Deck 6: Learning

Question 1

Timothy believes that his infant son was born as a blank slate,knowing nothing about the world.This information suggests that Timothy most likely believes in

A) associative learning.
B) habituation.
C) tabula rasa.
D) long-term potentiation.

Answer 1

tabula rasa.

Question 2

Fallon is afraid of loud sounds,like thunder.She associates lightning with thunder because it regularly precedes thunder.Thus,when Fallon sees lightning,she braces herself for hearing a big boom several seconds later.Fallon has experienced a certain kind of associative learning known as

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

Answer 2

classical conditioning.

Question 3

You are driving to school when suddenly an ambulance rushes past you with its sirens blaring,so you quickly pull your car to the side of the road.A few minutes later,when you hear sirens in the distance,you get ready to quickly pull the car over again.You have learned to respond quickly to the sirens because of

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

Answer 3

sensitization.

Question 4

In Pavlov's research,classical conditioning occurred when the dogs learned the metronome predicted the arrival of food because this process began with an animals' instinctive response to the ________ stimulus.

A) classical
B) conditioned
C) neutral
D) unconditioned

Question 5

Olivia takes a drug that is supposed to increase her ability to memorize things.The drug works by increasing neural communication in the hippocampus,and when taken repeatedly,it may also support

A) tabula rasa.
B) long-term potentiation.
C) non-associative learning.
D) habituation.

Question 6

Shanna wants to use an observational study to explore how classical conditioning works.Before beginning her own study,it would be most helpful for Shanna to read about the research of

A) Ivan Pavlov.
B) John Skinner.
C) Edward Thorndike.
D) Alfred Bandura.

Question 7

Michael is observing the people in his dorm and listing any behaviors that indicate learning.Which of the following should be included on Michael's list?

A) Dan, who bumps into a door when he has the flu
B) Bill, who sometimes falls asleep while watching TV
C) Greg, who often whines until someone goes to the dining hall with him
D) Matt, who always forgets his keys in his room

Question 8

If Dr.Raybel wants to observe how people learn to play a new game,he may want to consult the founder of behaviorism,

A) Ivan Pavlov.
B) John Watson.
C) Alfred Bandura.
D) John Locke.

Question 9

When Billy's upstairs neighbor wakes up early to take a shower,Billy is typically awakened when the water starts,but then he gets used to the noise and goes back to sleep.In this example,Billy is showing learning through

A) conditioning.
B) sensitization.
C) habituation.
D) modeling.

Question 10

Simone's desk at her new job is right next to an air conditioner.After a week of being chilly,she brings a sweater to work.Simone's change in behavior,which is based on her prior experience,is an example of

A) learning.
B) habituation.
C) modeling.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 11

Braxton's friend Shayla is caught cheating on a test and receives an F.Braxton learns the consequences of cheating by watching Shayla be punished for this action.Braxton has learned through

A) operant conditioning.
B) sensitization.
C) modeling.
D) vicarious conditioning.

Question 12

In Pavlov's research,dogs learned that the sound of a metronome predicted the arrival of food,so the dogs salivated at the sound of the metronome.In this research,classical conditioning occurred in part because the ________ elicited a(n)________.

A) unconditioned stimulus (food); unconditioned response (salivation)
B) conditioned stimulus (food); conditioned response (salivation)
C) unconditioned stimulus (metronome); conditioned response (salivation)
D) conditioned stimulus (metronome); unconditioned response (salivation)

Question 13

Jonathan is traveling to Italy,and his motto for his trip is "When in Rome,do as the Romans do!" This phrase suggests that Jonathan is most likely to learn how to behave in Rome based on

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

Question 14

Every day after class,Jerome smells delicious pizza from Steel's Pizza House on his walk home and his mouth starts to water.One day,Jerome is riding the bus home from class and sees the Steel's Pizza House sign,and even this makes his mouth start to water.Jerome has most likely experienced all of the following EXCEPT

A) strengthening of synaptic connections.
B) habituation.
C) long-term potentiation.
D) learning.

Question 15

After repeated studying,Cressida is able to remember all of the state capitals.Now when she hears the word Michigan,she quickly thinks of the word Lansing.Cressida's learning is most likely due to long-term potentiation,which

A) releases glutamate in the brain.
B) strengthens synaptic connections.
C) increases excitatory neural signals.
D) decreases neurotransmitters in the synapse.

Question 16

When you first bought your pet hamsters Fudge and Brownie,only Fudge would let you pet him.After a few weeks of Brownie watching you pet Fudge,Brownie started to let you pet her.In this case,Brownie's new behavior is most likely the result of learning by

A) associating two stimuli.
B) habituation.
C) sensitization.
D) watching others.

Question 17

Tina believes in John Locke's idea of tabula rasa.When Tina's baby is born,she expects the child will most likely

A) already show learning that occurred in the womb.
B) be ready to learn new information based on new sensory experiences.
C) not be able to show learning for several months.
D) be able to recognize sensory input to which she was exposed before birth.

Question 18

Mason has spent many hours studying to learn the exact order of the first hundred digits of number pi,which has resulted in strengthened synaptic connections in his brain.Mason's ability to learn the numbers is most likely a result of

A) vicarious conditioning.
B) habituation.
C) long-term potentiation.
D) modeling.

Question 19

During Tammy's eye exam,a buzzer rings and a puff of air is blown into her eye,which makes her blink.This happens several times.Then Tammy blinks when she hears the buzzer because she expects that a puff of air will be blown into her eye.In this example,Tammy is showing ________ learning.

A) associative
B) non-associative
C) observational
D) sensitization

Question 20

Gavin is a 3-year-old who used to color on the walls with his crayons.Gavin's father told him,"We color on paper,not on walls," and gave him a time-out.Gavin does not color on the walls anymore,which is most likely a result of all of the following EXCEPT

A) associative learning.
B) long-term potentiation.
C) learning.
D) non-associative learning.

Question 21

Riley ate too much chocolate cake during his birthday party and was sick all night.If classical conditioning occurred and he associated the cake with being sick,then when Riley sees cake today,he will most likely

A) be happy because it reminds him of the great time he had at his party.
B) want to eat more cake because he is still celebrating his birthday.
C) be turned off by the smell and the memory of the taste of cake.
D) save the cake for later when he feels a little bit better.

Question 22

A father takes his young daughter to the park.The girl grabs a red flower and is stung by a bee.The next day,the girl's grandmother brings her a bouquet of red flowers.When the girl sees the flowers,she becomes afraid and runs away.In this example,the conditioned stimulus is the

A) fear of the flowers.
B) red flowers.
C) pain of the sting.
D) bee.

Question 23

Eleanor wants to use classical conditioning to teach her students to run to the closet when the "intruder alert" sounds at their school.To be successful,Eleanor must begin the learning process with a(n)

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

Question 24

A conditioned stimulus is

A) an unlearned reaction.
B) something that causes a response after learning takes place.
C) something that causes a response without learning.
D) a reflexive, natural reaction.

Question 25

A cat is classically conditioned to purr when it hears the refrigerator door open,because it contains the cat food.But the cat does not purr when it hears the pantry door open.The fact that the cat only purrs when the refrigerator door opens is most likely a result of

A) stimulus discrimination.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) extinction.

Question 26

Professor Kraig is known for his difficult quizzes,which automatically make the students anxious.Immediately before each quiz,he always turns off the projector.Students soon notice that they start to feel anxious when Professor Kraig turns off the projector.In terms of classical conditioning,Professor Kraig turning off the projector is a(n)

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

Question 27

A perfume advertisement uses classical conditioning to increase product appeal.To do this,it pairs the attractive face of the actor Brad Pitt with its perfume Chanel N? 5.If Brad Pitt elicits an innate response from you,he is being used as a(n)

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

Question 28

At lunch one day,a spider walks onto your table.It looks just like the one that bit you last year and made you very sick.You immediately start to panic,which in this situation is most likely a(n)

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

Question 29

At a football game,you cannot help but feel excited whenever your team scores a touchdown.Because this is an unlearned response,in terms of classical conditioning,it would be called a(n)

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

Question 30

Jack uses classical conditioning to teach his dog Luna to sit whenever Jack says "Sit." But now,anything that Jack says that is similar to "Sit" causes Luna to show the conditioned response of sitting.This is most likely the result of

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

Question 31

Joseph used classical conditioning to teach his sister to be afraid of squirrels.If he is successful,the neutral stimulus,the squirrel,must have been paired with a(n)________,such as ________.

A) neutral stimulus; a light turning on
B) conditioned response; running away
C) unconditioned response; an increased heartbeat
D) unconditioned stimulus; a loud noise

Question 32

Ralph ate sushi for lunch,and an hour later he felt sick to his stomach.In this situation,classical conditioning might occur.In other words,Ralph might learn an association between sushi and feeling sick because the two events

A) relate to biological needs.
B) are not related.
C) prohibit normal functioning.
D) are paired closely in timing.

Question 33

If you are trying to use classical conditioning to train your pet mouse to be afraid of a flashing light,you will most likely be successful if you

A) pair the light with giving the mouse a treat.
B) pair the light with an electric shock.
C) take away the mouse's food after the light comes on.
D) take away the mouse's food before the light comes on.

Question 34

Jess always feels hungry at 7:00 PM.Maggie decides to play a particular song for Jess at 6:59 PM for several nights in a row.One night,Maggie plays the song at 5:30 PM and Jess says,"Huh ...I suddenly feel hungry." In this situation,classical conditioning occurred because

A) Maggie presents dinner before playing the song for Jess.
B) the song naturally causes Jess's stomach to growl.
C) Maggie paired a neutral stimulus, a song, with an unconditioned stimulus, a certain time of day, when Jess always felt hungry.
D) Maggie plays the song when Jess first arrives home and then waits an hour to serve dinner.

Question 35

Samuel always receives a painful shock when he turns on the lamp in his study.After a while,Samuel refuses to touch the switch on the lamp.The lamp switch was a(n)________ stimulus that elicited a(n)________ response after a period of time.

A) unconditioned; unconditioned
B) neutral; conditioned
C) unconditioned; conditioned
D) neutral; unconditioned

Question 36

If Pavlov repeatedly presented the conditioned stimulus,the metronome,without the unconditioned stimulus,the food,the dogs would stop salivating to the sound of the metronome.In classical conditioning,this process is called

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

Question 37

A main outcome of Ivan Pavlov's research is that a neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus

A) when it elicits an innate response.
B) with the presence of punishment.
C) after pairing it with a stimulus that triggers a reflexive response.
D) simply by observing that stimulus.

Question 38

If Carlos wants to use classical conditioning so his 3-year-old sister learns to be afraid of dogs,he should

A) shove her to the ground every day whether she pets a dog or not.
B) blow an air horn to make her afraid every time she pets their own dog.
C) pretend to be afraid of dogs himself.
D) give her a piece of candy every time she is afraid to go near a dog.

Question 39

Pederson's teacher blows a whistle when it is time for his class to come in from recess.Pederson is afraid of being left on the playground alone,so he starts to go inside any time he hears a sound like the teacher's whistle,such as the school bell ringing.Pederson's behavior is an example of

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

Question 40

Alanna knows that a startling noise will always make people blink their eyes.Alanna has learned to associate a blue light with a startling noise,causing her to blink when she sees the blue light.When she blinks after seeing the blue light,she is showing a(n)

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

Question 41

Jean wants her daughter to eat her vegetables so she is healthy.Jean tells her daughter that after she eats her vegetables she can play outside,which is one of her daughter's favorite things to do.In this situation,Jean is using ________ to increase her daughter's eating of vegetables.

A) negative reinforcement
B) positive punishment
C) the Premack principle
D) primary reinforcement

Question 42

Channing believes that the best way to get his boyfriend to clean up after himself is by initiating sex as soon as his boyfriend cleans up the apartment.Channing knows that sex is a ________ reinforcer that will likely ________ the probability that his boyfriend will clean the apartment in the future.

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

Question 43

Dante was recently bitten in the leg by a snake and now has learned to fear snakes.If his fear is out of proportion with the danger posed by snakes,then Dante has developed

A) an evolutionary adaptation.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) a phobia.
D) second-order conditioning.

Question 44

Percy wants to teach his daughter good manners.To increase the likelihood of her saying "Excuse me" when bumping into someone in a store,he should use a stimulus called a(n)

A) punishment.
B) reinforcer.
C) operant.
D) token economy.

Question 45

Vincent wants to use systematic desensitization to treat his patient's phobia of elevators.After the patient learns how to relax her muscles,Vincent's next step should be to

A) get the patient into an elevator and practice relaxing.
B) explain to the patient what is going on in her brain when she feels fearful.
C) have the patient imagine an elevator while continuing the relaxation exercises.
D) give the patient a dollar for every floor she passes during an elevator ride.

Question 46

Susie wants to use operant conditioning to teach her cat to sit up for a treat.A psychologist who has conducted research that would be useful to her in this situation is

A) Edward Thorndike.
B) John Watson.
C) Alfred Bandura.
D) Ivan Pavlov.

Question 47

During the famous experiment with "Little Albert," Albert learned to fear rats when researchers used classical conditioning and presented a

A) loud sound as the unconditioned stimulus.
B) rat as the unconditioned stimulus.
C) rat as the conditioned response.
D) loud sound as the conditioned response.

Question 48

Sunil wants to classically condition his dog to fear skunks so he does not get sprayed again.This task should be much easier than teaching him to fear a house plant because a dog

A) is biologically prepared to fear animals that might cause it harm.
B) has high intelligence compared with other animals.
C) can easily be conditioned to fear skunks specifically.
D) associates house plants with grass, which is where the dog goes to the bathroom.

Question 49

Katie is afraid of clowns.She has been trying to overcome this fear by getting into a relaxed state and then looking at pictures of clowns.After months of this exposure,she is no longer afraid when she sees a clown.Katie has been using ________ to overcome her fear.

A) counterconditioning
B) systematic desensitization
C) extinction
D) modeling

Question 50

Positive punishment causes a(n)________ in behavior through the ________ of a stimulus.

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

Question 51

Dr.Brimfield believes that humans learn best when they are given the opportunity to act on their environments and make associations between their behavior and the effects it produces.Dr.Brimfield believes in

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

Question 52

When Kathy is in the shower and someone flushes the toilet,the water turns hot and she gets burned.Soon,Kathy becomes classically conditioned to fear the toilet flushing when she is in the shower.When Kathy visits her parents she does not get burned when someone flushes the toilet while she is in the shower.When she returns home and hears the toilet flush while in the shower,Kathy immediately feels a surge of fear.This example best illustrates the fact that extinction is

A) a form of learning that inhibits, not deletes, what is learned.
B) an adaptive response to delete information from memory associations.
C) a useful tendency to try to readapt old learning strategies to novel problems.
D) the basis for non-associative learning when applied to unfamiliar situations.

Question 53

Last year,Martina was in love with Robert,but they eventually broke up.Today in the mall,Martina smells someone wearing the same cologne that Robert always wore.She is immediately filled with positive feelings,which is most likely due to

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

Question 54

Derek is conducting research with chimpanzees and realizes that when the chimps' behaviors lead to some sort of satisfaction,they repeat those behaviors.Derek's observations are most consistent with

A) the cognitive model of learning.
B) the law of effect.
C) counterconditioning.
D) shaping.

Question 55

Sampson is a dolphin trainer who trains his dolphins to perform tasks by blowing a high-pitched whistle immediately after the dolphins do the task.The dolphins enjoy the sound of the whistle because it had previously been paired with the fish they were given to eat.Based on this,you know that Sampson is using the whistle as a ________ reinforcer to train the dolphins.

A) primary
B) negative
C) secondary
D) variable

Question 56

Professor McCready wants to study animal learning by putting birds in a cage where they have to figure out how to peck a button to receive food.Professor McCready is using ________ to modify animal behavior.

A) punishment
B) shaping
C) a Skinner box
D) the Premack principle

Question 57

Dr.Shaw has a patient who has a phobia of spiders and also loves doing puzzles.Dr.Shaw exposes the patient to spiders briefly while having the patient complete a fun puzzle.Dr.Shaw is using ________ to treat his patient's phobia.

A) second-order conditioning
B) systematic desensitization
C) modeling
D) counterconditioning

Question 58

You want to teach your dog to stop scratching at the door when he wants to go out.You do so by swatting his nose with a newspaper each time he scratches the door.By creating consequences for your dog's behavior,you have used ________ to train him.

A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) modeling
D) the Premack principle

Question 59

Rachel's dog loves meat and salivates when he sees it.Rachel repeatedly shows her dog a picture of a circle before showing him a piece of meat.Soon,the dog salivates to the picture of the circle.When Rachel shows her dog a picture of an oval,the dog does not salivate,which is best explained by

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

Question 60

Ellie hates it when her teenagers leave their dirty clothes on the floor.If Ellie decides to use the Premack principle to help her teens change their behavior,she should ________ to reward them for doing a less valued activity.

A) give a primary reinforcer
B) give a secondary reinforcer
C) use shaping
D) promise them a more valued activity

Question 61

If getting $1 for every correct answer on this test makes you study harder for the next test,then being given $1 is a form of

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

Question 62

Whenever baby Colin cries,his mother picks him up.This stops Colin from crying.In turn,this makes Colin's mother pick him up more often.In this example,his mother picking him up serves as a ________ reinforcer for Colin.Colin stopping crying is a ________ reinforcer for the mother.

A) negative; negative
B) negative; positive
C) positive; negative
D) positive; positive

Question 63

A month ago,Jenny was pulled over for speeding,and because it was her third ticket this year,her license was suspended.Jenny just received her license back and vows never to speed again.In this situation,having her license suspended has served as

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

Question 64

Professor Jackson periodically gives his students pop quizzes on the reading assignments.To encourage students to complete the reading assignments,the schedule of reinforcement he should use for the pop quizzes is a ________ schedule.

A) fixed interval
B) fixed ratio
C) variable interval
D) variable ratio

Question 65

Reynold believes that reinforcement affects the performance of a behavior more than the acquisition of a behavior.Reynold's belief is consistent with the ideas of the cognitive theorist

A) Edward Thorndike.
B) John Watson.
C) Edward Tolman.
D) Alfred Bandura.

Question 66

If Sheila wants to decrease her dog barking at the cat next door,she should most likely use

A) punishment.
B) reinforcement.
C) the Premack principle.
D) shaping.

Question 67

Tripp is serving a 10-year prison sentence when he is informed by his parole board that he is getting out of jail early for good behavior.If the early release has the effect of increasing Tripp's good behavior in the future,then decrease of time in prison is an example of

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

Question 68

Samantha tells her roommate that negative reinforcement and negative punishment are similar because they

A) remove a stimulus.
B) decrease behavior.
C) add a stimulus.
D) increase behavior.

Question 69

Sandra is toilet training her son and only rewards him some of the time when he uses the toilet.Sandra knows that using partial reinforcement creates behaviors that are more enduring than does continuous reinforcement,which is a result of

A) the partial-reinforcement extinction effect.
B) the law of effect.
C) primary reinforcement.
D) the Premack principle.

Question 70

When explaining to his wife how positive reinforcement and positive punishment are similar,Jackson correctly says that both

A) increase the probability of a behavior.
B) decrease the probability of a behavior.
C) remove a stimulus.
D) add a stimulus.

Question 71

Reinforcement that comes after a predetermined amount of time is called a

A) variable ratio.
B) fixed ratio.
C) fixed interval.
D) variable interval.

Question 72

For each cart of books that Spencer reshelves in the prison library,he receives a chip.He is allowed to collect chips and then trade them in for candy,extra recreation time,or visitation time.The prison uses a token economy,which is a method of

A) variable reinforcement.
B) continuous reinforcement.
C) positive punishment.
D) behavior modification.

Question 73

Taylor's parents are very inconsistent with their child-rearing practices.Some days,Taylor can get away with climbing onto the back of the couch and jumping off,but other days she is punished.Taylor's parents are reinforcing her behavior on a ________ schedule.

A) fixed ratio
B) variable ratio
C) variable interval
D) fixed interval

Question 74

Sophia's daughter Melanie is getting "D" grades in several of her classes.To get Melanie to study more,her parents should

A) punish her for poor academic performance.
B) remove privileges when she earns a grade less than a B.
C) ignore Melanie until she gets higher grades.
D) praise Melanie when she practices good study habits.

Question 75

In operant conditioning,removing a stimulus to increase a behavior in the future is called

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

Question 76

The Acme Chemical Company has some employees who work in a production plant and some who work in a sales office.The plant workers get paid every Friday;however,the office workers get paid for every fifth sale that they make.The plant workers are paid on a ________ schedule,whereas the office workers are paid on a ________ schedule.

A) fixed ratio; variable interval
B) fixed interval; fixed ratio
C) variable ratio; fixed interval
D) variable interval; variable ratio

Question 77

Aldo cannot get the answer to a chemistry problem even after sitting at his desk for an hour.He gets up and goes for a walk.Suddenly,even though he appears to have stopped thinking about it for a while,the answer comes to him.Aldo has most likely solved the problem based on

A) insight learning.
B) a cognitive map.
C) latent learning.
D) behavior modification.

Question 78

Lenny needs to quickly train his cows to use one specific field when they graze.The reinforcement that will allow the cows to learn most quickly is ________ reinforcement.

A) partial
B) interval
C) continuous
D) fixed

Question 79

When wild Arctic wolves hunt,their efforts are only sometimes reinforced because finding food is difficult.The fact that the wolves are only sometimes reinforced for hunting is an example of ________ reinforcement.

A) partial
B) continuous
C) ratio
D) fixed

Question 80

Albert has a beautiful garden in his backyard and notices that hummingbirds feed on the flowers at the same time each day in order to get the most nectar.The hummingbirds are being rewarded for their feeding behavior on a ________ schedule of reinforcement.

A) fixed ratio
B) variable ratio
C) fixed interval
D) variable interval