Ace the AP Psychology Test 2026 – Unlock Your Mind’s Potential!

In operant conditioning, the concept that describes the strengthening of a reinforced response is "acquisition." Acquiring a behavior occurs when the individual learns and starts to exhibit the desired behavior more frequently in response to reinforcement. This process involves the association of the behavior with the consequence, leading to an increase in the probability of that behavior occurring in the future.

The other options are not directly related to the strengthening of a reinforced response in operant conditioning:

- The Law of Effect (B) states that behaviors followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors followed by negative consequences are less likely to be repeated. This concept is foundational in operant conditioning but does not specifically describe the strengthening of a reinforced response.

- Respondent behavior (C) refers to reflexive behaviors that are elicited by certain stimuli. This is more closely associated with classical conditioning, where responses are triggered by specific stimuli rather than being reinforced.

- Generalization (D) is the tendency for similar stimuli to elicit the same response that has been conditioned. While important in both classical and operant conditioning, it does not specifically relate to the strengthening of a reinforced response.