Chapter 8 Quiz: Reward Prediction Error and Anticipation

Instructions: Choose the best answer for each question. Answer key appears at the end.

1. In Wolfram Schultz's landmark monkey experiments, what happened to dopamine neuron firing over the course of conditioning?

A) Neurons increased their firing rate at all points in the reward sequence as training progressed B) The timing of peak firing shifted from the moment of reward delivery to the moment of the predictive cue C) Neurons stopped responding to rewards entirely once the animal had learned to expect them D) The firing rate increased specifically at the moment of reward delivery and decreased in response to cues

2. In the reward prediction error (RPE) framework, what happens to dopamine neurons when an expected reward fails to materialize?

A) They fire at a higher rate than normal, signaling the urgency of finding the missing reward B) They show no change from baseline, as the absence of reward provides no information C) They dip below their baseline firing rate, producing a negative prediction error signal D) They produce a sustained elevated firing state until the reward eventually arrives

3. The mathematical formula for reward prediction error is best described as:

A) (predicted reward) × (probability of reward) = expected value B) (received reward) - (predicted reward) = prediction error C) (response rate) ÷ (reward frequency) = conditioning strength D) (reward magnitude) + (reward delay) = motivational value

4. Temporal difference (TD) learning is significant to the RPE framework because:

A) It explains why rewards delivered after a delay are more reinforcing than immediate rewards B) It provides the computational framework that best models how the brain's RPE signal drives learning C) It demonstrates that learning occurs in discrete time steps rather than continuously D) It was derived from social media behavioral data and later applied to neuroscience

5. In the "checking behavior loop," which of the following outcomes reinforces the checking behavior through NEGATIVE reinforcement?

A) Finding a notification from a close friend that produces a pleasurable dopamine response B) Finding viral content that exceeds expectations and produces positive prediction error C) Finding nothing new, but experiencing relief from the anxiety of uncertain anticipatory state D) Finding a notification that confirms social approval from a peer group

6. Phantom phone vibration syndrome — the sensation that one's phone has vibrated when it has not — is best explained by the RPE framework as:

A) A neurological disorder caused by excessive smartphone use B) A conditioned perceptual prediction generated by the anticipatory state when the phone is present C) A mechanical artifact caused by interference between phone hardware and nearby electronic fields D) A form of dissociation caused by chronic social media overuse

7. The chapter argues that social media recommendation algorithms maintain chronic positive prediction error in users. What does this mean?

A) Algorithms consistently deliver content that is worse than users predict, driving continued search for better content B) Algorithms reward users with real monetary value that exceeds their expectations C) Algorithms consistently serve content slightly better than predicted, keeping the dopamine prediction error signal positive and engagement elevated D) Algorithms use positive reinforcement exclusively, avoiding negative feedback that might discourage use

8. Research on the cognitive effects of interruptions by Gloria Mark and colleagues at UC Irvine found that:

A) Brief notification interruptions have minimal long-term effects on sustained cognitive work B) It takes an average of twenty-three minutes to fully restore focused attention following an interruption C) Workers who check notifications more frequently are more productive than those who batch their checks D) The cognitive cost of interruptions is primarily experienced as fatigue rather than reduced attention quality

9. In the email paradigm described in the chapter, email represents which aspect of the RPE exploitation framework?

A) A deliberate early attempt by technology companies to exploit conditioned anticipation for commercial gain B) Evidence that RPE-driven checking behavior can emerge from variable social communication even without deliberate behavioral design C) A failed attempt to replicate social media engagement dynamics in a professional communication context D) Proof that adults are immune to conditioned anticipation effects that primarily affect adolescents

10. The Snapchat streak mechanic exploits loss aversion primarily by:

A) Providing daily monetary rewards that users risk losing if they miss a day B) Creating an accumulated counter that users experience as something owned, making its potential loss feel disproportionately painful C) Sending threatening notifications that warn users of social consequences for missing a day D) Algorithmically reducing content quality for users who break streaks, creating negative reinforcement

11. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky's research on loss aversion found that losses are experienced as approximately how much more painful than equivalent gains are pleasurable?

A) The same — gains and losses are experienced with equal intensity B) Fifty percent more painful than equivalent gains C) Twice as painful as equivalent gains D) Ten times more painful than equivalent gains

12. Which of the following is NOT a mechanism by which social media platforms exploit RPE according to the chapter?

A) Notification systems that maintain uncertainty and anticipation about potential social rewards B) Algorithmic content recommendation that generates perpetual mild positive prediction error C) Autoplay features that eliminate gaps between sequential reward cycles D) Fixed ratio delivery of like counts on a predetermined schedule to maintain predictability

13. The chapter describes the Velocity Media autoplay beta test as showing that users in the autoplay condition:

A) Reported higher satisfaction and watched more videos than users in the manual selection condition B) Watched more videos but reported lower post-session satisfaction than users in the manual selection condition C) Reported equivalent satisfaction but watched significantly fewer videos than in the manual selection condition D) Showed no difference in behavior compared to users in the manual selection condition

14. In RPE terms, why must platforms continuously provide novel content to maintain engagement?

A) Because users become bored with familiar content and actively seek new platforms if variety is insufficient B) Because dopamine neurons respond to prediction errors (deviations from expectation), not to rewards themselves, so familiar and predictable content produces no RPE signal C) Because regulatory requirements mandate fresh content to prevent monopolistic information control D) Because the competitive market for social media users requires constant innovation to prevent churn

15. The content escalation dynamic described in the chapter — the tendency of recommendation algorithms to amplify increasingly extreme content — is explained by the RPE framework because:

A) Extreme content is cheaper to produce and therefore more profitable to amplify B) Content that generates strong emotional responses is more likely to be shared by users who are unaware of the algorithm C) Extreme content generates stronger prediction error signals (greater deviation from baseline expectation), which drives stronger engagement responses D) Platform content moderation policies explicitly encourage outrage-inducing content as a strategy for user retention

16. Read Montague's computational psychiatry research on drug cue responses is relevant to social media use because it demonstrates that:

A) Social media use activates the same neural circuits as illicit drug use in all measurable respects B) Conditioned cues (like notification sounds) trigger RPE-based dopaminergic anticipation responses that can precede conscious decision-making C) Platforms deliberately design their notification systems to mimic the cue-response patterns of drug use D) Addiction treatment methods for substance use disorders can be directly applied to social media overuse

17. The chapter's discussion of Antonio Rangel's decision neuroscience is relevant to social media because:

A) Rangel's research proved that social media decisions are made in a fundamentally irrational part of the brain B) Rangel's work explains how conditioned anticipatory responses and choice environment design can systematically inflate the perceived value of social media engagement C) Rangel demonstrated that dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter involved in all value-based decision making D) Rangel's computational models are currently used by social media companies to optimize their recommendation algorithms

18. The distinction between positive reinforcement (reward better than expected) and negative reinforcement (removal of aversive state) in the checking loop is significant because:

A) Only one of these mechanisms operates in social media use, simplifying the analysis of compulsive checking B) Both mechanisms reinforce the checking behavior simultaneously, making the loop self-sustaining regardless of whether any particular check is rewarding C) Negative reinforcement is a weaker mechanism than positive reinforcement and therefore plays a minor role in social media habit formation D) Positive reinforcement maintains checking behavior while negative reinforcement reduces it, creating a natural self-regulating balance

19. When Snapchat users have delegated streak maintenance to parents or siblings during periods of restricted phone access, this behavior most directly illustrates:

A) The genuine social importance of maintaining friendships across distances B) A healthy adaptation strategy that prevents excessive screen time while preserving social connections C) An inversion in which the artificial behavioral mechanic has become the goal and the social relationship has become instrumental to maintaining the mechanic D) Evidence that streak mechanics successfully encourage daily communication regardless of the medium

20. The chapter's claim that "the optimization process of A/B testing converges on dopamine-exploiting designs without requiring explicit neurological knowledge" is making what argument?

A) Engineers who design social media products are deliberately studying neuroscience to optimize dopamine responses B) Behavioral engagement metrics are reliable proxies for dopaminergic activation, so optimization for metrics automatically optimizes for dopamine exploitation C) A/B testing is a flawed research methodology because it does not control for neurological differences between test subjects D) The neurological effects of social media design are too complex to be captured by behavioral metrics

21. The concept of "continuous partial attention" as applied to notification-driven behavior describes:

A) The neurological state in which dopamine is divided equally between the current task and notification monitoring B) A condition in which attention is never fully committed to any task because it is continuously partially allocated to monitoring for incoming social information C) A beneficial form of multitasking that allows knowledge workers to maintain social connections while completing work tasks D) The experience of partial amnesia for social media content due to rapid scrolling and insufficient processing time

22. The chapter argues that understanding RPE is "necessary but not sufficient for behavioral change." This claim most directly means:

A) Understanding RPE provides all the tools needed to change social media habits, but most people are unwilling to apply them B) Intellectual knowledge of conditioned anticipatory responses does not dissolve those responses, which are precisely the type of deeply established patterns most resistant to top-down override C) RPE is a necessary component of social media engagement but must be combined with other mechanisms before behavioral change becomes possible D) The RPE framework is sufficient for designing behavioral change programs but insufficient for predicting which individuals will respond to those programs

Answer Key

1. B
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. C
6. B
7. C
8. B
9. B
10. B
11. C
12. D
13. B
14. B
15. C
16. B
17. B
18. B
19. C
20. B
21. B
22. B