Deck 7: Learning and Adaptation: the Role of Experience

Question 1

A change in behaviour that results merely from repeated exposure to a stimulus is called _________,whereas __________ involves learning associations between events.

A) adapting;habituation
B) conditioning;habituation
C) habituation;adapting
D) habituation;conditioning

Answer 1

habituation;conditioning

Question 2

The decreasing response to a repeated stimulus is defined as:

A) extinction
B) latent learning
C) habituation
D) sensitization

Answer 2

habituation

Question 3

All of the following would strengthen the classical conditioning process,EXCEPT:

A) presenting the UCS before the CS.
B) presenting a particularly strong UCS.
C) repeatedly presenting the CS-USC pairings.
D) making sure the time interval between the CS and UCS is short.

Answer 3

presenting the UCS before the CS.

Question 4

This type of response,such as salivation,is automatically triggered when a stimuli has been associated with an impending important event.This is known as a ______________ response.

A) physiological
B) reflexive
C) chemical
D) physiological and reflexive

Question 5

If a tone is presented immediately before food,dogs will learn to salivate:

A) after the tone is presented and when footsteps are heard.
B) at all times.
C) when the food is presented.
D) when the tone is heard.

Question 6

The general process by which experience produces a relatively enduring change in behaviour or capabilities is defined by psychologists as _____________________.

A) habituation
B) adaptive significance
C) learning
D) extinction

Question 7

After becoming familiar with her local environment,a coyote learns to go to a specific stream for water when she is thirsty.She also tends to go to a particular shady area when the temperature is hot.These behaviours are best considered examples of:

A) stimulus response.
B) personal adaptation.
C) species capabilities.
D) avoidance conditioning.

Question 8

Probably the most important contribution of Ivan Pavlov's work with dogs was that it:

A) illustrated the nature of the digestive process.
B) disproved prior operant conditioning theories.
C) provided valuable insight into the nature of learning.
D) showed how fixed action patterns can be modified.

Question 9

The organism learns to associate two stimuli such that a previously neutral stimulus comes to produce a reflexive response that was previously produced by a different stimulus,in _______________________.

A) operant conditioning
B) modelling
C) classical conditioning
D) shaping

Question 10

While conducting research on dog's salivary glands and digestion,Pavlov found that after numerous trials dogs would begin to:

A) salivate after food was presented to them.
B) salivate before food was presented to them.
C) associate salivating with being placed in the apparatus.
D) salivate only when the food was hard but not when food was soft.

Question 11

Learning is typically SLOWEST under which of the following CS-UCS pairings? _________________ pairing.

A) Forward short-delay
B) Simultaneous
C) Forward trace
D) Backward

Question 12

Which of the following provides the best definition of sensitization? It is a(n)___________________________ stimulus.

A) continuous response to a discriminative
B) decrease in the strength of response to a repeated
C) increase in the strength of response to a repeated
D) acquisition of a response to an increasing s

Question 13

If we responded continuously to every stimulus in the environment we would quickly become fatigued and overwhelmed which means that __________________ has strong adaptive significance.

A) habituation
B) one-trial learning
C) extinction
D) sensitization

Question 14

Habituation has __________________ because it allows organisms to learn NOT to respond to _____________ stimuli.

A) extinction value;changing
B) strong adaptive significance;uneventful and familiar
C) a low response cost;novel
D) high secondary reinforcement value;discriminative

Question 15

Before pairing an unconditioned stimulus (UCS)with a conditioned stimulus (CS),the CS is considered a(n):

A) eliciting response.
B) eliciting stimulus.
C) neutral stimulus.
D) significant stimulus.

Question 16

The period in classical conditioning during which a response is being learned is called:

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

Question 17

Within the field of psychology,how organisms learn and assume that there are general laws of learning that apply to virtually all organisms is focused on by ___________________.

A) ethologists
B) behaviourists
C) neurobiologists
D) Freudian psychologists

Question 18

Under which of the following CS-UCS pairing conditions does learning usually occur most quickly?

A) forward trace pairing
B) forward short-delay pairing
C) simultaneous pairing
D) backward pairing

Question 19

In a classical conditioning experiment that is utilizing backward pairing,the __________ is presented ________ the UCS.

A) CR;after
B) CS;after
C) UCR;before
D) CR;at the same time as

Question 20

A reflexive or innate response that is elicited by a stimulus without prior learning is a(n)___________________.

A) unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
B) conditioned stimulus (CS)
C) unconditioned response (UCR)
D) conditioned response (CR)

Question 21

In classical conditioning,discrimination refers to how a:

A) CR can be triggered by many different stimuli.
B) CR is triggered by one stimulus but not by others.
C) CR can fade when a CS is repeatedly presented without the UCS.
D) UCS can become a CS.

Question 22

One major way that the CS and UCS are similar is that:

A) after classical conditioning,they both elicit the same behavioural response.
B) before classical conditioning,they both elicit the same behavioural response.
C) they both make the behaviours that they follow more likely to occur.
D) they both make the behaviours that they follow less likely to occur.

Question 23

If a CR has high stimulus generalization,then it will be triggered by ____________ stimuli(us),whereas if it has high discrimination,it will occur in response to ____________ stimuli(us).

A) several different;a single
B) a discriminative;a neutral
C) a single;several different
D) a neutral;a discriminative

Question 24

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920)conditioned baby Albert to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise that Albert already feared.After the conditioning had taken place,the researchers also found that Albert was afraid of furry white and gray objects,such as a rabbit and a Santa Claus mask.The fact that Albert was afraid of these additional items demonstrated that:

A) stimulus generalization had occurred.
B) discrimination had occurred.
C) extinction had occurred.
D) higher-order conditioning had occurred.

Question 25

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920)conducted experiments with an 11-month-old baby named Albert.Knowing that Albert would be afraid of loud noises,they conditioned him to fear a white rat by pairing the presentation of the rat with a loud noise.Although he was initially unafraid of the rat,after several trials,he would cry and become fearful when shown the rat.In this instance,the rat represented the:

A) UCS.
B) UCR.
C) CS.
D) CR.

Question 26

Leah has a mild fear of heights.In order to deal with her anxiety,Leah goes to a park and practices walking closer to and eventually over a scary suspension bridge.She brings a friend along with her to distract and talk to her.After a few hours of gradual practice,Leah finds that she can go on the bridge without experiencing very much anxiety.Leah's new behaviour is most relevant to which of the following?

A) discrimination
B) exposure therapy
C) fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement
D) avoidance conditioning

Question 27

When the CS is presented repeatedly without the UCS,the CR will gradually weaken in a process called:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) habituation.
C) discrimination.
D) extinction.

Question 28

The key factor in determining whether or not extinction will occur is:

A) the passage of time.
B) whether punishment has been used during the learning trials or not.
C) the use of a CS that readily lends itself to habituation.
D) the repeated presentation of the CS without the UCS.

Question 29

The unconditioned stimulus and the unconditioned response are similar in that they both are concerned with:

A) reflexive behaviours that have to taught or learned.
B) voluntary behaviours that have to be taught or learned.
C) behaviours that do not have to be learned or taught.
D) important parts of operant conditioning.

Question 30

A dog salivates in response to a tone.In this instance,the salivation would technically be considered a(n):

A) UCS
B) CS
C) UCR
D) CR

Question 31

Stuart has a rather unusual fear: He is afraid of public speaking,but only when he has to make speeches on the weekend.He is a professor and has no trouble speaking in front of large groups of students,and he has made effective presentations at conferences,as long as he presents on a weekday.The specificity of Stuart's fear most clearly demonstrates the process of:

A) escape conditioning.
B) avoidance conditioning.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) discrimination.

Question 32

Which of the following correctly describes higher-order conditioning? A:

A) CS becomes a neutral stimulus after being paired with an established CS.
B) neutral stimulus becomes a CS after being paired with an established CS.
C) CS is presented repeatedly without the UCS.
D) neutral response becomes a CR after being paired with an established CR.

Question 33

Mary Cover Jones was a psychologist who was knowledgeable about behaviourist principles.Using the assumption that fear can be classically conditioned,she set out to break the CS-UCS pairing using a technique in which a patient is exposed to a stimulus that arouses anxiety without the presence of the UCS.The modern version of her technique was called:

A) extinction therapies.
B) flooding technique.
C) exposure therapies.
D) systematic desensitization.

Question 34

Although Cathy had successfully extinguished the association between unknown cars and fear for over a month,when she saw an unfamiliar car on her street,she felt fear again.This is an example of:

A) spontaneous recovery.
B) spontaneous conditioning.
C) recovered conditioning.
D) recovered acquisition.

Question 35

Susanne developed a fear of cars after being in a crash.Using the principles of classical conditioning,the crash would be considered the __________.The fact that Susanne was fearful of all cars and not just the type that was in the crash demonstrates ____________.

A) UCR: discrimination
B) UCR;stimulus generalization
C) UCS;discrimination
D) UCS;stimulus generalization

Question 36

A neutral stimulus becomes a CS after being paired with an already established CS during ________________.

A) latent learning
B) extinction
C) higher-order conditioning
D) shaping

Question 37

A smart political candidate becomes friends with a very popular professional baseball player because she hopes that this will improve her popularity with the voters.With regard to classical conditioning principles,the professional baseball player would best be viewed as a(n):

A) neutral stimulus.
B) already-established CS.
C) CR.
D) UCR.

Question 38

In classical conditioning experiments,learning is typically fastest when the UCS is _________ and the time interval between the CS and the UCS is _________.

A) similar to the CS;short
B) less intense;somewhat long
C) more intense;short
D) more intense;zero

Question 39

During the process of extinction,it is not uncommon for a CR to recur if,after a period of time has passed,the CS is presented again.This is known as ________________ recovery.

A) secondary
B) spontaneous
C) automatic
D) natural

Question 40

On her 12^th birthday,Juanita ate cake and then felt nauseous due to the flu.Since then,Juanita begins to feel sick whenever she sees a cake.Juanita also feels sick whenever she sees cupcakes or cookies.The CS has ___________ to the other treats.

A) discriminated
B) generalized
C) acquired
D) spontaneously recovered

Question 41

Recent advances in computer and video technology have presented an innovative approach to treating anxiety disorders like phobias:

A) 'on-call' virtual psychologists who are holographs created by computer software
B) the presentation of virtual relaxation environments to reduce anxiety
C) presenting virtual stimuli for exposure therapy within a virtual world
D) creating aversive stimuli specific to each client

Question 42

Using his special chamber,Skinner found that rats would display a behaviour,such as pressing a lever,more frequently if following that behaviour a food pellet was provided.The food pellet acts as a(n):

A) punisher.
B) reinforcer.
C) strengthener.
D) outcome variable.

Question 43

An organism learns an association between two stimuli in ________________ conditioning,whereas an association between a behaviour and its consequence is learned in __________________ conditioning.

A) operant;classical
B) classical;higher-order
C) higher-order;classical
D) classical;operant

Question 44

Much of organisms' behaviours are influenced in subtle ways by classical conditioning.Classical conditioning can NOT influence:

A) attraction.
B) aversion.
C) arousal.
D) approval

Question 45

The goal of exposure therapies is to expose a phobic person to the feared stimulus (CS)without the ______,so that the process of ___________ can occur.

A) NS;habituation
B) CR;extinction
C) UCS;generalization
D) UCS;extinction

Question 46

Shelley has noticed that if her dad is in good mood,he will usually praise her for working on her homework in the evening.If he isn't in a good mood,he does not praise her.Relative to the principles of operant conditioning,the mood of Shelley's dad would be considered a(n)_________,signalling when he will praise her for her homework.

A) antecedent
B) behaviour
C) conditioned stimulus
D) consequence

Question 47

Amanda is allergic to pollen.Whenever she is near a flower,she has an extreme allergic reaction.Interestingly,whenever Amanda is near a silk or fake flower,she also has an extreme allergic reaction despite the absence of pollen.In this example,the fake flower is the ___________ and the allergic reaction it causes is the ___________ response.

A) conditioned stimulus;conditioned
B) conditioned stimulus;unconditioned
C) unconditioned stimulus;conditioned
D) stimulus generalization;conditioned

Question 48

One of the key differences between classical and operant conditioning is that in classical conditioning behaviour is _____________,whereas in operant conditioning behaviour is ___________.

A) triggered involuntarily like a reflex;under the physical control of the organism
B) under the physical control of the organism;triggered involuntarily like a reflex
C) triggered involuntarily like a reflex;is considered to be elicited
D) is considered to emitted;under the voluntary control of the organism

Question 49

Attempts to condition an aversion to a stimulus that triggers unwanted behaviour by pairing it with a noxious UCS is called _____________ therapy.

A) exposure
B) noxious
C) aversion
D) extinction therapy

Question 50

An antecedent is a(n)___________ that is present ___________ a given behaviour has been displayed.

A) association;after
B) stimulus;before
C) conditioned response;after
D) emitted behaviour;before

Question 51

According to operant conditioning,_____________ occurs when a consequence strengthens the behaviour it follows.

A) generalization
B) reinforcement
C) response cost punishment
D) aversive punishment

Question 52

In the Skinner box,the behaviour of rats would __________ in frequency if given food pellets and __________ in frequency if given electric shocks.

A) decrease;increase
B) decrease;decrease
C) increase;decrease
D) increase;increase

Question 53

Edward Thorndike's law of ____________ specifically states that a response followed by a satisfying consequence will be more likely to occur.

A) instrumental learning
B) generalization
C) aversive conditioning
D) effect

Question 54

Pat is attracted to Toby and they made a date for Friday night.However,when Pat picked Toby up,Toby was wearing a shirt very similar to one that Pat's ex-partner used to wear.Pat felt immediately less attracted to Toby.Toby's shirt acted as a(n)_________ for Pat and produced a CR.

A) unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
B) conditioned stimulus (CS)
C) unconditioned response (UCR)
D) conditioned response (CR)

Question 55

Operant conditioning is concerned with ____________,whereas classical conditioning focuses on ____________.

A) discriminative stimuli;generalized stimuli
B) emitted behaviours;elicited behaviours
C) generalized stimuli;discriminative stimuli
D) elicited behaviours;emitted behaviours

Question 56

Research on aversion therapy has yielded mixed results,because the changes produced are often:

A) long-term and often generalize well.
B) the product of a fixed action pattern.
C) adaptively significant.
D) short-term and extinguish over time.

Question 57

In operant conditioning,punishment refers to any ____________ that ___________ the likelihood of a behaviour.

A) stimulus;increases
B) response;increases
C) consequence;decreases
D) discrimination;decreases

Question 58

Advertisers use the principles of classical conditioning to try to sell products.By pairing attractive and famous people,humour,or "warm-fuzzy" family images to products such as cars,food,and even telephone services,advertisers attempt to shift the public's attitude about the product.In these examples,attractive and famous people,humour,and family images are the __________,whereas the product being sold is the ____________.

A) CS;UCS
B) UCS;CS
C) CR;UCR
D) CS;UCR

Question 59

In classical conditioning,a behaviour changes because of an association that is learned ________ the behaviour occurs,but in operant conditioning,the behaviour is influenced by events that occur _________ it.

A) after;before
B) at the same time as;before
C) before;at the same time as
D) before;after

Question 60

Edward Thorndike would most likely have given which of the following explanations for why cats could eventually escape his puzzle box? The cats('):

A) eventually gained insight into how to solve the problem.
B) eventually,were able to discriminate the CS sufficiently.
C) used trial and error and slowly eliminated ineffective responses.
D) response cost for ineffective action eventually became too high.

Question 61

Response cost punishment involves which of the following?

A) Taking away something positive in order to weaken a behaviour.
B) Taking away something positive in order to strengthen a behaviour.
C) Presenting something negative in order to weaken a behaviour.
D) Presenting something positive in order to strengthen a behaviour.

Question 62

Which of the following illustrates aversive (positive)punishment?

A) Parents pay their daughter for getting good grades.
B) An owner angrily scolds his dog after she chews up a sock.
C) A boy loses his TV privileges after lying to his parents.
D) A man puts on his seat belt in order to stop the annoying warning bell in his car.

Question 63

Operant extinction,aversive punishment,and response cost punishment are similar in that they all:

A) serve to strengthen behaviour.
B) involve the manipulation of positive reinforcers.
C) involve the manipulation of negative reinforcers.
D) serve to weaken behaviour.

Question 64

One similarity between punishment and operant extinction is that both:

A) involve the withdrawal of an aversive consequence.
B) involve the presentation of a positive consequence.
C) can be used to increase the likelihood of a behaviour.
D) can be used to reduce the likelihood of a behaviour.

Question 65

When you tell your dog,"Sit," and she does,you almost always give her a small treat.In this example,which of the following would be considered a discriminative stimulus? The:

A) behaviour of sitting
B) command "sit"
C) small treat
D) association between sitting and the small treat

Question 66

One of the disadvantages of ______________ is that it often arouses negative emotions such as fear and anger and can inspire the dislike or avoidance of the person administering it.

A) negative reinforcement
B) higher-order conditioning
C) aversive punishment
D) secondary reinforcement

Question 67

One way that operant extinction and response cost punishment are similar is that they both involve:

A) stimuli that signal when a consequence will follow a behaviour.
B) consequences that strengthen behaviours.
C) the cessation or removal of something.
D) the presentation of something.

Question 68

When a response increases in frequency by the subsequent removal (or avoidance)of a stimulus,it is called:

A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) aversive punishment.
D) response cost punishment.

Question 69

Generally,reinforcement that immediately follows a behaviour has _____________________________________ when reinforcement is delayed following a behaviour.

A) the same effect as
B) a weaker effect than
C) a stronger effect than
D) no effect

Question 70

In negative reinforcement,when an aversive stimulus is ___________,it makes the behaviour that it follows ________ likely to occur.

A) removed;less
B) removed;more
C) presented;less
D) presented;more

Question 71

Mark just broke up with Deborah.He used to see Deborah every day at 11:30 between classes but he decides to take an alternative route so that he won't have to feel bad when he sees her.Having successfully avoided the negative feelings from seeing Deborah,he now takes the alternate route everyday.This is an example of:

A) response cost punishment.
B) positive reinforcement.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) positive punishment.

Question 72

Todd yells at his brother and takes his toy away.Todd's mom sees his behaviour and gives Todd a scolding.This is an example of:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) response cost punishment.
C) aversive punishment.
D) contingency punishment.

Question 73

When a response is strengthened by the subsequent presentation of a stimulus,this is called _________.

A) positive punishment
B) negative reinforcement
C) positive reinforcement
D) aversive punishment

Question 74

To assist Janice to stop smoking,she has made a contract with her closest friends.If anyone catches Janice smoking,she must pay that person $5.00 on the spot.This is an example of:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) aversive punishment.
C) response cost punishment.
D) contingency punishment.

Question 75

While walking through the mall,a young boy sees a new pair of shoes and immediately tells his grandmother that he would like to have them.The grandma initially refuses,prompting the boy to get upset and he starts to cry.The grandma hates to see her grandson get upset,so she changes her mind and buys him the shoes.In this example,we could say that the grandma's initial refusal was _____________ and the boy's mini-tantrum was ____________.

A) the conditioned stimulus;the conditioned response
B) the consequence;the discriminative stimulus
C) classically extinguished;extinguished via operant conditioning
D) aversively punished;positively reinforced

Question 76

A teenager refrains from using profanity when she is around her parents,who ground her when she swears,but when her parents aren't around,she often uses "bad language." This example demonstrates a limitation of ___________ because the suppression of the undesired behaviour ____________ to other relevant situations.

A) punishment;doesn't generalize
B) negative reinforcement;doesn't generalize
C) negative reinforcement;inadvertently generalizes
D) antecedents;doesn't generalize

Question 77

The process in which a response decreases the frequency of a behaviour by the subsequent removal of a stimulus is called:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) response cost punishment.
C) aversive punishment.
D) contingency punishment.

Question 78

Tran volunteered to help her grandmother clean her house and do some yard work.Because of her assistance,Tran was given $20.She then volunteered to come again the following week.This is an example of:

A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) aversive punishment.
D) conditional reinforcement.

Question 79

Aversive punishment refers to the process in which a behaviour is ___________ by the subsequent ___________ of a consequence.

A) strengthened;presentation
B) strengthened;removal
C) weakened;presentation
D) weakened;removal

Question 80

Last week,Jessica threw a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store because her mother had said she could not have a candy bar.After 5 minutes of screaming and crying,Jessica got a candy bar.Now Jessica is throwing another temper tantrum in the grocery store because she was told that she could not have an ice cream cone.The frequency of Jessica's behaviour has been influenced by:

A) response cost punishment.
B) aversive punishment.
C) negative reinforcement.
D) positive reinforcement.