The phenomenon in which a change in one component of a multiple schedule that increases or decreases the rate of responding on that component is accompanied by a change in the response rate in the opposite direction on the other, unaltered component of the schedule is called what?

• A. Behavior Trap
• B. Behavioral Trap
• C. Baseline
• D. Baseline Logic

Answer: (C)

Behavioral contrast is the phenomenon where changing the reinforcement rate in one component of a two-component (multiple) schedule leads to an opposite change in the response rate on the other, unchanged component. If one component delivers more reinforcement, the organism tends to respond more in that component and less in the other, producing a shift in behavior away from the less reinforced component. Conversely, reducing reinforcement in one component can cause responding to increase in the other. This inverse shift explains the scenario described. Baseline refers to the initial level of responding before any manipulation, not the interaction between components across a multiple schedule.