Question

A rat has been trained in an operant-conditioning chamber to press a lever to get a food pellet. Following the acquisition trials, the researcher then withheld reinforcement for lever pressing and eventually the rat stopped responding. This example illustrates:a.the effect of negative reinforcement.b.the effect of punishment by application.c.learned helplessness.d.extinction.

Answer 1

Answer:

extinction

Explanation:

Extinction describes the disappearance of a previously learned behavior occurring at some point after reinforcement stops which could depend on reinforcement schedule. This is most often identified with operant conditioning, although it can occur in other types of behavioral conditioning. In the above example, the rat simply doesn't know how to get food after reinforcement stops as a result of disappearance of what it has learned.