Deck 10: Aversive Control: Avoidance and Punishment

Question 1

The structure that organizes defensive behaviors is

A) the hippocampus.
B) the pontine nucleus.
C) the PAG.
D) the opioid.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Lesions of the amygdala produce an animal that

A) fears many arbitrary stimuli.
B) can longer be classically conditioned.
C) appears relatively fearless.
D) can no longer form new memories.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Bechterev had human subjects place their fingers on a shock plate,signaled with a warning CS,and then delivered a brief shock.He noticed that after a few trials,subjects were lifting their fingers from the plate in response to the CS,thus reducing the shock US.This experiment is best characterized as an investigation of

A) aversive classical conditioning mechanisms.
B) passive avoidance.
C) active avoidance.
D) omission conditioning.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The difference between an escape trial and an avoidance trial is that

A) escape is active avoidance and avoidance trials are passive avoidance.
B) escape trials are passive avoidance and avoidance trials are active.
C) the aversive US is delivered during an escape trial but not in an avoidance trial.
D) the aversive US is delivered during an avoidance trial but not in an escape trial.

Question 5

The first component of the two-process theory of avoidance is

A) punishment of the CR.
B) conditioning fear to the CS.
C) punishment of the CS.
D) conditioning fear to the US.

Question 6

In fear conditioning,the CS and US neural signals appear to converge in the

A) amygdala.
B) hippocampus.
C) PAG.
D) pontine nucleus.

Question 7

A guinea pig can prevent mild footshock by turning a running wheel during a brief tone CS.Early in training,the guinea pig receives several shocks because it fails to spin the wheel in time.However,over several trials the guinea pig successfully learns to prevent the shock.These later successful trials are most correctly referred to as

A) escape trials.
B) avoidance trials.
C) omission trials.
D) acquired drive trials.

Question 8

The two-process theory of avoidance asserts that the reinforcing properties of avoidance trials are due to

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

Question 9

The goal of acquired drive experiments is to

A) examine the role of conditioned reinforcers in the control of appetitive behaviors.
B) explore how classical conditioning and instrumental conditioning make separate contributions to avoidance behaviors.
C) demonstrate the role of punishment in the control of instrumental behaviors.
D) examine the role played by omission training in the development of conditioned reinforcers.

Question 10

The second component of the two-process theory of avoidance is

A) reinforcement of the escape response through termination of fear.
B) punishment of the escape response through presentation of the aversive stimulus.
C) reinforcement of the avoidance response through prevention of the aversive stimulus.
D) reinforcement of the avoidance response through fear reduction.

Question 11

Lesioning of the hippocampus during fear conditioning has

A) its greatest effect late in conditioning.
B) its greatest effect early in conditioning.
C) no effect unless NMDA receptor blockers are also used.
D) no effect.

Question 12

One group (Classical Conditioning) of guinea pigs was placed in a running wheel,a tone CS was presented,and 2 seconds later a brief shock was administered.Another group (Avoidance) also was placed in a running wheel,a tone CS was presented,and a brief shock was administered only if the subjects did not move the wheel during the CS presentation.After several trials,what do you suspect was the response to the CS?

A) The classical conditioning group ran more than the avoidance group.
B) The avoidance group ran more than the classical conditioning group.
C) The two groups ran approximately the same amount.
D) Neither group ran much in response to the CS.

Question 13

Injecting an NMDA receptor blocker into the amygdala

A) has no effect on conditioned fear.
B) prevents only startle responses.
C) prevents only defensive behaviors.
D) disrupts acquisition of conditioned fear.

Question 14

In a discriminated avoidance procedure,the CS is

A) always followed by the aversive US.
B) never followed by the aversive US.
C) followed by the aversive US if the subject makes the CR.
D) not followed by the aversive US if the subject makes the CR.

Question 15

A rat is placed in a test arena.When a two-second tone sounds,the rat must push a lever in the arena to prevent a mild footshock from being delivered.If the rat does not push the lever,the shock is delivered periodically until the lever is depressed.On early trials,the rat often fails to push the lever until the shock is delivered.These early trials are referred to as

A) escape trials.
B) punishment trials.
C) avoidance trials.
D) omission trials.

Question 16

A fundamental question in the study of avoidance is:

A) How do avoidance trials lead to escape behaviors?
B) Why does punishment have to be discriminated to be effective?
C) How can the absence of something be reinforcing?
D) All of the above

Question 17

Twenty dogs are initially presented with numerous CS-tone/US-footshock pairings.These dogs are then placed in a shuttle box,and movement from one side of the shuttle to the other terminates periodic presentations of the CS tone.No shocks are delivered in the shuttle box.This is an example of

A) a conditioned suppression procedure.
B) an omission training procedure.
C) an acquired drive procedure.
D) a learned helplessness procedure.

Question 18

Punishment is also referred to as

A) active avoidance.
B) passive avoidance.
C) escape.
D) negative reinforcement.

Question 19

Your friend checks her shoes before riding on the escalator,to make sure they are tied and will not get caught between the moving steps.You recognize her behavior as which of the following?

A) active avoidance
B) passive avoidance
C) an escape response
D) a flooding response

Question 20

As avoidance training continues,fear of the avoidance CS

A) remains constant.
B) increases.
C) begins to fluctuate around a relatively high asymptote.
D) decreases.

Question 21

The two-process theory predicts that with extensive avoidance training,a subject's performance of the avoidance response should

A) continue to increase due to acquisition.
B) decrease due to extinction.
C) fluctuate through cycles of extinction and reacquisition.
D) None of the above

Question 22

Early termination of a shock-avoidance CS due to an avoidance response prevents an organism from experiencing much of the CS.This describes the mechanism for

A) flooding.
B) response prevention.
C) conditioned suppression.
D) conservation of fear.

Question 23

Which of the following is not true about avoidance behavior?

A) Conditioned fear and avoidance responding are highly correlated.
B) The results of acquired drive experiments support the two-process theory of avoidance.
C) During early stages of avoidance training, most of the trials are escape trials.
D) Generally, one-way shuttle avoidance is easier to learn than two-way.

Question 24

The most important factor contributing to the extinction of an avoidance response in a flooding procedure is

A) the number of response prevention trials.
B) the time spent exposed to the CS during response prevention trials.
C) the time spent engaging in the UR during response prevention trials.
D) the time spent exposed to the US during response prevention trials.

Question 25

Your roommate is desperate to avoid bad grades.He studies long into the night.When you ask your roommate about this behavior,he tells you that the sensation of going to bed exhausted from studying feels good to him because it means he will not fail his quizzes.Your roommate is a believer in

A) the shock-frequency reduction hypothesis.
B) the two-process theory of avoidance.
C) the safety-signal hypothesis.
D) the SSDR theory.

Question 26

In a free-operant procedure,if the R-S interval is shorter than the S-S interval,you would expect

A) the subject would quickly learn to make the avoidance response.
B) the subject would slowly learn to make the avoidance response.
C) the subject would be unlikely to make the avoidance response.
D) subjects would vary greatly as to their learning rates.

Question 27

Conservation of fear accounts for

A) the persistent ability of a shock-avoidance CS to suppress behavior.
B) the persistence of CS-terminating avoidance responses after the aversive US is no longer delivered.
C) the persistent aversive properties of the US.
D) the persistent aversive properties of the CR.

Question 28

Which of the following is the strongest challenge to the two-process theory account of free-operant avoidance learning?

A) Avoidance behavior can be conditioned when S-S and R-S intervals are varied throughout an experiment.
B) There is no explicit CS in free-operant procedures.
C) With extensive training, subjects distribute their responses towards the end of the R-S interval.
D) S-S and R-S intervals are typically quite predictable.

Question 29

In a flooding procedure,the subject is

A) exposed to the US but unable to make the UR.
B) exposed to the UR but unable to make the avoidance response.
C) exposed to the CS but unable to make the avoidance response.
D) exposed to the US without exposure to the CS.

Question 30

Two rats are placed in a free-operant avoidance situation.For rat #1,the S-S interval is 2 seconds.For rat #2,the S-S interval is 5 seconds.What will likely be the relative rates of learning the avoidance response?

A) Rat #1 will learn more quickly than rat #2.
B) Rat #2 will learn more quickly than rat #1.
C) The rats will learn the response at the same rate.
D) Neither rat will learn the response.

Question 31

Which theory suggests that the stimuli accompanying avoidance responses provide positive reinforcement for avoidance behavior?

A) the response prevention theory
B) the safety-signal hypothesis
C) the shock-frequency reduction hypothesis
D) the two-process theory of avoidance

Question 32

Which procedure is carried out to determine if an organism can learn to avoid a non-signaled aversive stimulus?

A) free-operant avoidance
B) discriminated avoidance
C) shuttle avoidance
D) two-way avoidance

Question 33

During avoidance training,subjects are also given periodic conditioned suppression tests with the shock-avoidance CS.With extended avoidance training,response suppression

A) remains constant.
B) increases.
C) begins to fluctuate around a relatively high asymptote.
D) decreases.

Question 34

With extended avoidance training,fear to the shock-avoidance CS decreases.This has little impact on the continued reinforcement of the avoidance response because

A) response prevention does not result in extinction of avoidance behavior.
B) fear is not necessary for avoidance conditioning.
C) even a small degree of fear reduction is reinforcing.
D) the ability of the CS to elicit response suppression is still strong.

Question 35

The reduction of fear to the shock-avoidance CS that accompanies extended avoidance training

A) is accompanied by a reduction in avoidance responses.
B) has little effect on avoidance responses.
C) reduces the persistence of avoidance responses.
D) results in the flooding of avoidance responses.

Question 36

The challenge a free-operant avoidance behavior presents to the two-process theory of avoidance is that

A) in the free-operant procedure, longer S-S intervals increase learning rates.
B) in the free-operant procedure, there is no clear instrumental response.
C) in the free-operant procedure, there is no means of response prevention.
D) in the free-operant procedure, there is no explicit CS to elicit fear.

Question 37

In a free-operant avoidance procedure,the subject avoids shock by making responses to increase the number of

A) CS-US intervals.
B) CS-CR intervals.
C) R-S intervals.
D) S-S intervals.

Question 38

Timmy is afraid of snakes and runs away whenever he sees one.To cure him of his fear,his older brother places Timmy in a box along with three harmless garter snakes.This treatment is an example of

A) response prevention.
B) systematic desensitization.
C) habituation.
D) conditioned suppression.

Question 39

Suppose you want an organism to learn to make avoidance responses in a free-operant avoidance procedure.To aid in training,you should provide

A) a longer S-S interval and a shorter R-S interval.
B) a longer R-S interval and a shorter S-S interval.
C) short S-S and R-S intervals.
D) long S-S and R-S intervals.

Question 40

According to the two-process theory of avoidance,the _____ becomes conditioned to elicit fear in free-operant avoidance procedures.

A) conditioning context
B) conditioned response
C) unconditional stimulus
D) passage of time

Question 41

Criminal Bob just spent 5 months in jail for robbing a store.Criminal Sally spent 1 week in jail for the same crime.The next time they were caught,each was sentenced to 3 months in jail.This second sentence is most likely to suppress the later criminal behavior of

A) Sally more than Bob.
B) Bob more than Sally.
C) both Sally and Bob equally to a high degree.
D) both Sally and Bob equally poorly.

Question 42

Suppose you want to train a puppy to stop chewing your shoes.Which of the following will result in the greatest response suppression?

A) making a loud noise and taking the shoe away from the puppy at the same time
B) rubbing the puppy's nose in the shoe leather smell
C) startling the puppy with a loud noise, removing the shoe, and giving the puppy a toy to chew on
D) taking away the shoe and giving the puppy a toy to chew on

Question 43

Your cat tried to avoid the new puppy by running away,but the puppy always caught the cat.Now,the cat successfully avoids the puppy by becoming very still every time the puppy is near.Which theory best accounts for the shaping of your cat's behavior?

A) SSDR theory
B) the two-process theory of avoidance
C) the shock-frequency reduction theory
D) the safety-signal hypothesis

Question 44

Which theory rejects the importance of instrumental conditioning in the development of avoidance behavior?

A) the predatory imminence hypothesis
B) the safety-signal hypothesis
C) SSDR theory
D) the shock-frequency reduction theory

Question 45

If you wish to quickly and permanently suppress a behavior through the use of punishment,you should

A) initially use mildly aversive stimuli.
B) initially use aversive stimuli of short duration.
C) initially use strong and longer aversive stimulation.
D) use mild aversive stimulation and progress to stronger stimuli.

Question 46

Which theory assumes positive reinforcement accounts for avoidance behaviors?

A) safety-signal hypothesis
B) SSDR theory
C) two-process theory of avoidance
D) predatory imminence theory

Question 47

Which theory suggests that punishment causes response suppression because a subject learns to engage in behaviors incompatible with the target response?

A) SSDR theory
B) the conditioned emotional response theory of punishment
C) the avoidance theory of punishment
D) the negative law of effect

Question 48

According to the safety-signal hypothesis,_____ serve as conditioned inhibitors of fear.

A) temporal cues of the S-S interval
B) response associated feedback cues
C) CS associated feedback cues
D) US associated feedback cues

Question 49

Which theory suggests that the nature of the avoidance response is shaped by punishment?

A) the two-process theory of avoidance
B) SSDR theory
C) the safety-signal hypothesis
D) shock-frequency reduction theory

Question 50

In a time out procedure,behavior modification is achieved by

A) the careful administration of a mildly aversive stimulus.
B) reducing contact with appetitive stimuli.
C) the administration of a relatively strong aversive stimulus.
D) reducing contact with an annoying stimulus.

Question 51

Your friend tells you that she studies to avoid getting bad grades.Her explanation of the behavior is most like

A) the safety-signal hypothesis.
B) SSDR theory.
C) shock-frequency reduction theory.
D) the two-process theory of avoidance.

Question 52

Keith's father is pleased to note that Keith no longer spends his afternoons breaking windows.According to his father,this change in behavior is due to Keith's fear of punishment,but Keith says that he no longer breaks windows because he likes working on cars and no longer has time to find windows to break.Keith's attitude reflects the assumptions of

A) the conditioned emotional response theory of punishment.
B) the avoidance theory of punishment.
C) the predatory imminence hypothesis.
D) the negative law of effect.

Question 53

Which theory can best account for the finding that certain responses are more easily conditioned in avoidance training procedures?

A) the two-process theory of avoidance
B) the safety-signal hypothesis
C) SSDR theory
D) shock-frequency reduction theory

Question 54

More response suppression will be achieved if the shock that is administered in a punishment situation is

A) response noncontingent, harsh, and of long duration.
B) response contingent, mild, and of short duration.
C) response noncontingent, mild, and of short duration.
D) response contingent, harsh, and of long duration.

Question 55

Which theory views the avoidance of shock as critical to the reinforcement of avoidance behavior?

A) the safety-signal hypothesis
B) SSDR theory
C) the two-process theory of avoidance
D) shock-frequency reduction theory

Question 56

According to the conditioned emotional response theory of punishment,punishment results in response suppression because

A) subjects learn to engage in behaviors incompatible with the target response.
B) subjects make avoidance responses that compete with the target response.
C) punishment weakens the association between the eliciting stimulus and the target response.
D) pre-response cues elicit fear reactions that are incompatible with the target response.

Question 57

Which theory assumes that the selection among possible defensive avoidance responses is greatly influenced by different levels of perceived danger?

A) SSDR theory
B) the safety-signal hypothesis
C) the predatory imminence hypothesis
D) the shock-frequency reduction theory

Question 58

An aversive stimulus is administered following a response in the presence of a tone.When the tone is not present,the same response does not bring about the aversive stimulus.This procedure is called

A) overcorrection.
B) discriminated punishment.
C) self-punitive behavior.
D) response-independent stimulation.

Question 59

Which is true of the assumptions of both SSDR theory and the predatory imminence hypothesis?

A) Selection of avoidance responses is through punishment of early ineffective responses.
B) Selection of avoidance responses is due to different levels of perceived danger.
C) A distinction is made between defensive and recuperative responses.
D) Defensive behaviors initially occur as unconditional responses.

Question 60

One problem with using punishment to alter behavior is that parents will often pay less attention to a child when it is reading quietly than when he or she is engaging in a behavior that is unacceptable.When this happens,

A) punishment may become a signal for positive reinforcement.
B) a discriminated punishment procedure is being used.
C) an overcorrection procedure is being used.
D) punishment is ineffective because of the lack of an alternative response.

Question 61

What is the fundamental problem in the analysis of avoidance behavior,and how is this problem resolved by two-process theory?

Question 62

What are species specific defense reactions and why is it important to consider them in avoidance and punishment situations?

Question 63

Compare discriminated avoidance to free-operant avoidance procedures.

Question 64

Compare the conditioned emotional response theory of punishment to the avoidance theory of punishment.Provide evidence of support for each theory.

Question 65

How is the nature of an animal's avoidance response determined according to the species-specific defense reaction hypothesis?

Question 66

Your new client has a fear of exams and to avoid them has been skipping class altogether.What can you do to eliminate this disruptive avoidance behavior?

Question 67

In what ways is punishment similar to positive reinforcement; in what ways is it different?

Question 68

Describe factors that enhance the effectiveness of punishment in suppressing behavior.

Question 69

How can the concept of a safety signal be used to explain free-operant avoidance learning?

Question 70

Your friend has decided to use punishment as a means of training her new puppy.What are three things she must do to ensure that the aversive stimuli she administers will quickly alter the pup's behavior?

Question 71

Compare the safety-signal hypothesis to the two-process theory of avoidance.

Question 72

What is the difference between active and passive avoidance? Provide an example
of each.

Question 73

The problem with using punishment outside the laboratory to modify behavior is that

A) punishment is usually introduced at low intensities.
B) the chances of "getting caught" are usually low.
C) often a discriminated punishment procedure is used.
D) All of the answers are correct.

Question 74

Compare and contrast discriminated and free-operant avoidance procedures.

Question 75

Compare avoidance and escape trials.Provide an example of each from common human experience.

Question 76

Explain how the two-process theory of avoidance accounts for the behavior that develops in avoidance training.

Question 77

According to Premack,shock punishes lever pressing behaviors because

A) undergoing shock is a higher-valued activity than lever pressing.
B) lever pressing is a higher-valued activity than undergoing shock.
C) lever pressing and undergoing shock are equally probable behaviors.
D) None of the answers are correct.