What are the four categories of operant conditioning?

• A. Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, Positive punishment, Negative punishment
• B. Classical conditioning, Observational learning, Extinction, Generalization
• C. Reinforcement schedules, Punishment schedules, Modeling, Imitation
• D. Motivation, Attention, Memory, Learning

Answer: (A)

Operant conditioning shapes voluntary behavior through consequences that follow a response. The four basic categories describe how those consequences affect future behavior: adding or removing a stimulus, and whether the behavior is strengthened or weakened. The set that captures this is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Positive reinforcement presents a desirable stimulus after a behavior to increase its occurrence. Negative reinforcement removes an aversive stimulus after the behavior to increase its occurrence. Positive punishment introduces an unpleasant outcome after the behavior to decrease its occurrence. Negative punishment withdraws a desirable stimulus after the behavior to decrease its occurrence. The other options mix in elements from classical conditioning, observational learning, or broader terms that aren’t the four operant categories, so they don’t fit as well.