Which term denotes an event or stimulus that has acquired motivational properties due to the organism's history and increases operant rate?

Which term denotes an event or stimulus that has acquired motivational properties due to the organism's history and increases operant rate?

• A. Primary Reinforcer
• B. Generalization
• C. Conditioned Reinforcer
• D. Extinction Burst

Answer: (C)

A stimulus that has acquired motivational properties through the organism’s history and increases the rate of operant behavior is a conditioned reinforcer. It starts as neutral but becomes reinforcing after being paired with or associated with primary reinforcers (things the organism biologically needs, like food). Through this history, the stimulus gains value and signaling power, making the organism more likely to perform the behavior that leads to it. Examples include praise, money, or tokens that can be exchanged for preferred items or activities; these work because they predict access to something desirable. In contrast, a primary reinforcer is inherently reinforcing due to biology, not because of past associations; generalization refers to responding to similar stimuli, not to a reinforcer itself; and an extinction burst is a temporary increase in responding that occurs when reinforcement is removed, not about a stimulus acquiring reinforcing properties.

A stimulus that has acquired motivational properties through the organism’s history and increases the rate of operant behavior is a conditioned reinforcer. It starts as neutral but becomes reinforcing after being paired with or associated with primary reinforcers (things the organism biologically needs, like food). Through this history, the stimulus gains value and signaling power, making the organism more likely to perform the behavior that leads to it. Examples include praise, money, or tokens that can be exchanged for preferred items or activities; these work because they predict access to something desirable. In contrast, a primary reinforcer is inherently reinforcing due to biology, not because of past associations; generalization refers to responding to similar stimuli, not to a reinforcer itself; and an extinction burst is a temporary increase in responding that occurs when reinforcement is removed, not about a stimulus acquiring reinforcing properties.