There is an old story about a young boy who was left to guard the village sheep. he was instructed to cry "wolf" if he thought the sheep were in danger. even though there was no danger, the boy enjoyed crying "wolf" over and over, just to see the villagers come running. then, when a wolf did appear, the disbelieving villagers ignored the boy's cry. the failure of the villagers to respond illustrates the operant conditioning concept called