LEAPS Skill Acquisition Practice Exam

Reinforcement is a fundamental concept in behaviorism, particularly in the context of operant conditioning. When reinforcement is applied, it is intended to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated in the future. This is achieved by providing a positive consequence or removing a negative consequence following the desired behavior.

The correct answer highlights that the primary outcome of reinforcement is that it strengthens the behavior. When a behavior is reinforced, the individual learns to associate that behavior with a favorable outcome. Over time, this leads to an increase in the frequency or intensity of that behavior, as the organism seeks to replicate the positive results associated with it.

In contrast, the outcomes of behavior weakening, modification, or elimination do not accurately represent the goal of reinforcement. Weakening suggests that a behavior is becoming less frequent, which opposes the purpose of reinforcement. Modification would imply a change in the behavior but does not necessarily indicate an increase in its occurrence. Elimination indicates a complete cessation of the behavior, which again contradicts the objective of reinforcement. Thus, the function of reinforcement is specifically to make behaviors stronger and more likely to occur again in similar contexts.