Which of the following is an example of operant conditioning (learning in which a behavior is strengthened or weakened by its consequences)?

• A. A person avoids a food after getting sick once because they developed a taste aversion.
• B. A child cleans their room and then receives extra screen time, making the child more likely to clean their room again.
• C. A student remembers a phone number by repeating it over and over in their head.
• D. A dog learns to salivate when it hears a bell because the bell has been repeatedly paired with food.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the definition of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning is a type of learning where the likelihood of a behavior changes based on the consequences that follow it, such as rewards or punishments.
2. Step 2: Identify the key elements of operant conditioning in the options: a behavior followed by a consequence that either increases or decreases the behavior's frequency.
3. Step 3: Analyze each option to see if the behavior is influenced by consequences. For example, if a behavior is followed by a reward that makes the behavior more likely to occur again, this is operant conditioning.
4. Step 4: Recognize that classical conditioning (like salivating to a bell) involves associating two stimuli, not consequences following a behavior, so it is not operant conditioning.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the example where a child cleans their room and then receives extra screen time, which increases the likelihood of cleaning again, fits operant conditioning because the behavior is strengthened by a positive consequence.