishment.
3. A child is allowed one-half hour of TV time for each hour she spends
doing homework.
When the child does homework he/she gets tv time (something is added). Now, the child is
more likely to do homework.
This is positive reinforcement.
4. A child engages in self injurious behavior (hand biting) when asked to
get dressed, resulting in her parents helping her dress.
ADULT BEHAVIOR: When an adult asks the child to dress herself they get hand-biting
(something is added) Now, the adult is less likely to ask the child to dress herself.
This is positive punishment.
CHILD BEHAVIOR: When the child bites his/her hand she gets out of having to dress
herself (something is removed) Now, the child is more likely to bite her hand when asked to
do something she doesn’t want to do.
This is negative reinforcement.
****PUNISHMENT DOES NOT MEAN CONSEQUENCE, IT JUST MEANS YOU’RE LESS
LIKELY TO DO SOMETHING, LESS LIKELY TO PERFORM THAT BEHAVIOR!
5. Your professor refuses to grade your term paper because you handed it
in two days past the deadline.
When you turn in a late paper you get no grade (something is removed). Now, you are less
likely to hand in papers late.
This is negative punishment.