Marcus investigated the application of operant conditioning in training two different species of birds. He trained young pigeons and budgerigars to successfully navigate a miniature obstacle course that he had constructed.
Marcus utilized positive reinforcement with both the pigeons and the budgerigars by providing each bird with three sunflower seeds every time they completed the obstacle course. He recorded the time taken, in seconds, for each bird to successfully navigate the obstacle course.
Explain how Marcus used positive reinforcement in this investigation.
205 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Main features of classical conditioning, Pavlov (1927) salivation in dogs, Main features of operant conditioning, Properties of reinforcement, Behaviour modification and shaping, Main features of social learning theory, Social learning stages, Bandura (1961, 1963) Bobo doll experiments, Bandura (1965) vicarious reinforcement, Learning theories and phobias, Treatments for phobias, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.