Deck 20: A: Basic Learning Concepts and Classical Conditioning

Question 1

The researcher most closely associated with the study of classical conditioning is

A) David Hume.
B) B. F. Skinner.
C) Albert Bandura.
D) Ivan Pavlov.

Answer 1

Ivan Pavlov.

Question 2

A neural stimulus is an event or situation that

A) evokes an unconditioned response.
B) signals that an operant response will be reinforced.
C) triggers a conditioned response.
D) elicits no response prior to classical conditioning.

Answer 2

elicits no response prior to classical conditioning.

Question 3

When given a red pen rather than a black pen for correcting essays, people spot more errors. This best illustrates the subtle impact of

A) learned associations.
B) cognitive mapping.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) positive reinforcement.

Answer 3

learned associations.

Question 4

Any event or situation that evokes a response is a

A) positive reinforcer.
B) cognitive map.
C) stimulus.
D) model.

Question 5

An automatic response to some stimulus is called

A) associative learning.
B) respondent behavior.
C) observational learning.
D) operant behavior.

Question 6

If a ringing bell causes a dog to salivate because the bell has been regularly associated with food in the mouth, the UR is the

A) ringing bell.
B) salivation to the ringing bell.
C) food in the mouth.
D) salivation to the food in the mouth.

Question 7

Which of the following is an unconditioned response?

A) salivating at the sight of a lemon
B) raising your hand to ask a question
C) jerking your hand off a very hot stove
D) walking into a restaurant to eat

Question 8

Who introduced the term behaviorism?

A) B. F. Skinner
B) John B. Watson
C) Albert Bandura
D) Ivan Pavlov

Question 9

In Pavlov's experiments, the taste of food triggered salivation in a dog. The food in the dog's mouth was the

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

Question 10

By directly experiencing a thunderstorm, we learn that a flash of lightning signals an impending crash of thunder. This best illustrates

A) operant conditioning.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) observational learning.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 11

John B. Watson emphasized that

A) learning depends on how predictably rather than how frequently events are associated.
B) unlike lower animals, humans learn through a process of cognition.
C) both humans and lower animals learn to expect that a CS will be followed by a US.
D) learning should be explained without any reference to mental processes.

Question 12

The process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information or behaviors is called

A) reinforcement.
B) learning.
C) modeling.
D) acquisition.

Question 13

Seals in an aquarium will repeat behaviors, such as slapping and barking, that prompt people to toss them a herring. This best illustrates

A) respondent behavior.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) observational learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 14

Which of the following did Pavlov use as a neutral stimulus in his studies of salivation?

A) a touch on the leg
B) the sight of a light
C) the sound of a tone
D) He used all of these stimuli.

Question 15

An event that one of Pavlov's dogs could see or hear but did not associate with food was called a(n)

A) secondary reinforcer.
B) neutral stimulus.
C) negative reinforcer.
D) unconditioned stimulus.

Question 16

A dog's salivation at the sight of a food dish is a(n)

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

Question 17

In Pavlov's experiments on the salivary conditioning of dogs, a CR was

A) salivation to the sound of a tone.
B) salivation to the taste of food.
C) the sound of a tone.
D) the taste of food.

Question 18

One form of cognitive learning is called

A) observational learning.
B) positive reinforcement.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) conditioning.

Question 19

Learning that certain events occur together is called

A) cognitive learning.
B) latent learning.
C) observational learning.
D) associative learning.

Question 20

Through language we often learn things that we ourselves have neither personally experienced nor directly observed. This best illustrates the importance of

A) generalization.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) cognitive learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 21

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, infants develop a fear of roses after roses are presented with electric shock. In this fictional example, the presentation of the roses is the

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

Question 22

An allergy attack triggered by the sight of plastic flowers best illustrates the process of

A) higher-order conditioning.
B) delayed reinforcement.
C) generalization.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Question 23

The stage of classical conditioning when a neutral stimulus first begins triggering a conditioned response is called

A) association.
B) acquisition.
C) observational learning.
D) generalization.

Question 24

Two-year-old Philip was recently clawed by the neighbor's cat. Philip's newly developed tendency to fear all small animals demonstrates the process of

A) generalization.
B) observational learning.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) secondary reinforcement.

Question 25

After getting a slight burn from the spark of a flickering campfire, Julie became afraid of getting close to lighted gas stoves. This best illustrates the adaptive value of

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

Question 26

If the sound of an electric can opener causes a child to salivate because it has previously been associated with the presentation of food, the child's salivation to the sound of the can opener is a(n)

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

Question 27

If a tone regularly signals food and produces salivation, then a light that becomes associated with the tone may also begin to trigger salivation. This best illustrates

A) discrimination.
B) acquisition.
C) higher-order conditioning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 28

For the most rapid acquisition of a CR, the CS should be presented

A) shortly after the CR.
B) shortly after the US.
C) shortly before the US.
D) at the same time as the US.

Question 29

When a CS is not paired with a US, the subsequent fading of a CR is called

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

Question 30

Male Japanese quail became sexually aroused by a red light that had previously been associated with the presentation of a female quail. In this instance, the female quail is a

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

Question 31

After Pavlov had conditioned a dog to salivate to a tone, he repeatedly sounded the tone without presenting the food. As a result, ________ occurred.

A) generalization
B) negative reinforcement
C) spontaneous recovery
D) extinction

Question 32

Spontaneous recovery refers to the

A) expression of learning that had occurred earlier but had not been expressed because of lack of incentive.
B) organism's tendency to respond spontaneously to stimuli similar to the CS as though they were the CS.
C) return of a response after punishment has been terminated.
D) reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response.

Question 33

Long after being bitten by a stray dog, Alonzo found that his fear of dogs seemed to have disappeared. To his surprise, however, when he was recently confronted by a stray dog, he experienced a sudden twinge of anxiety. This sudden anxiety best illustrates

A) delayed reinforcement.
B) higher-order conditioning.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) shaping.

Question 34

Which of the following provides evidence that a CR is not completely eliminated during extinction?

A) partial reinforcement
B) spontaneous recovery
C) generalization
D) discrimination

Question 35

An experimenter plans to condition a dog to salivate to a light by pairing the light with food. The dog will learn to salivate to the light most quickly if the experimenter presents the light

A) five seconds before the food.
B) half a second before the food.
C) at precisely the same time as the food.
D) a half-second after the food.

Question 36

After receiving a painful shot from a female nurse in a white uniform, 3-year-old Vaclav is fearful of any woman wearing a white dress. Vaclav's reaction best illustrates

A) higher-order conditioning.
B) generalization.
C) acquisition.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Question 37

In Pavlov's experiments on the salivary conditioning of dogs, the CS was

A) the taste of food.
B) salivation to the taste of food.
C) the sound of a tone.
D) salivation to the sound of a tone.

Question 38

The tendency for a CR to be evoked by stimuli similar to the CS is called

A) spontaneous recovery.
B) conditioned reinforcement.
C) association.
D) generalization.

Question 39

The infant Albert developed a fear of rats after a white rat was associated with a loud noise. In this example, fear of the white rat was the

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

Question 40

In classical conditioning, discrimination refers to the learned ability to distinguish between a ________ and other irrelevant stimuli

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

Question 41

Little Albert developed a fear of rats after a white rat was paired with a loud noise. In this case, the loud noise was the

A) unconditioned stimulus.
B) conditioned stimulus.
C) conditioned reinforcer.
D) delayed reinforcer.

Question 42

A patient who had long feared going into elevators was told by his therapist to force himself to enter 20 elevators a day. The therapist most likely wanted to encourage the ________ of the patient's fear.

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

Question 43

Pavlov's research on classical conditioning was important because

A) so many different species of animals, including humans, can be classically conditioned.
B) so many different behaviors can be classically conditioned.
C) it demonstrated that a psychological process could be studied objectively.
D) of all of these reasons.

Question 44

Former crack cocaine users often feel a drug craving when they are again in places they associate with previous highs. Their reactions are best explained in terms of

A) operant conditioning.
B) cognitive learning.
C) classical conditioning.
D) modeling.

Question 45

Some of Pavlov's dogs learned to salivate to the sound of one particular tone and not to other tones. This illustrates the process of

A) spontaneous recovery.
B) higher-order conditioning.
C) secondary reinforcement.
D) discrimination.

Question 46

After recovering from a serious motorcycle accident, Gina was afraid to ride a motorcycle but not a bicycle. Gina's pattern of fear best illustrates

A) acquisition.
B) conditioned reinforcement.
C) discrimination.
D) negative reinforcement.

Question 47

Alexis is addicted to drugs. The room in which she usually takes them is likely to become a(n) ________ for drug cravings.

A) primary reinforcer
B) discriminator
C) US
D) CS

Question 48

Antonio's football coach frequently yells at him for swearing. As a result, Antonio now experiences anxiety when he's near his coach. The coach is a(n) ________ for Antonio's anxiety.

A) negative reinforcer
B) conditioned stimulus
C) secondary reinforcer
D) unconditioned stimulus