Deck 8: Edwin Ray Guthrie

Question 1

Guthrie's theory of learning differed from Thorndike's in that:

A)Guthrie minimized associative shifting
B)Guthrie emphasized trial and error with reinforcement
C)Guthrie's was a stimulus-response psychology
D)Guthrie did not accept Thorndike's Law of Effect

Answer 1

Guthrie did not accept Thorndike's Law of Effect

Question 2

The essence of Guthrie's theory is:

A)responses are learned in one trial when there is contiguity between stimulus and response
B)the number of pairings of stimulus and response determines learning
C)trial and error learning
D)all of the above

Answer 2

responses are learned in one trial when there is contiguity between stimulus and response

Question 3

"The last thing done in the presence of a stimulus combination will be that which will be done when the stimulus combination next occurs" was Guthrie's:

A)principle of polarity
B)recency principle
C)principle of generalization
D)principle of response by analogy

Answer 3

recency principle

Question 4

Guthrie's position on practice was that it:

A)proved learning was a gradual process
B)had no effect on the learning of a skill
C)associated cues with movements causing proficiency
D)violated his learning postulate

Question 5

Which of the following was Guthrie's position on reinforcement?

A)behavior is strengthened by reinforcement
B)nothing new is added to associative learning by reinforcement except a mechanical arrangement
C)reinforcement helps the organism associate more closely with the stimuli acting just prior to the reinforcer
D)reinforcement removes the animal and thus prevents learning

Question 6

For Guthrie, reinforcement caused:

A)faster learning
B)stronger responses
C)preservation from unlearning
D)stimulus-response behavior

Question 7

Guthrie's theory claims that:

A)nothing should ever be forgotten
B)the larger the reinforcer the more rapid the learning
C)any change in stimulating conditions would be just as effective as reinforcement
D)all of the above

Question 8

Which of the following was Guthrie's position on forgetting?

A)only instrumental learning can be forgotten
B)the original law of disuse explains all forgetting
C)learning is permanent unless interfered with by new learning
D)Guthrie never stated a position in regard to forgetting

Question 9

Guthrie would say that the cigarette habit is difficult to break because:

A)people like to smoke
B)the true reasons for smoking are unconscious
C)it is associated with so many cues
D)all people are slightly masochistic

Question 10

Guthrie would probably advise the person who has developed many bad habits in a given environment to:

A)go to a therapist
B)go somewhere else
C)try to understand the habits
D)go to a clergyman for help

Question 11

According to Guthrie, the effectiveness of punishment is determined by:

A)what it causes an organism to do and when it causes it to do it
B)emotional factors
C)how much pain is involved
D)whether the organism understands the relationship between behavior and punishment

Question 12

Responses that are conditioned to maintaining stimuli are called:

A)motives
B)intentions
C)drives
D)emotions

Question 13

Guthrie's position on transfer was:

A)it happens in new situations because of similarity to an old situation
B)energy in the brain spills over into neighboring areas and generalizes
C)transfer occurs continuously
D)all of the above

Question 14

Guthrie would advise a student to

A)take a "diversity break" before an exam
B)sidetrack the exam habit
C)use the threshold method for studying
D)study in the room where the exam will occur

Question 15

For the most part, Guthrie believed that motivation

A)was unimportant
B)had to exist for learning to occur
C)resulted from learning
D)preceded new learning

Question 16

Which of the following best summarizes Guthrie's theory of learning?

A)reinforcement and punishment
B)classical conditioning and introspection
C)contiguity and one trial learning
D)trial and error learning and associative shifting

Question 17

According to Guthrie, when a stimulus and a response are first paired the association between the two:

A)becomes slightly stronger
B)is about the same as it was before the pairing
C)lasts forever
D)is completely learned and cannot be improved upon

Question 18

Guthrie's explanation of chaining emphasizes:

A)external stimulation
B)internal stimulation
C)internal and external stimulation
D)thinking

Question 19

Which of the following is correctly arranged from most complex to least complex?

A)skills, acts, movements
B)acts, movements, skills
C)movements, skills, acts
D)movements, acts, skills

Question 20

Practice is necessary and does improve performance because:

A)it expands mental ability
B)it brings about the attachment of cues to correct movements
C)nothing is learned in one trial
D)through practice one gains insight

Question 21

Guthrie looked upon "reinforcement" as:

A)important because it is a part of the motivational state that causes learning
B)that which reinforces learning
C)providing anticipatory responses that cause learning
D)preventing unlearning by removing the organism from stimuli just prior to the reinforcer

Question 22

According to Guthrie, forgetting:

A)is a gradual process
B)does not occur
C)occurs in one trial
D)is due to nonreinforcement

Question 23

According to Guthrie all forgetting comes about because of:

A)removal of reinforcement
B)retroactive inhibition
C)time
D)all of the above

Question 24

A student has forgotten the answer to a test question.According to Guthrie:

A)lack of repetition has eliminated the answer from the student's mind
B)a new pattern of response has been learned and is interfering with the correct response
C)this indicates that the student never really learned the correct response
D)the student's competence is questionable

Question 25

Guthrie believed that in order to break a habit one must merely:

A)punish the undesirable response
B)encourage and reinforce desired responses
C)cause other movements to occur in the presence of the cues to the habit
D)1 and 2 above

Question 26

A child who enjoys lighting matches is forced to light matches to the point where it is no longer enjoyable.This technique is:

A)threshold
B)fatigue
C)incompatible response
D)punishment

Question 27

According to Guthrie, if you want to learn how to fill out tax forms you should:

A)fill out tax forms
B)study mathematics
C)study any difficult topic and you will be better able to perform on any number of difficult tasks
D)all of the above

Question 28

According to Guthrie, students learn:

A)what is in a book or lecture
B)what a book or lecture causes them to do
C)only that material that supports
D)only that which is challenging