Essay Questions
1. What is a reinforcer? Discuss with respect to the role of the reinforcer in classical and instrumental conditioning.
Key Points:
- Consideration of both dimensions of a reinforcer:
- Consideration of how suitable both dimensions are to be applied to the different conditioning scenarios considered in this chapter.
- Extra credit should be received for instances of learning phenomena which are not provided in the chapter but which are nevertheless relevant.
A reinforcer is an event that, when made contingent on a response, increases the probability of that response.
Reinforcer is also another term for the unconditioned stimulus in classical conditioning.
