Deck 7: Avoidance and Punishment

Question 1

A disadvantage of using punishment is that

A)the subject may exhibit aggressive behavior in response to the punishment
B)the subject may try to escape from the situation
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Answer 1

C

Question 2

It may be difficult to reduce a behavior with punishment if

A)the punishment is delayed
B)the behavior is highly motivated
C)the intensity of the punishment is gradually increased
D)all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

After training an avoidance response,response blocking can

A)lead to aggression
B)help to produce extinction of the avoidance response
C)produce an increase in avoidance responses
D)lead to increased fear of the CS

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Taking an aspirin every day to reduce one's chances of a heart attack is an example of a behavior controlled by

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

Question 5

Suppose an animal first receives tone-shock pairings in one chamber,and then learns to jump over a barrier to escape a shock in a shuttle box.If the tone is now presented in the shuttle box,the likely result is

A)an increase in the rate at which the dog jumps over the barrier
B)a decrease in the rate at which the dog jumps over the barrier
C)no change in the rate of jumping
D)conditioned suppression

Question 6

To obtain the maximum reduction in a behavior,the most effective schedule of punishment is

A)continuous punishment
B)fixed-ratio punishment
C)variable-ratio punishment
D)fixed-interval punishment

Question 7

When flooding is used as behavior therapy,it is important to

A)make sure that a session continues until the patient's fear decreases
B)keep each session short
C)keep the patient relaxed throughout the treatment
D)keep the patient uninformed about what will occur during treatment

Question 8

According to the one-factor theory of avoidance,

A)fear is essential for avoidance learning
B)an external CS that predicts the arrival of an aversive event is essential for avoidance learning
C)avoidance of an aversive event can itself serve as a reinforcer
D)avoidance responding should never extinguish

Question 9

Learned helplessness has been observed in

A)dogs
B)cockroaches
C)the spinal cord
D)all of the above

Question 10

Various experiments have shown that avoidance responding

A)will not be acquired unless there is an external CS
B)will be acquired without an external CS if the passage of time is a reliable signal for shock
C)will not be acquired if the only effect of a response is to reduce the rate of shocks
D)none of the above

Question 11

Removing a pleasant stimulus after a behavior occurs is called

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

Question 12

According to Bolles's theory of species-specific defense reactions,shock-avoidance learning in a rat would probably be slowest if the required response were

A)jumping out of the chamber
B)pressing a lever
C)running in a wheel
D)standing still

Question 13

A disadvantage of using punishment is that

A)one must continually monitor the subject's behavior
B)a return of the punished behavior is inevitable once the punishment contingency is removed
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 14

According to the cognitive theory of avoidance,a subject learns to expect

A)that no shock will occur if a response is made
B)that shock will occur if no response is made
C)both a and b
D)neither a nor b

Question 15

Learned helplessness is likely to develop if

A)controllable shocks are preceded by uncontrollable shocks
B)uncontrollable shocks are preceded by controllable shocks
C)either a or b
D)neither a nor b

Question 16

According to two-factor theory,in a shuttle-box shock-avoidance procedure,an avoidance response is reinforced by

A)the termination of the shock
B)the omission of the shock
C)the termination of the CS
D)the omission of the CS

Question 17

According to two-factor theory,the procedure of response blocking or flooding

A)works because the subject's expectations about the consequences of failing to respond are changed
B)works because the fear-eliciting properties of the CS are extinguished
C)works because flooding produces a drastic stimulus change
D)should not work

Question 18

According to Bolles,typical laboratory experiments on avoidance are not representative of avoidance in the natural environment because

A)shock is not usually encountered in the natural environment
B)avoidance in the natural environment does not require many learning trials
C)there are many more discriminative stimuli to examine in the natural environment
D)all of the above

Question 19

As animals become experienced in an avoidance task,

A)visible signs of fear increase
B)visible signs of fear decrease
C)there are visible signs of fear before the avoidance response is made,but not after
D)there are visible signs of fear after the avoidance response is made,but not before

Question 20

The effects of punishment are

A)temporary
B)no greater than those of response-independent shocks
C)dependent on the immediacy of the punishment
D)greatest when the subject has no alternative behaviors available

Question 21

In a token system,if a person loses points for using bad language,this is an example of

A)differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
B)overcorrection
C)response cost
D)a technique that does not work

Question 22

If a teacher believes that a child is constantly being disruptive in a classroom because it allows him to avoid doing his assignment,the best behavior decelerator to use is probably

A)time-out
B)escape extinction
C)stimulus satiation
D)response blocking

Question 23

If an inappropriate behavior appears to occur because it is reinforced by attention from others,the best behavior decelerator to use is probably

A)extinction
B)flooding
C)stimulus satiation
D)negative reinforcement

Question 24

Reinforcing normal speech while ignoring psychotic speech is an example of

A)differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
B)differential reinforcement of low rates
C)noncontingent reinforcement
D)response cost

Question 25

To treat a woman in a psychiatric hospital who hoarded towels,the nurses gave the woman a large number of towels.This is an example of

A)extinction
B)stimulus satiation
C)overcorrection
D)response prevention

Question 26

A young boy disobeys his parents by coming home late.An example of the use of negative punishment would be to

A)pay no attention to the transgression
B)require the child to dry the dishes
C)give the child no allowance for that week
D)none of the above