Which of the following is an example of operant conditioning?

• A. A child receives a piece of candy for cleaning their room, increasing the likelihood they will clean it again.
• B. A dog salivates when it hears a bell that has been repeatedly paired with food.
• C. A student feels anxious every time they enter a room where they once took a difficult test.
• D. A person blinks when a puff of air is blown into their eye.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the definition of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a learning process where behavior is influenced by the consequences that follow it, such as rewards or punishments, which increase or decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.
2. Step 2: Review each example and identify whether the behavior is followed by a consequence that changes the behavior's frequency. For example, receiving a reward after a behavior is a key feature of operant conditioning.
3. Step 3: Analyze the first example: A child receives a piece of candy for cleaning their room, which increases the likelihood of cleaning again. This shows behavior followed by a positive consequence (reward), fitting operant conditioning.
4. Step 4: Examine the other examples: salivating to a bell (classical conditioning), feeling anxious in a room (classical conditioning or emotional response), blinking to a puff of air (reflexive response). These do not involve consequences that modify behavior through rewards or punishments.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the example involving the child receiving candy for cleaning their room is the correct example of operant conditioning because it demonstrates behavior modification through reinforcement.