Exam 6: A: Learning

Nicolas has autism and he used to be mute. A therapist working with Nicolas initially gave him a piece of chocolate any time he made a sound with his lips. This slowly changed until Nicolas received a piece of chocolate only for saying complete words, and eventually only for saying complete sentences. Which process is illustrated in this example?

What process was Lynne using by rewarding even accidental ringing of the bell, but gradually working up to reinforcing only intentional ringing?

Group A rats receive 30 paired buzzer-shock trials. Group B rats get the same, but also 20 more trials with shock alone (no buzzer). Which of the following should you predict?

You eat a new food at a party and that night become ill with nausea and vomiting. Later you experience nausea whenever you taste or smell the new food. Why did you not associate your nausea with the cues of the room, the people present, or the music playing?

With computer-based study guides, students typically receive immediate reinforcement for correct responses. With noncomputer-based study guides, the reinforcement for correct responses may be delayed for some time. What should you predict about learning with the two types of guides, based on what is known about operant conditioning?

If a pigeon is fearful in the presence of a blue light and not a yellow light, what has the pigeon learned?

A neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus. What is this process called?

Conditioning is a specific type of learning. What does it involve?

Terrence uses opiate drugs daily. He normally takes his pills in the morning, right after he has a shower. If Terrance has developed tolerance to these pills, what is likely to happen after his shower if Terrance does NOT take the pills?

A three-year-old boy observes his father yelling at his mother every time she says something the father doesn't like. In the future, whenever the mother says something to the boy that he does not like, which of the following is the boy most likely to do, based on principles of observational learning?

An organization creates a television ad that alternates between images of ruined landscapes and people filling up huge trucks at gas stations. If people develop negative feelings about buying large trucks as a result of watching this ad, what would those negative feelings represent?

You are watching a rat pressing a lever in a Skinner box to obtain food pellets. The rat is pressing the lever at a slow, steady rate, but it does not really stop, even when a food pellet is delivered. Which reinforcement schedule is likely in place in this example?

Clara and Ashley ate dinner at a new restaurant last night. The entire restaurant was decorated in green, and the sound of waterfalls played in the background. Both Clara and Ashley ordered "trapper casserole," which tasted like nothing they had ever eaten before. Four hours after they had eaten they both started vomiting violently and were taken to the hospital by ambulance, with the sirens wailing. Which of the following is most likely to elicit conditioned responses from Clara and Ashley, based on research conducted by Garcia and his colleagues?

What does it mean when resistance to extinction is high?

After a painful experience, Frederick cringes every time he hears a dentist's drill, even when he is sitting in the waiting room of his dentist's office. What is the pain of dental drilling in this example?

Breland's trained raccoons would deposit single tokens into a slot but would not deposit two tokens, which they rubbed together. What explanation did the Brelands use for this behaviour?

Which of the following is most consistent with higher-order conditioning?

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A woman reports feeling happy when she smells fresh hay and manure because of the association of these smells with wonderful visits to her grandparents' farm. How did the positive emotional response that this woman experiences develop?

Lynne provided a treat each time Ziggy went outside. What was the treat called, from a conditioning perspective?