AP Psycology Thinking & Feeling Unit 3 Study Guide
Exam: Essay Question
Scoring: 20 points total; each essay question is worth 10 points.
Time: You have 30 minutes to complete this part of the test.
Directions:
•Write well-organized essays in response to the following questions.
•Neatly write your responses on the answer sheets provided (print out additional sheets if
necessary) or type your responses using a word processor.
•
If you are handwriting your responses, use a blue or black pen.
•Do not write in the margins.
•Remember to complete the submission information on every page you turn in.
1. Joanne does not want to go to school because she didn’t do her calculus homework and isn’t
ready for her test. She tells her mother that she has a terrible headache. Her mother
shows
concern, agrees to let her stay home, and makes Joanne her favorite breakfast. Define
all of the
following terms and explain how each applies to this situation.
•Operant conditioning
•
Primary reinforcement
•Negative reinforcement
In regards to Joanne’s current situation, there are some examples of operant conditioning that affect
her. Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments in response to
behavior. This is applicable in the idea that when you do your homework, you understand the academic
concepts, and become prepared for a test. Due to Joanne not completing her calculus homework, she was not
able to understand the material, and the punishment in response to that is that she isn’t ready for her test. While
this does not necessarily involve a physical or intentional response to her behavior, this is still considered to be
operant conditioning because there is an association between her behavior and a consequence for that behavior.
Primary reinforcement is the idea that there are naturally occurring reinforcements, those which don’t
need to be learned or don’t need effort to be learned. In regards to what is happening in Joanne’s life, the
primary reinforcement, also known as conditioned reinforcement, is how she convinces her mom to stay home.
By telling her mom she has a headache, she knows that her mom’s response will be to make her feel better, and
this can be done by keeping her home. Being sick, or acting as if you're sick, occurs naturally because there is
never a way to be taught how to not feel well. Joanne’s actions towards her mom, with her pretending to be sick
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