Question

Mrs. Sanchez gives her third-grade students a silver sticker every time they get a perfect score on their weekly spelling test. At the end of the term, students can exchange their stickers for prizes. Mrs. Sanchez is using a strategy, based on _____ conditioning, called the _____.

a) Operant; reinforcement
b) Classical; extinction
c) Operant; punishment
d) Classical; generalization

Answer 1

Mrs. Sanchez is using operant conditioning through a reinforcement system where students receive silver stickers for perfect spelling test scores, which can be exchanged for prizes, thus encouraging desired academic behaviors.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mrs. Sanchez is using a strategy based on operant conditioning, called the reinforcement. This strategy is option (a) Operant; reinforcement. Operant conditioning is a form of learning in which behaviors are influenced by the consequences that follow them. When Mrs. Sanchez gives her students silver stickers for perfect scores, she's providing a positive reinforcer. These stickers serve as a secondary reinforcer which, when accumulated, can be exchanged for prizes. This system motivates the students to perform well on their spelling tests with the aim of receiving a reward. The technique reinforces the desired behavior (getting a perfect score) by providing a positive outcome (stickers and prizes).

Such reinforcement systems are effective in motivating students and changing behaviors, as noted in the work of behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner. Skinner emphasized the use of operant conditioning principles to shape behaviors by reinforcement or punishment, with reinforcement being a preferred method in school settings. This is especially true because reinforcement tends to encourage repeated behavior by making it rewarding, thereby strengthening the likelihood of that behavior's occurrence in the future.