Exam 8: The Adaptive Mind Learning

A modified cage containing levers or buttons that can be pressed or pecked by animals and is used to investigate operant conditioning is referred to as a

What was a key finding of the Bobo doll experiment?

The reinforcement of a desired behavior on some occasions but not others is called _____ reinforcement.

Kate's 6-year-old son has autism. To help him learn daily tasks, she breaks down activities into their component parts. Tooth brushing, for example, involves several steps that occur in basically the same order each time. Which of the following learning principles would provide the strongest foundation for learning how to brush one's teeth in this context?

At dinner Ming Yan eats several familiar foods (pasta, salad, bread) and an unfamiliar food (deep-fried cheese curds). Later that evening she suffers abdominal discomfort. She attributes this to the deep-fried cheese curds, but later learns that she had developed a sensitivity to gluten. Her misattribution of the problem to the deep-fried cheese curds is likely due to

What type of learning is most influential in developing and maintaining culture?

Elissa, a college freshman, finds that she is starting to smoke, a habit she never had before. She would like to stop smoking now, before the habit becomes too ingrained, but she really enjoys her few cigarettes each day, particularly with coffee after dinner when she relaxes with her friends. She also enjoys a few cigarettes later in the evening if she gets stressed writing a paper or completing an assignment. Using principles of operant conditioning, describe steps that Elissa could take to stop smoking now. Be sure to consider possible reinforcers or punishers that are influencing her current smoking patterns, changes she might make, and appropriate consequences to reinforce new behaviors.

Greg, who mainly drank coffee when out with friends, recently quit drinking coffee. However, each time he visits a bar or restaurant with his friends, he has the strong urge to drink a cup of coffee. This is an example of

Martha wants to teach her dog Max the command, "Get beer, Max." This involves going to the refrigerator and opening it by pulling on a dishtowel tied to the handle, taking out a can of beer with his mouth, and bringing it to her dinner guest. Which of the following training methods is likely to work best?

Derek is frustrated that his 1½-year-old dog does not let him know when he needs to go outside to urinate. Sometimes he comes home to find a mess near the door. Which training method is most likely to be successful?

The process of associating a behavior with its consequences is known as

Who is likely to discontinue his or her behavior first if reinforcement completely stops?

Sara allows her dog, Isabel, to run freely at a local dog park. When a truck drives by and its engine backfires loudly, Isabel quickly jumps up on her hind legs and barks loudly. Isabel's response illustrates

Why does associative learning provide an enormous survival advantage?

How can extinction be avoided with operant conditioning?

Fourth-grade teacher Maria promised her class a pizza party if everyone got an "A" on the next math test. This is an example of

As a gate creaks open, Oscar the puppy notices a cat heading into his yard. The cat hisses and scratches Oscar on the nose, causing Oscar to yelp in pain. Which outcome to this scenario portrays discrimination?

Which of the following statements describes a belief of the early behaviorists?

As Ronnie hears a song on the radio, she feels stressed: her heart races, her hands become clammy, and her breathing becomes rapid. The song is familiar because it was popular at a time when her parents were going through a divorce that caused Ronnie intense anxiety. In this scenario, identify, in order: the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned response, and the unconditioned response.

A pig trained by the Brelands to pick up large wooden coins and deposit them in a wooden "piggy bank" learned quickly to do so for food rewards, but eventually