Deck 7: Learning

Question 1

An example of a non-associationistic learning process is:

A)classical conditioning.
B)habituation.
C)operant conditioning.
D)observational learning.

Answer 1

habituation.

Question 2

Which example BEST describes the learning process?

A)blinking when a speck of dirt gets into your eye
B)quickly withdrawing your hand when you place it on a hot stove
C)adjusting your finger position on the guitar frets to play a new chord
D)answering the question "What is your name?"

Answer 2

adjusting your finger position on the guitar frets to play a new chord

Question 3

Which school of psychology is MOST associated with pioneering research on learning?

A)functionalism
B)evolutionary psychology
C)cognitive psychology
D)behaviourism

Answer 3

behaviourism

Question 4

Which statement is NOT an essential feature of learning?

A)It is based on experience.
B)It requires language.
C)It produces changes in the learner.
D)It produces changes that are relatively permanent.

Question 5

In pioneering research with the sea slug Aplysia,Kandel and colleagues demonstrated that,when lightly touched,Aplysia would withdraw its gill.With repeated touches,however,the gill withdrawal lessens,demonstrating:

A)classical conditioning.
B)habituation.
C)operant conditioning.
D)sensitization.

Question 6

A general process in which the repeated presentation of a stimulus leads to a gradual decrease in responding is termed:

A)habituation.
B)classical conditioning.
C)sensitization.
D)association.

Question 7

A general process in which the presentation of a stimulus leads to an increased response to a later stimulus is termed:

A)habituation.
B)classical conditioning.
C)sensitization.
D)association.

Question 8

The learning process involves the _____ of new knowledge,skills,or responses.

A)acquisition
B)storage
C)performance
D)maintenance

Question 9

In pioneering research with the sea slug Aplysia,Kandel and colleagues demonstrated that,after generating a strong gill-withdrawal response by delivering a shock to the tail of Aplysia,even light touches to the tail would provoke gill withdrawal for some period of time.This finding demonstrates the behavioural principle of:

A)classical conditioning.
B)habituation.
C)operant conditioning.
D)sensitization.

Question 10

Markus moved into an apartment on a busy city intersection.Initially,the noise from the traffic kept him awake.After living in his apartment for a few weeks,however,the noise no longer bothered him and he slept throughout the night.This example demonstrates the behavioural process of:

A)classical conditioning.
B)sensitization.
C)operant conditioning.
D)habituation.

Question 11

When a neutral stimulus evokes a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally evokes a response,the result is an example of which phenomenon?

A)classical conditioning
B)semantic conditioning
C)episodic conditioning
D)operant conditioning

Question 12

An example of a nonassociationistic learning process is:

A)sensitization.
B)classical conditioning.
C)operant conditioning.
D)observational learning.

Question 13

When a drug of abuse such as heroin is injected,the entire setting (the drug paraphernalia,the room,the lighting,etc. )can become a _____ and elicit responses _____ the drug.

A)US;similar to
B)US;that counteract
C)CS;similar to
D)CS;that counteract

Question 14

After her apartment was robbed,even barely audible late-night sounds make Kendra anxious,BEST illustrating the behavioural process of:

A)classical conditioning.
B)sensitization.
C)habituation.
D)operant conditioning.

Question 15

Which example BEST describes the learning process?

A)squinting when looking into the sun
B)using chopsticks more efficiently with practice
C)salivating while eating a steak
D)reading the words in this question

Question 16

Kylie recently moved into an apartment with a new roommate who watches cable news seemingly all day and all night.The television is always on and always turned to the news.At first,Kylie found the television distracting,but after a few weeks,she barely even notices that the TV is on.This example demonstrates the behavioural process of:

A)classical conditioning.
B)sensitization.
C)habituation.
D)operant conditioning.

Question 17

After he has served in combat,the sight of planes flying overhead makes a veteran feel uneasy,illustrating the behavioural process of:

A)classical conditioning.
B)sensitization.
C)habituation.
D)operant conditioning.

Question 18

The learning process involves the _____ of new knowledge,skills,or responses as a function of _____.

A)development;time
B)growth;maturity
C)acquisition;experience
D)gradual accumulation;education

Question 19

Which statement about learning is FALSE?

A)Learning is based on experience.
B)Learning produces changes in the organism.
C)The changes produced by learning are often temporary.
D)Learning may involve the acquisition of a new skill.

Question 20

Which statement about learning is FALSE?

A)Learning is based more on genetics than experience.
B)Learning produces changes in the organism.
C)The changes produced by learning are relatively permanent.
D)Learning may involve the acquisition of a new skill.

Question 21

An experienced user who takes heroin in a new setting has an increased risk of overdose because:

A)she may take more drug than intended.
B)the conditioned compensatory response becomes stronger.
C)changed settings result in added stress.
D)the CS that triggers the compensatory CR is degraded or absent altogether.

Question 22

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 0.5 seconds later a puff of air is delivered to a participant's eye.The participant blinks.This process is repeated once per minute.After a number of trials,the participant blinks as soon as the tone sounds and before the puff of air is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the US?

A)the puff of air
B)the tone
C)the time interval
D)the blinking

Question 23

In Pavlov's research,what was the CS?

A)food
B)a dog
C)a ringing bell
D)the salivary reflex

Question 24

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 0.5 seconds later a puff of air is delivered to a participant's eye.The participant blinks.This process is repeated once per minute.After a number of trials,the participant blinks as soon as the tone sounds and before the puff of air is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the UR?

A)blinking once per minute
B)blinking to the puff of air
C)blinking to the tone
D)blinking to the puff of air or the tone

Question 25

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 5 seconds later a mild skin shock is delivered to a participant.The skin shock results in a stress response consisting of a temporary increase in heart rate.This process is repeated once every 5 minutes.After a number of trials,the participant demonstrates an elevated heart rate when the tone sounds and before the shock is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the US?

A)the shock
B)the tone
C)the stress
D)the time interval

Question 26

In Pavlov's research,what was the UR?

A)food
B)salivating upon food presentation
C)a tuning fork
D)salivating at the sound of a bell

Question 27

A speck of dirt that gets into your eye will naturally cause a blinking reflex.The speck of dirt is a(n)_____ stimulus.

A)conditioned
B)unconditioned
C)neutral
D)second-order

Question 28

The smell of a particular perfume scent causes Juan's heart to flutter because he associates it with his girlfriend.The perfume is a:

A)US.
B)UR.
C)CS.
D)CR.

Question 29

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 5 seconds later a mild skin shock is delivered to a participant.The skin shock results in a stress response consisting of a temporary increase in heart rate.This process is repeated once every 5 minutes.After a number of trials,the participant demonstrates an elevated heart rate when the tone sounds and before the shock is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the CS?

A)the shock
B)the tone
C)the stress
D)the time interval

Question 30

A conditioned compensatory response is a:

A)special type of UR.
B)CR that is of greater intensity than the UR.
C)CR that opposes the UR.
D)drug-paired stimulus.

Question 31

Last week,Harry drank too much tequila,and doing so made him vomit.Now just the smell of tequila makes his stomach a bit queasy.Vomiting after drinking too much tequila is an example of a:

A)US.
B)UR.
C)CS.
D)CR.

Question 32

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 0.5 seconds later a puff of air is delivered to a participant's eye.The participant blinks.This process is repeated once per minute.After a number of trials,the participant blinks as soon as the tone sounds and before the puff of air is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the CS?

A)the puff of air
B)the tone
C)the time interval
D)the blinking

Question 33

Your friend's mother was always baking ginger-flavoured cookies whenever you were at her house.You loved those cookies,and would eat several each time you visited.One day,you noticed that you started to salivate as soon as you walked up the front steps to the house,before you even smelled the cookies.The reason for this is that the house has become a(n):

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

Question 34

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 5 seconds later a mild skin shock is delivered to a participant.The skin shock results in a stress response consisting of a temporary increase in heart rate.This process is repeated once every 5 minutes.After a number of trials,the participant demonstrates an elevated heart rate when the tone sounds and before the shock is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the CR?

A)the oscillating increases and decreases in heart rate
B)the increase in heart rate after the shock
C)the increase in heart rate after the tone but before the shock
D)the increase in heart rate to either the shock or the tone

Question 35

In Pavlov's research,what was the US?

A)food
B)the humming of a tuning fork
C)salivating at the sound of a bell
D)a tube inserted into the salivary gland

Question 36

The presence of a drug-related conditioned compensatory response produces:

A)tolerance.
B)a natural high.
C)intoxication.
D)an overdose.

Question 37

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 5 seconds later a mild skin shock is delivered to a participant.The skin shock results in a stress response consisting of a temporary increase in heart rate.This process is repeated once every 5 minutes.After a number of trials,the participant demonstrates an elevated heart rate when the tone sounds and before the shock is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the UR?

A)the oscillating increases and decreases in heart rate
B)the increase in heart rate after the shock
C)the increase in heart rate after the tone but before the shock
D)the increase in heart rate to either the shock or the tone

Question 38

In an experiment studying classical conditioning,a tone sounds and 0.5 seconds later a puff of air is delivered to a participant's eye.The participant blinks.This process is repeated once per minute.After a number of trials,the participant blinks as soon as the tone sounds and before the puff of air is actually delivered.Within the context of this example,what is the CR?

A)blinking once per minute
B)blinking to the puff of air
C)blinking to the tone
D)blinking to the puff of air or the tone

Question 39

A reflexive reaction that is reliably elicited by an unconditioned stimulus is called a(n)_____ response.

A)reinforced
B)sensitized
C)unconditioned
D)conditioned

Question 40

In Pavlov's research,what was the CR?

A)pricking ears at the sound of the bell
B)salivating upon food presentation
C)a bell
D)salivating at the sound of a bell

Question 41

Billy Bob's Big Burger Barn is your favourite restaurant,and lately you've noticed that every time you walk by there on your way to class,your mouth starts to salivate.In this incidence of classical conditioning,the sight of the restaurant is the _____ and your salivation is the _____.

A)US;UR
B)CS;CR
C)CS;UR
D)US;CR

Question 42

Johnny hated going to the doctor because he always received vaccinations.When he entered the doctor's office,he would become anxious and his stomach would hurt.When Johnny reached the age of 8,he was finished with his immunizations.After many trips to the doctor's office with no injections,what should happen to Johnny's anxiety and stomach ache?

A)They should get worse with every visit.
B)They should stay the same.
C)They should gradually become less severe and eventually disappear.
D)They should start occurring before he even enters the doctor's office.

Question 43

Imagine that your girlfriend loves zydeco music.Eventually,your girlfriend dumps you,walking out of your apartment in the middle of a song.Your stomach tightens,and you are sad and angry.A few weeks later,you happen to hear zydeco music in a friend's car.Assuming classical conditioning occurred,what should happen when you hear the zydeco?

A)Your stomach clenches.
B)You call your ex-girlfriend on your cell phone and beg her to take you back.
C)You begin discussing your relationship problems with your friend.
D)You immediately think of all the good times that you had with your ex-girlfriend.

Question 44

Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by following the bell with food.How could Pavlov use extinction to eliminate salivating to bells?

A)Present food repeatedly in the absence of the sound of the bell.
B)Repeatedly ring the bell,but never follow it with food.
C)Ring the bell,and then present poison-laced food to induce sickness.
D)Present food only every other time the bell is rung.

Question 45

Most animals that respond to a conditioned stimulus will continue to respond if that stimulus is varied slightly,an adaptive process known as:

A)discrimination.
B)generalization.
C)extinction.
D)second-order conditioning.

Question 46

Spontaneous recovery demonstrates that:

A)CS-US pairings are not necessary for classical conditioning to occur.
B)learning is greater the farther apart CS-US trials are spaced in time.
C)a stimulus paired with passage of time can come to elicit a response.
D)extinction does not completely erase previous learning.

Question 47

When the veterinarian advised an owner to feed her dog in the morning instead of in the evening,it took several days for the dog to stop salivating late in the afternoon around its previous dinnertime.The gradual decrease in salivation across days is an example of:

A)spontaneous recovery.
B)extinction.
C)generalization.
D)second-order conditioning.

Question 48

Extinction of a CR involves:

A)repeated presentations of the CS without the US.
B)repeated presentations of the US without the CS.
C)repeated presentations of the UR alone.
D)punishing the organism with an electric shock every time the CR occurs.

Question 49

Which statement about the conditioned stimulus in classical conditioning is TRUE?

A)Before any conditioning trials,the conditioned stimulus produces only one response.
B)The conditioned stimulus is initially neutral and does not produce a response.
C)Learning is not required for a conditioned stimulus to produce a response.
D)The conditioned stimulus must resemble the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 50

An animal trainer is conditioning an elephant to startle at the sound of a trombone.Every time she plays the trombone,she then shows the elephant a mouse,which startles the elephant.Eventually,the elephant startles at just the sound of the trombone.However,after playing the trombone 10 more times,without a mouse appearing,the elephant exhibits no response.The trainer then gives the elephant an adequate rest period from the trombone.What is MOST likely to occur if the elephant hears the trombone again the following week?

A)The elephant will not react.
B)The elephant will have a greatly delayed startle reaction.
C)The elephant will startle upon hearing the sound.
D)The elephant will startle only if it sees a mouse.

Question 51

Which sequence describes how the intensity of a CR changes during the acquisition phase of classical conditioning?

A)starts low,rises rapidly,then decreases sharply
B)starts low,rises rapidly,then tapers off
C)starts low,rises slowly,then decreases sharply
D)starts high,decreases sharply,then tapers off

Question 52

Lots of cash in hand always makes Charlie's heart race with excitement,due to the phenomenon known as:

A)positive reinforcement.
B)conditioned compensatory response.
C)second-order conditioning.
D)spontaneous recovery.

Question 53

The phase of classical conditioning in which the CS and the US are presented together is called:

A)habituation.
B)discrimination.
C)acquisition.
D)generalization.

Question 54

The tendency of a previously extinguished behaviour to re-occur following a rest period is called:

A)sensitization.
B)generalization.
C)spontaneous recovery.
D)acquisition.

Question 55

An initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response because it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus is called a(n)_____ stimulus.

A)discriminative
B)habituated
C)conditioned
D)reinforcing

Question 56

In Pavlov's experiments on second-order conditioning,dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sight of a black square:

A)by pairing it with food.
B)by rewarding the dog with food when it salivated in the presence of the black square.
C)by presenting food first and then following it with the black square.
D)even though the black square was never directly associated with food.

Question 57

In Pavlov's experiments on second-order conditioning,dogs were conditioned to salivate at the sight of a black square by:

A)pairing it with a tone that previously had been associated with food.
B)rewarding the dog with food when it salivated in the presence of the black square.
C)presenting food first and then following it with the black square.
D)pairing it with an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 58

A reaction that usually resembles the unconditioned response but is produced by a conditioned stimulus is termed a(n)_____ response.

A)sensitized
B)habituated
C)conditioned
D)reinforcing

Question 59

In second-order conditioning,the CS is paired with a:

A)stimulus that naturally elicits a response.
B)biologically relevant stimulus such as food.
C)neutral stimulus such as a black square.
D)previously established CS.

Question 60

An animal trainer is conditioning an elephant to startle at the sound of a trombone.Every time she plays the trombone,she then shows the elephant a mouse,which startles the elephant.Eventually,the elephant startles at just the sound of the trombone.However,after playing the trombone 10 more times,without a mouse appearing,the elephant exhibits no response.The lack of a response is an example of:

A)generalization.
B)spontaneous recovery.
C)acquisition.
D)extinction.

Question 61

In people as well as in rats and other animals,the _____ is critically involved in emotional conditioning.

A)reticular formation
B)thalamus
C)amygdala
D)hippocampus

Question 62

What was the CR in the Little Albert study?

A)crying when exposed to a loud noise
B)fear of a white rat
C)the gradual decrease in fear as the experiment progressed
D)Little Albert's natural temperament of being "stolid and unemotional"

Question 63

In his experiment with Little Albert,one of John Watson's goals was to show that:

A)humans,unlike other animals,are not susceptible to classic conditioning.
B)fear can be learned by means of classical conditioning.
C)conditioning can produce only behavioural responses,not emotional ones.
D)one's environment is not responsible for behaviour.

Question 64

Pavlov's dogs learned to salivate to a particular tone but not to a buzzer,illustrating the process of:

A)sensitization.
B)discrimination.
C)extinction.
D)habituation.

Question 65

Rescorla and Wagner theorized that a stimulus will only become a CS when it is _____ the US.

A)similar to
B)sometimes paired with
C)a reliable indicator of
D)perceived as

Question 66

What was the CS in the Little Albert study?

A)a white rat
B)a loud noise
C)fear
D)anything white and furry

Question 67

You watch a horror movie and are scared.Running through the background music is a sustained,high-pitched note on a violin.The next day,you are watching a drama that also has background music featuring a violin.Suddenly,you feel uneasy.Which process explains this effect?

A)extinction
B)reinforcement
C)generalization
D)discrimination

Question 68

Nine-month-old Albert cried when a large steel bar was struck with a hammer while he viewed a white rat.In this acquisition phase,the white rat was the:

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

Question 69

What was the US in the Little Albert study?

A)a white rat
B)a loud noise
C)fear
D)anything white and furry

Question 70

The Rescorla-Wagner model predicts that conditioning will be easier when the:

A)CS is an unfamiliar event.
B)CS is a familiar event.
C)UR is predictable.
D)UR is unpredictable.

Question 71

Which brain region was critical for Little Albert to form the association between the rat and the loud noise?

A)the prefrontal cortex
B)the hippocampus
C)Wernicke's area
D)the amygdala

Question 72

Not only did Little Albert learn to fear white rats,he also cried when presented with a Santa Claus mask or a seal-fur coat.This behaviour was the result of:

A)stimulus discrimination.
B)stimulus generalization.
C)second-order conditioning.
D)punishment.

Question 73

Who conducted the "Little Albert" study on conditioned fear?

A)Ivan Pavlov
B)B)F.Skinner
C)John Watson
D)Edward Thorndike

Question 74

Holly's blender makes a noise similar to the can opener,but her cat doesn't get up from the sofa when hearing it.This demonstrates:

A)extinction.
B)generalization.
C)acquisition.
D)discrimination.

Question 75

Rescorla and Wagner introduced a(n)_____ component to classical conditioning.

A)cognitive
B)behavioural
C)neural
D)emotional

Question 76

Rescorla and Wagner originated which theory?

A)Behavioural responses can be conditioned in animals.
B)Classical conditioning occurs only when an animal has learned to set up an expectation.
C)Humans,as well as animals,are capable of undergoing classical conditioning.
D)Conditioning works more quickly when the conditioned stimulus is familiar.

Question 77

Accustomed to the sound of the old can opener,a cat still rushes to her food dish,even when she hears the slightly different sound of the new can opener for the first time.This demonstrates:

A)second-order conditioning.
B)discrimination.
C)generalization.
D)spontaneous recovery.

Question 78

What was the UR in the Little Albert study?

A)crying when exposed to a loud noise
B)fear of a white rat
C)fear of anything white and furry
D)Little Albert's natural temperament of being "stolid and unemotional"

Question 79

Little Albert was a(n):

A)human infant conditioned to fear a white rat.
B)human infant raised in a modified operant chamber.
C)Bobo doll in Bandura's experiments on observational learning.
D)affectionate nickname given to the Bobo doll in Bandura's experiments.

Question 80

Which brain region's functions are responsible for eyeblink conditioning?

A)the amygdala
B)the reticular formation
C)the cerebellum
D)the hypothalamus