Question 1

When behaviorists describe an organism as a "black box," they mean that:

Accepted Answer

A)  Many stimuli have no noticeable effect on the organism. 
B)  Learning processes occurring within the organism cannot be studied scientifically. 
C)  Learning is, by its very nature, something that takes place outside the organism. 
D)  An organism makes many responses even in the absence of any observed external stimulus. 
A)  Many stimuli have no noticeable effect on the organism. 
B)  Learning processes occurring within the organism cannot be studied scientifically. 
C)  Learning is, by its very nature, something that takes place outside the organism. 
D)  An organism makes many responses even in the absence of any observed external stimulus. B

Question 2

Matthew once had a teacher who punished him severely whenever he did poorly on a classroom test. Now he refuses to take tests, saying he is too frightened to do so. He has learned to associate tests with the pain of punishment. From the perspective of classical conditioning, the painful punishment is:

Accepted Answer

A)  An unconditioned stimulus 
B)  An unconditioned response 
C)  A conditioned stimulus 
D)  A conditioned response 
A)  An unconditioned stimulus 
B)  An unconditioned response 
C)  A conditioned stimulus 
D)  A conditioned response A

Question 3

Which one of the following statements best describes the view of early behaviorists about how learning can best be studied?

Accepted Answer

A)  Psychologists can determine how learning occurs only if they can identify its physiological basis. 
B)  Introspection-reporting what and how one is thinking-is likely to yield the most accurate results. 
C)  To study learning scientifically, researchers must confine their investigations to animal research in a laboratory setting. 
D)  The study of learning will be more objective and scientific if only observable events are considered. 
A)  Psychologists can determine how learning occurs only if they can identify its physiological basis. 
B)  Introspection-reporting what and how one is thinking-is likely to yield the most accurate results. 
C)  To study learning scientifically, researchers must confine their investigations to animal research in a laboratory setting. 
D)  The study of learning will be more objective and scientific if only observable events are considered. D

Question 4

Classical conditioning typically occurs when:

Accepted Answer

A)  A response is followed by two stimuli 
B)  A response is followed by a single aversive stimulus 
C)  Two stimuli are presented at about the same time 
D)  Two responses occur (usually coincidentally) at about the same time 
A)  A response is followed by two stimuli 
B)  A response is followed by a single aversive stimulus 
C)  Two stimuli are presented at about the same time 
D)  Two responses occur (usually coincidentally) at about the same time

Question 5

On several occasions Edward is severely beaten by his alcoholic father. Before long, Edward begins to shake whenever his father approaches. In this situation, Edward's shaking at the sight of his father is a(n) _____; the severe beating he has received is a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  unconditioned stimulus; conditioned response 
B)  unconditioned response; conditioned stimulus 
C)  conditioned stimulus; unconditional response 
D)  conditioned response; unconditional stimulus 
A)  unconditioned stimulus; conditioned response 
B)  unconditioned response; conditioned stimulus 
C)  conditioned stimulus; unconditional response 
D)  conditioned response; unconditional stimulus

Question 6

Jacob is suffering from a mild case of flu and, as a result, is feeling a bit nauseous. He decides that he needs to eat something to keep up his strength, so he gets out of bed, puts on a heavy sweater to keep himself warm, heats up a bowl of leftover chili, and settles down in an easy chair to watch a television game show while he eats. A few days later, after Jacob has recovered from the flu, one of the stimuli in the situation just described elicits a feeling of nausea. With the phenomenon of associative bias in mind, choose the stimulus that is most likely to elicit nausea.

Accepted Answer

A)  The sweater 
B)  The chili 
C)  The easy chair 
D)  The television game show 
A)  The sweater 
B)  The chili 
C)  The easy chair 
D)  The television game show

Question 7

To help Kathy overcome her fear of the new family puppy, her father gives her a hot fudge sundae and then, while she eats it, gradually brings the puppy closer and closer to her. The procedure works because Kathy cannot be happy eating the ice cream and fearful about the puppy at the same time. Being happy and being fearful are, in this situation,

Accepted Answer

A)  a conditioned response and an unconditioned response, respectively 
B)  unconditioned responses 
C)  an involuntary response and a voluntary response, respectively 
D)  incompatible responses 
A)  a conditioned response and an unconditioned response, respectively 
B)  unconditioned responses 
C)  an involuntary response and a voluntary response, respectively 
D)  incompatible responses

Question 8

David is addicted to a drug that increases his blood sugar level, temporarily giving him more energy. David always takes this drug in the bathroom. He finds that he becomes tired when he enters the bathroom and also that he needs more and more of the drug to maintain the same high energy level. From the perspective of classical conditioning, which one of the following is the most likely explanation of David's increasing addiction to the drug?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lowering blood sugar level to counteract the effect of the drug has become a conditioned response to the "bathroom" stimulus. 
B)  David has learned to respond to some drugs but not to others through the combined processes of stimulus discrimination and higher-order conditioning. 
C)  Taking the drugs provides negative reinforcement, in that David no longer feels tired. 
D)  Associative bias has predisposed David to associate the bathroom with fatigue. 
A)  Lowering blood sugar level to counteract the effect of the drug has become a conditioned response to the "bathroom" stimulus. 
B)  David has learned to respond to some drugs but not to others through the combined processes of stimulus discrimination and higher-order conditioning. 
C)  Taking the drugs provides negative reinforcement, in that David no longer feels tired. 
D)  Associative bias has predisposed David to associate the bathroom with fatigue.

Question 9

After being bitten by a neighbor's dog, Kathy is now afraid of the puppy her family has just adopted. Kathy's father gives Kathy a hot fudge sundae; then, while she is happily eating it, he brings the puppy about fifteen feet from where she is sitting. On each successive day, Kathy gets another ice cream treat, and her father brings the puppy a little closer than he did on the previous day. Eventually Kathy is able to pet and enjoy the new puppy. Kathy's father is using a procedure known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  sensory preconditioning 
B)  stimulus discrimination 
C)  extinction 
D)  counterconditioning 
A)  sensory preconditioning 
B)  stimulus discrimination 
C)  extinction 
D)  counterconditioning

Question 10

Which one of the following situations illustrates extinction of a classically conditioned response?

Accepted Answer

A)  Andrew thinks school is a waste of time because he doesn't learn anything he can really use. 
B)  Brian experiences more and more anxiety about mathematics as his math problems become increasingly difficult. 
C)  Carla becomes less afraid of tests over time when she finds that she can succeed at them. 
D)  Deirdre doesn't like keeping her desk tidy because she has too much stuff to arrange it all neatly inside. 
A)  Andrew thinks school is a waste of time because he doesn't learn anything he can really use. 
B)  Brian experiences more and more anxiety about mathematics as his math problems become increasingly difficult. 
C)  Carla becomes less afraid of tests over time when she finds that she can succeed at them. 
D)  Deirdre doesn't like keeping her desk tidy because she has too much stuff to arrange it all neatly inside.

Question 11

After repeatedly being beaten by his father, Edward begins to show signs of fearing other men as well as his father. Edward's fear of other men can be explained by:

Accepted Answer

A)  sensory preconditioning 
B)  generalization 
C)  higher-order conditioning 
D)  stimulus discrimination 
A)  sensory preconditioning 
B)  generalization 
C)  higher-order conditioning 
D)  stimulus discrimination

Question 12

Paul is usually successful on the math problems his teacher assigns at school, although he occasionally fails on one or two problems. In contrast, Peter's experiences with mathematics are almost always associated with frustration and failure. Considering contemporary views of the roles of contiguity and contingency in classical conditioning, who will acquire classically conditioned anxiety regarding mathematics?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both Paul and Peter will develop a considerable degree of mathematics anxiety. 
B)  Only Paul will develop math anxiety, because the relationship between math and failure is unpredictable. 
C)  Only Peter will develop math anxiety, because whenever math is presented, failure always follows. 
D)  Neither Paul nor Peter will develop math anxiety, because neither situation reflects contingency of the CS and UCS. 
A)  Both Paul and Peter will develop a considerable degree of mathematics anxiety. 
B)  Only Paul will develop math anxiety, because the relationship between math and failure is unpredictable. 
C)  Only Peter will develop math anxiety, because whenever math is presented, failure always follows. 
D)  Neither Paul nor Peter will develop math anxiety, because neither situation reflects contingency of the CS and UCS.

Question 13

After a painful experience at one dentist's office, Teresa's mother takes Teresa to a different dentist, who takes great care to make her visits painless. Teresa is anxious at first, but after a few visits, Teresa gradually becomes less resistant about going to the new dentist. Teresa's change in behavior can probably best be explained in terms of _____. But then Teresa doesn't go to see the dentist again until three years later. On her first visit to the painless dentist after that time interval, she is anxious once again, even though she had not been anxious in her previous visits. The return of this response after it had previously disappeared is known as _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  extinction; spontaneous recovery 
B)  generalization; discriminative learning 
C)  higher-order conditioning; sensory preconditioning 
D)  sensory preconditioning; higher-order conditioning 
A)  extinction; spontaneous recovery 
B)  generalization; discriminative learning 
C)  higher-order conditioning; sensory preconditioning 
D)  sensory preconditioning; higher-order conditioning

Question 14

Which one of the following best illustrates associative bias in classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A)  A man is afraid of heights, but only when there is no railing to hold him back. 
B)  After a painful dog bite, a girl fears the dog that bit her but is not afraid of the room in which she was bitten. 
C)  You associate pleasant feelings with "Unchained Melody" but not with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," even though both songs are sung by the Righteous Brothers. 
D)  After being conditioned to fear a white rat, Little Albert generalizes his fear to other white, fuzzy things. 
A)  A man is afraid of heights, but only when there is no railing to hold him back. 
B)  After a painful dog bite, a girl fears the dog that bit her but is not afraid of the room in which she was bitten. 
C)  You associate pleasant feelings with "Unchained Melody" but not with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," even though both songs are sung by the Righteous Brothers. 
D)  After being conditioned to fear a white rat, Little Albert generalizes his fear to other white, fuzzy things.

Question 15

Which one of the following statements best reflects behaviorists' notion of tabula rasa ("blank slate")?

Accepted Answer

A)  Organisms inherit few predispositions to behave in particular ways; instead, the behaviors they exhibit are largely the result of environmental experiences. 
B)  Stimuli that occur after responses are made are usually more influential on an organism's learning that stimuli that occur before responses are made. 
C)  The things that organisms learn in a new situation largely override the things that they've learned in previous situations; as a result, newly learned behaviors often replace previously learned behaviors. 
D)  Learning is more a function of what the environment does to the organism than of what the organism does to the environment; in other words, the organism plays a relatively passive role in the learning process. 
A)  Organisms inherit few predispositions to behave in particular ways; instead, the behaviors they exhibit are largely the result of environmental experiences. 
B)  Stimuli that occur after responses are made are usually more influential on an organism's learning that stimuli that occur before responses are made. 
C)  The things that organisms learn in a new situation largely override the things that they've learned in previous situations; as a result, newly learned behaviors often replace previously learned behaviors. 
D)  Learning is more a function of what the environment does to the organism than of what the organism does to the environment; in other words, the organism plays a relatively passive role in the learning process.

Question 16

Which one of the following best describes contemporary theorists' perspective on classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cognitive factors, such as mental representations of stimuli and predictions that organisms make, must often be considered in addition to observable stimuli and responses. 
B)  Despite Pavlov's early findings to the contrary, higher-order conditioning and sensory preconditioning seldom occur. 
C)  Classical conditioning typically occurs only in conjunction with operant conditioning; for example, conditioned stimuli elicit conditioned responses only when those responses are followed by reinforcement. 
D)  Classical conditioning occurs primarily in artificial laboratory conditions; it rarely occurs in more naturalistic, real-life settings. 
A)  Cognitive factors, such as mental representations of stimuli and predictions that organisms make, must often be considered in addition to observable stimuli and responses. 
B)  Despite Pavlov's early findings to the contrary, higher-order conditioning and sensory preconditioning seldom occur. 
C)  Classical conditioning typically occurs only in conjunction with operant conditioning; for example, conditioned stimuli elicit conditioned responses only when those responses are followed by reinforcement. 
D)  Classical conditioning occurs primarily in artificial laboratory conditions; it rarely occurs in more naturalistic, real-life settings.

Question 17

Which one of the following characteristics of behaviorist learning theories is a direct outgrowth of the equipotentiality assumption?

Accepted Answer

A)  Rewards and punishments have equally strong, but opposite, effects on behavior. 
B)  Conclusions derived from research with rats are applicable to human learning. 
C)  All people have an equal ability to learn something. 
D)  Several different responses may be learned to the same stimulus. 
A)  Rewards and punishments have equally strong, but opposite, effects on behavior. 
B)  Conclusions derived from research with rats are applicable to human learning. 
C)  All people have an equal ability to learn something. 
D)  Several different responses may be learned to the same stimulus.

Question 18

Nick is extremely anxious whenever he takes a test. From a classical conditioning perspective, a teacher can best reduce his anxiety by:

Accepted Answer

A)  Giving him a few extremely difficult tests at first, and then gradually giving him easier ones 
B)  Giving him a few easy tests while he is feeling relaxed 
C)  Reinforcing him for each test question he answers correctly 
D)  Reassuring him that he can do well if he tries hard 
A)  Giving him a few extremely difficult tests at first, and then gradually giving him easier ones 
B)  Giving him a few easy tests while he is feeling relaxed 
C)  Reinforcing him for each test question he answers correctly 
D)  Reassuring him that he can do well if he tries hard

Question 19

If students associate failure with punishment, and then associate playing sports with failure, they may begin to fear playing sports through a process of:

Accepted Answer

A)  generalization 
B)  spontaneous recovery 
C)  higher-order conditioning 
D)  sensory preconditioning 
A)  generalization 
B)  spontaneous recovery 
C)  higher-order conditioning 
D)  sensory preconditioning

Question 20

At the dentist's office, Teresa has a painful experience that leaves her tense and fearful. The next time her mother brings her to the dentist's office, Teresa begins to get tense and anxious. In this situation, the dentist and dentist's office are _____; Teresa's fear of pain is a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  unconditioned stimuli; conditioned response 
B)  unconditioned responses; conditioned stimulus 
C)  conditioned stimuli; unconditioned response 
D)  conditioned responses; unconditioned stimulus 
A)  unconditioned stimuli; conditioned response 
B)  unconditioned responses; conditioned stimulus 
C)  conditioned stimuli; unconditioned response 
D)  conditioned responses; unconditioned stimulus

When behaviorists describe an organism as a "black box," they mean that:

Which one of the following statements best describes the view of early behaviorists about how learning can best be studied?

Classical conditioning typically occurs when:

On several occasions Edward is severely beaten by his alcoholic father. Before long, Edward begins to shake whenever his father approaches. In this situation, Edward's shaking at the sight of his father is a(n) _; the severe beating he has received is a(n) _.

Which one of the following situations illustrates extinction of a classically conditioned response?

After repeatedly being beaten by his father, Edward begins to show signs of fearing other men as well as his father. Edward's fear of other men can be explained by:

Which one of the following best illustrates associative bias in classical conditioning?

Which one of the following statements best reflects behaviorists' notion of tabula rasa ("blank slate")?

Which one of the following best describes contemporary theorists' perspective on classical conditioning?

Which one of the following characteristics of behaviorist learning theories is a direct outgrowth of the equipotentiality assumption?

Nick is extremely anxious whenever he takes a test. From a classical conditioning perspective, a teacher can best reduce his anxiety by:

If students associate failure with punishment, and then associate playing sports with failure, they may begin to fear playing sports through a process of:

At the dentist's office, Teresa has a painful experience that leaves her tense and fearful. The next time her mother brings her to the dentist's office, Teresa begins to get tense and anxious. In this situation, the dentist and dentist's office are _; Teresa's fear of pain is a(n) _.

Perspectives on Learning

Learning and the Brain

Instrumental Conditioning

Applications of Instrumental Conditioning

Social Cognitive Theory

Introduction to Cognitivism

Basic Components of Memory

Long-Term Memory I: Storage and Encoding

Long-Term Memory Iii: Retrieval and Forgetting

Long-Term Memory Iii: Retrieval and Forgetting

Cognitive-Developmental Perspectives

Sociocultural Theory and Other Contextual Perspectives

Metacognition, Self-Regulated Learning, and Study Strategies

Transfer, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking

Motivation and Affect

Cognitive Factors in Motivation

Filters

Exam 3: Behaviorism and Classical Conditioning

When behaviorists describe an organism as a "black box," they mean that:

Which one of the following statements best describes the view of early behaviorists about how learning can best be studied?

Classical conditioning typically occurs when:

On several occasions Edward is severely beaten by his alcoholic father. Before long, Edward begins to shake whenever his father approaches. In this situation, Edward's shaking at the sight of his father is a(n) _____; the severe beating he has received is a(n) _____.

Which one of the following situations illustrates extinction of a classically conditioned response?

After repeatedly being beaten by his father, Edward begins to show signs of fearing other men as well as his father. Edward's fear of other men can be explained by:

Which one of the following best illustrates associative bias in classical conditioning?

Which one of the following statements best reflects behaviorists' notion of tabula rasa ("blank slate")?

Which one of the following best describes contemporary theorists' perspective on classical conditioning?

Which one of the following characteristics of behaviorist learning theories is a direct outgrowth of the equipotentiality assumption?

Nick is extremely anxious whenever he takes a test. From a classical conditioning perspective, a teacher can best reduce his anxiety by:

If students associate failure with punishment, and then associate playing sports with failure, they may begin to fear playing sports through a process of:

At the dentist's office, Teresa has a painful experience that leaves her tense and fearful. The next time her mother brings her to the dentist's office, Teresa begins to get tense and anxious. In this situation, the dentist and dentist's office are _____; Teresa's fear of pain is a(n) _____.

Perspectives on Learning

Learning and the Brain

Instrumental Conditioning

Applications of Instrumental Conditioning

Social Cognitive Theory

Introduction to Cognitivism

Basic Components of Memory

Long-Term Memory I: Storage and Encoding

Long-Term Memory Iii: Retrieval and Forgetting

Long-Term Memory Iii: Retrieval and Forgetting

Cognitive-Developmental Perspectives

Sociocultural Theory and Other Contextual Perspectives

Metacognition, Self-Regulated Learning, and Study Strategies

Transfer, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking

Motivation and Affect

Cognitive Factors in Motivation

Filters

On several occasions Edward is severely beaten by his alcoholic father. Before long, Edward begins to shake whenever his father approaches. In this situation, Edward's shaking at the sight of his father is a(n) _; the severe beating he has received is a(n) _.

At the dentist's office, Teresa has a painful experience that leaves her tense and fearful. The next time her mother brings her to the dentist's office, Teresa begins to get tense and anxious. In this situation, the dentist and dentist's office are _; Teresa's fear of pain is a(n) _.