Final answer:
The student's understanding that a teacher may respond more comprehensively during office hours is an example of the informational view of operant conditioning, where behaviors are influenced by their consequences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's observation about the teacher's responsiveness to questions in different settings illustrates an understanding of learned behavior and its consequences—an idea central to operant conditioning. This scenario is best aligned with the concept that outcomes (or consequences) of a behavior can influence the future likelihood of that behavior's occurrence, a principle found within B.F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning. Skinner built upon Edward Thorndike's law of effect, which proposed that actions followed by satisfying effects are more likely to be repeated, and those with unpleasant outcomes are less so. Consequently, the more complete answers provided by a teacher during office hours reinforce the student's behavior to ask questions in that context, as it results in a more desirable outcome.
In contrast to choices a, b, and d, the correct answer reflects an understanding that behavior is influenced by its consequences, which is not specific to the interactionist view (choice c). Thorndike's law of association (choice b) is about forming connections between stimuli and responses, not about the influence of different consequences for the same behavior in different contexts. Therefore, the final answer, in this case, is most consistent with the informational view of operant conditioning (choice d), which acknowledges that the consequence of a behavior informs the organism about what to expect in the future, leading to adaptive behavior.