Applied Behavior Analysis Technician (ABAT) Practice Test

Which term refers to behavior that has not been learned?

1. Operant Behavior

2. Reflex

3. Conditioned Response

4. Habituation

The correct answer is: Reflex

The term that refers to behavior that has not been learned is "reflex." Reflexes are automatic, instinctive responses to specific stimuli, and they occur without prior learning or experience. For example, a knee-jerk reaction is a reflex that happens automatically when the knee is tapped. This type of behavior is innate and typically does not require any form of conditioning or learning to occur, which differentiates it from other types of behavior like operant behavior, conditioned responses, or habituation, which involve learning processes and experience. Operant behavior refers to actions that are learned through the consequences that follow them, such as rewards or punishments. Conditioned responses are learned behaviors that result from classical conditioning, where an organism learns to associate a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus. Habituation involves a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated exposure, indicating that learning has occurred through experience. Therefore, reflexes are unique in being unlearned behaviors that are intrinsic and not acquired through experience.