Deck 6: Conditioning and Learning

Question 1

Darrel was dancing with his new girlfriend at an Elvis tribute. When the band started playing Can't Help Falling in Love with You, his girlfriend gave him a long passionate kiss, which Darrel found very enjoyable. Now Darrel finds that every time he hears Can't Help Falling in Love with You on the radio, he becomes mildly excited. In this example, the long, passionate kiss is

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

Answer 1

an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 2

Pavlov found that meat powder placed on a dog's tongue will make the dog salivate. In Pavlov's terms, the meat powder is

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

Answer 2

an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 3

In classical conditioning, the stimulus that naturally evokes an unlearned response is the

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

Answer 3

unconditioned stimulus.

Question 4

A relatively durable change in behaviour or knowledge that is due to experience defines

A) development.
B) classical conditioning.
C) learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 5

A conditioned stimulus is

A) a stimulus that elicits an unconditioned response without previous conditioning.
B) an unlearned reaction that occurs without previous conditioning.
C) a previously neutral stimulus that, through conditioning, acquires the capacity to elicit a conditioned response.
D) a learned reaction that occurs because of previous conditioning.

Question 6

In Pavlov's original experiment on classical conditioning, the unconditioned response (UR) was

A) the sound of a tone.
B) salivation elicited by a tone.
C) the presentation of meat powder following a tone.
D) salivation elicited by meat powder.

Question 7

Carson used to enjoy lime sherbet, and when he was in Mexico he tried frozen lime margaritas. After his fourth margarita Carson became extremely ill. Now he finds that even the sight of lime sherbet in a bowl can make him feel queasy. In this example, the unconditioned stimulus is

A) the lime margaritas that Carson consumed.
B) the illness that followed the fourth margarita.
C) the sight of lime sherbet.
D) the queasiness that Carson feels when he sees lime sherbet.

Question 8

One Saturday, Clayton was sitting at home when the telephone rang. A local company was making promotional calls and told Clayton he had just won a R500 gift certificate. He felt a rush of excitement at the thought of what he could do with R500. Now Clayton finds that whenever he hears a telephone ring, he feels a little surge of excitement. In this example, the conditioned response is

A) the surge of excitement that Clayton feels whenever he hears a telephone ring.
B) the ringing of a telephone.
C) the news that he had just won a R500 gift certificate.
D) the rush of excitement he felt when he won the certificate.

Question 9

In classical conditioning, an unconditioned stimulus is

A) an unlearned reaction to a stimulus that occurs without previous conditioning.
B) a learned reaction to a stimulus that occurs as a result of previous conditioning.
C) a stimulus that evokes a response without previous conditioning.
D) a previously neutral stimulus that has acquired the capacity to evoke a learned response.

Question 10

Holly was dancing with her new boyfriend at an Elvis tribute. When the band started playing Can't Help Falling in Love with You, her boyfriend gave her a long, passionate kiss, which Holly found very enjoyable. Now Holly finds that every time she hears Can't Help Falling in Love with You on the radio, she becomes a little flushed. In this example, the conditioned stimulus is

A) the long, passionate kiss.
B) the song, Can't Help Falling in Love with You.
C) the enjoyment she experienced after the kiss from her boyfriend.
D) the flushing she experiences when she hears the song on the radio.

Question 11

Charity used to really enjoy potato salad, and at a family reunion she ate a large helping. Unfortunately, the potato salad had not been kept cold, and Charity became quite ill after eating it. Now she finds that even the sight of potatoes in the grocery store can make her feel sick to her stomach. In this example, the sick feeling Charity experiences when she sees potatoes in the grocery store is

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

Question 12

A previously neutral stimulus, that through conditioning acquires the capacity to evoke a response, is

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

Question 13

In Pavlov's principle experiment, if a dog salivates after hearing a tone the salivation would be the

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

Question 14

A relatively durable change in behaviour or knowledge that is due to experience is defined as

A) mediation.
B) maturation.
C) learning.
D) conditioning.

Question 15

A type of learning in which a stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus is known as

A) state-dependent learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) observational conditioning.

Question 16

The major difference between a conditioned stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus is

A) the order in which they are presented.
B) that one reliably elicits the response of interest prior to conditioning while the other does not.
C) that during conditioning the response to one increases while the response to the other decreases.
D) the strength of the response that each stimulus elicits.

Question 17

Pavlov became interested in conditioning when he observed laboratory dogs

A) salivating right before food was placed in their mouths.
B) failing to salivate when food was placed in their mouths.
C) salivating only when food was placed in their mouths.
D) salivating right after they had swallowed food.

Question 18

In Pavlov's principal experiment, the unconditioned stimulus was the

A) salivation.
B) light.
C) tone.
D) meat powder.

Question 19

When a neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that was originally evoked by another stimulus, the process is

A) operant conditioning.
B) primary reinforcement.
C) Skinnerian conditioning.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 20

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which

A) responses come to be controlled by their consequences.
B) an organism's responding is influenced by the observation of others' behaviour.
C) an organism engages in a response that brings aversive stimulation to an end.
D) a neutral stimulus acquires the ability to elicit a response that was originally elicited by another stimulus.

Question 21

When an individual has a phobia, the irrational fear and anxiety that the person experiences is

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

Question 22

Assuming you have eaten sour pickles before, imagine eating a large, juicy sour pickle. If just thinking about the pickles causes your mouth to water, your salivation would be

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

Question 23

On Thursday morning, Charles prepared his typical breakfast of cornflakes with milk and a cup of coffee. However, instead of having guava with his breakfast, he tried eating grapefruit for the first time. At lunchtime he ate his typical lunch of tuna salad and potato chips. However, instead of having a Coke to drink with his lunch, he drank a new fruit-flavoured soft drink for the first time. During the mid-afternoon he became extremely ill. If his illness causes him to develop a conditioned response to something, which stimulus is likely to be the conditioned stimulus?

A) grapefruit, because it was a novel stimulus and was the first novel thing he ingested that day
B) tuna, because it is most likely have been sour and it was ingested closest in time to the onset of the illness
C) milk, because the milk may have been sour and it was ingested first thing in the morning
D) the new fruit-flavoured soft drink, because it was a novel stimulus and was ingested closest in time to the onset of the illness

Question 24

Classical conditioning could easily account for how a young child might learn to

A) become potty-trained.
B) feed himself.
C) pick up his toys.
D) fear the dentist.

Question 25

The continued presentation of the CS without the US will result in the gradual disappearance of the CR. This phenomenon is known as

A) extinction.
B) inhibition.
C) suppression.
D) conditioned forgetting.

Question 26

Lerato is afraid of all spiders because her brother once dropped a spider down her shirt when she was younger. Today, even the sight of a rubber spider is enough to send shivers down her spine. The learning process that could best account for Lerato's fear of spiders is

A) operant conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) delayed reinforcement.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 27

A woman reported feeling "weak in the knees" whenever she smelled cigarette smoke and Beemans gum because of the association of these smells with her first love. In this example, the combined smell of cigarettes and Beemans gum would be

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

Question 28

If a child covers his/her ears when seeing fireworks, before hearing the sound of the fireworks, seeing the fireworks would be a(n)

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

Question 29

On Tuesday morning, Patience prepared her typical breakfast of cornflakes with milk and a cup of coffee. However, instead of having guava with her breakfast, she tried eating grapefruit for the first time. Later she became extremely ill. If her illness causes her to develop a conditioned response to one of her breakfast items, the conditioned response will MOST likely be to

A) grapefruit, because it was a novel stimulus.
B) milk, because the milk may have been sour.
C) guava, because that was the one thing missing from her typical breakfast.
D) coffee, because coffee is a stimulant.

Question 30

When advertisers pair their products with attractive people or enjoyable surroundings, in the hope that the pairings will cause their products to evoke good feelings, they are using principles derived from

A) classical conditioning.
B) state-dependent learning.
C) observational learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 31

Fana cringes every time he hears a dentist's drill, even when he is sitting in the waiting room of his dentist's office. In this example, the pain of dental drilling is

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

Question 32

Classical conditioning could account for how a child learns to

A) talk.
B) play baseball.
C) walk.
D) love the smell of her father's aftershave.

Question 33

A woman reported feeling "weak in the knees" whenever she smelled cigarette smoke and Beemans gum because of the association of these smells with her first love. In this example, her "weak knees" would be

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

Question 34

Sahid cringes every time he hears a dentist's drill, even when he is sitting in the waiting room of his dentist's office. In this example, cringing in the waiting room is

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

Question 35

Examples of behaviours learned through classical conditioning would include all the following EXCEPT

A) both pleasant and unpleasant emotional responses.
B) simple reflexive behaviours such as blinking.
C) the physiological functioning of the immune system.
D) voluntary behaviours such as setting the table for dinner.

Question 36

Researchers have found that animals show evidence of classical conditioning if they are injected with a drug that chemically causes immunosuppression, while they are simultaneously drinking an unusual-tasting liquid. In these studies, the conditioned response would be

A) the immunosuppression.
B) the taste of the liquid that is used.
C) the injection of the drug.
D) fear of the injection process.

Question 37

The initial stage of learning a response is called

A) extinction.
B) contiguity.
C) acquisition.
D) conditioning.

Question 38

Classical conditioning could account for how a child learns to

A) sing a song.
B) tie shoe laces.
C) print letters.
D) fear the dark.

Question 39

Bryony was very close to her father; she claims that he always made her feel safe. Bryony's father always wore "Stetson" cologne. Today every time she smells the scent of "Stetson" cologne she develops a pleasant feeling of warmth and comfort. The learning process that could best account for Bryony's pleasant feelings is

A) operant conditioning.
B) observational learning.
C) delayed reinforcement.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 40

In Pavlov's principal experiment the conditioned stimulus was the

A) salivation.
B) meat powder.
C) light.
D) tone.

Question 41

In order to weaken or eliminate a conditioned response, you would present

A) the US before the CS several times.
B) the CS alone several times.
C) the US alone several times.
D) extra pairings of the CS and US.

Question 42

When Diana was three years old, she became terrified when the neighbour's budgie kept flying near her head. Today she is afraid of all birds, including sparrows, pigeons and hadedas. Diana's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of

A) preparedness.
B) stimulus generalisation.
C) stimulus discrimination.
D) negative avoidance.

Question 43

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, stimulus generalisation was shown when Albert showed the fear response to

A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) his mother.

Question 44

Maria developed a fear of the water when she fell off a river raft last summer. This year she took swimming lessons and thought she had finally overcome her fear of water. She was eagerly looking forward to an upcoming rafting trip, however, as soon as she stepped onto the raft she was instantly terrified again. This illustrates the classical conditioning process known as

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

Question 45

Khanyi used to drool at the smell of peanut butter cookies as they baked, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into that first cookie. However, Khanyi's new roommate makes terrible peanut butter cookies, and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience. Consequently, Khanyi finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation. This illustrates the classical conditioning process known as

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

Question 46

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the unconditioned stimulus was

A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) the fear reaction.

Question 47

When Louis was a child, he really liked the smell of the rose-scented perfume his mother used to wear. He came to associate that scent with snuggles and hugs from his mom. As an adult, Louis likes any floral scent, including the smell of lilacs and wildflowers. This example illustrates the classical conditioning process of

A) stimulus generalisation.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) preparedness.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Question 48

Stimulus generalisation occurs when

A) there is a temporal association between two stimuli.
B) an organism fails to respond to stimuli that are similar to the original stimulus used in conditioning.
C) an unconditioned stimulus fails to elicit the unconditioned response.
D) an organism responds to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus.

Question 49

When an organism responds to a specific stimulus or conditioned stimulus and doesn't respond to another stimulus that is similar to the conditioned stimulus, it is referred to as

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

Question 50

Continuing to pair a specific CS and US, but periodically presenting stimuli similar to the CS and not pairing them with the US, should result in

A) stimulus discrimination.
B) stimulus generalisation.
C) extinction.
D) response attenuation.

Question 51

In the Little Albert experiment on conditioned emotional responses, the conditioned stimulus was

A) the rabbit.
B) the rat.
C) the loud noise.
D) the fear reaction.

Question 52

When shown a Santa Claus beard, Little Albert showed a fear response, which was evidence of

A) stimulus discrimination.
B) superstitious behaviour.
C) stimulus generalisation.
D) extinction.

Question 53

Last year Bongi went to a psychologist and was cured of her dog phobia. Today, however, while jogging in the park she was overcome with anxiety when she saw a young man jogging toward her with his golden retriever on a leash. Apparently, Bongi's dog phobia

A) showed spontaneous recovery.
B) had not been extinguished after all.
C) showed higher-order conditioning.
D) showed stimulus generalisation.

Question 54

In the 1930s learning that is influenced by stimuli that follow the response was christened "operant conditioning" by

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

Question 55

When Lindiwas nine years old, the neighbour's pet German Shepherd dog bit her on the ankle. Today Lindi is still terrified of German Shepherds, but she likes almost all other types of dogs. Lindi's fear illustrates the classical conditioning process of

A) preparedness.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) stimulus generalisation.
D) negative avoidance.

Question 56

Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which

A) responses come to be controlled by their consequences.
B) an organism's responding is influenced by the observation of others' behaviour.
C) involuntary responses are slowly replaced by voluntary responses.
D) a neutral stimulus acquires the ability to elicit a response that was originally elicited by another stimulus.

Question 57

If a dog salivates to a blue light and not to a yellow light, the dog is showing evidence of

A) spontaneous recovery.
B) conditioned emotional reactions.
C) stimulus generalisation.
D) stimulus discrimination.

Question 58

When a conditioned response shows spontaneous recovery, the rejuvenated response typically

A) is weaker than the previously conditioned response.
B) is stronger than the previously conditioned response.
C) occurs before the conditioned stimulus.
D) changes to an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 59

The reappearance of a conditioned response after extinction and a period of rest is called

A) disinhibition.
B) reconditioning.
C) stimulus generalisation.
D) spontaneous recovery.

Question 60

Anthony classically conditioned his cat to purr whenever the phone rang. One day, the phone rang for nearly two hours straight when Anthony wasn't home, and the cat's conditioned purring response underwent extinction. Today, the response has spontaneously recovered, but if the conditioned purring response were to undergo extinction again Anthony should expect that it will

A) take less time to extinguish than it took for the original extinction.
B) take more time to extinguish than it took for the original extinction.
C) take the same amount of time to extinguish as it took for the original extinction.
D) be impossible to extinguish the response now that spontaneous recovery has occurred.

Question 61

According to Skinner, the fundamental principle of operant conditioning is that organisms tend to repeat those responses that.

A) reduce a biological need.
B) are followed by favourable consequences.
C) decrease the probability of the consequence that produced it.
D) increase a biological need.

Question 62

Which of the following is an example of a primary reinforcer?

A) approval
B) food
C) a toy for a child
D) money

Question 63

Which of the following is NOT an example of a secondary reinforcer?

A) approval
B) a toy for a child
C) food
D) money

Question 64

Dillon is four years old, and his parents want to teach him to say "please" and "thank you". They will be most successful in altering Dillon's behavior if they use

A) classical conditioning
B) higher-order conditioning
C) non-contingent reinforcement
D) operant conditioning

Question 65

Food is an example of ____; praise is an example of ____.

A) a primary reinforcer; a primary reinforcer
B) a primary reinforcer; a secondary reinforcer
C) a secondary reinforcer; a secondary reinforcer
D) a secondary reinforcer; a primary reinforcer

Question 66

April wants to teach her cat not to claw at the arms of her couch. She will be most successful in reducing the cat's scratching behaviour if she uses

A) classical conditioning.
B) higher-order conditioning.
C) observational learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 67

Skinner demonstrated that organisms tend to repeat responses that are followed by favourable consequences. Skinner termed these favourable consequences

A) unconditioned stimuli.
B) rewards.
C) reinforcers.
D) bribes.

Question 68

The type of learning in which voluntary responses come to be controlled by their consequences is

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

Question 69

A small enclosure used by psychologists to study learning in which an animal can make a specific response that is recorded while the consequences are systematically controlled is known as a

A) Watson maze.
B) Skinner box.
C) classical conditioning chamber.
D) cumulative recorder.

Question 70

Cassie asked her father for a chocolate bar at the grocery store, and her father bought her the chocolate bar. If Cassie asks for more chocolate bars in the future, the chocolate bar has acted as a

A) discriminative stimulus.
B) reinforcer.
C) conditioned response.
D) conditioned stimulus.

Question 71

In a Skinner box, the cumulative recorder

A) permits the experimenter to control the reinforcement contingencies.
B) provides a complete record of everything the animal does.
C) delivers the reinforcers.
D) creates a graphic record of operant responding as a function of time.

Question 72

The process of selectively reinforcing responses that are closer and closer approximations of some desired response is called

A) stimulus discrimination.
B) selection.
C) shaping.
D) step-wise conditioning.

Question 73

Operant responses are typically established through a gradual process in which closer and closer approximations of the desired response are reinforced. This process is called

A) modelling.
B) shaping.
C) discrimination.
D) learning.

Question 74

Learning to tie one's shoes is most likely acquired via the process of

A) operant conditioning.
B) reflexive conditioning.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) classical conditioning.

Question 75

While out trick-or-treating for Halloween, at first Billy's neighbours had to remind him to say "trick or treat" before they dropped their treats into his bag. As he continued to visit houses in the neighbourhood, soon Billy would say "trick or treat" as soon as the neighbours answered the door. The treats he received were the ____ for his saying "trick or treat".

A) conditioned stimulus
B) reinforcement
C) reward
D) discriminative stimulus

Question 76

Chimps are trained to perform a variety of tasks to get coins. The coins could then be traded in for banana chips which could be eaten. The coins served as a

A) primary reinforcer.
B) negative reinforcer.
C) secondary reinforcer.
D) partial reinforcer.

Question 77

According to Skinner, a stimulus is a reinforcer if it

A) reduces a biological need.
B) induces a biological need.
C) increases the probability of the response that produced it.
D) decreases the probability of the response that produced it.

Question 78

Primary reinforcers are effective because

A) they satisfy basic biological survival needs.
B) we inherently want approval for our actions.
C) they have been associated with secondary reinforcers and have become reinforcing.
D) the organism has learned to want them.

Question 79

When as a young child you first realised that you could use money to buy sweets and cooldrinks, money began to become an effective

A) secondary reinforcer.
B) primary reinforcer.
C) operant reinforcer.
D) classical reinforcer.

Question 80

Learning to ride a bicycle is most likely acquired via the process of

A) classical conditioning.
B) shaping.
C) spontaneous recovery.
D) innate stimulus release.