Question 1

Which of the following goals is specified in an appropriate format for designing a self-modification program?

Accepted Answer

A) decreasing the amount of time spent watching television 
B) decreasing your irritability on a daily basis 
C) increasing your happiness and contentment 
D) increasing your motivation to accomplish a variety of goals

Question 2

Ken 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, Ken's new roommate makes terrible peanut butter cookies, and the smell of them baking is no longer associated with a wonderful taste experience. Consequently, Ken finds that the smell of the cookies no longer makes him drool in anticipation. Which classical conditioning process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 3

What should you present in order to weaken or eliminate a conditioned response?

Accepted Answer

A) extra pairings of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus 
B) the conditioned stimulus alone several times 
C) the unconditioned stimulus alone several times 
D) the unconditioned stimulus before the conditioned stimulus several times

Question 4

In a cumulative record of responses from a Skinner box, what does a steep slope in the line indicate?

Accepted Answer

A) poorly planned reinforcement contingencies 
B) fast responding is taking place 
C) extinction has occurred 
D) difficult responding is taking place

Question 5

Via which learning process is learning to tie one's shoes most likely acquired?

Accepted Answer

A) Pavlovian conditioning 
B) operant conditioning 
C) reflexive conditioning 
D) classical conditioning

Question 6

What is the single best way to ensure a strong conditioned response, according to Rescorla?

Accepted Answer

A) Ensure that the conditional stimulus remains constantly present throughout training. 
B) Present the conditioned stimulus sometimes when the unconditioned stimulus is not present. 
C) Ensure that the conditioned stimulus is the most predictive signal for the unconditioned stimulus. 
D) Ensure that the conditional stimulus is well above the absolute threshold of the animal being trained.

Question 7

Which of the following is necessary for classical conditioning to occur, according to Pavlov?

Accepted Answer

A) having temporal contiguity of stimuli 
B) the use of sign-stimuli to prevent resistance to extinction 
C) a very strong unconditioned stimulus 
D) a very intense conditioned stimulus

Question 8

What happens to successful responses, according to Thorndike's view of learning?

Accepted Answer

A) They are "stamped out" by misuse. 
B) They become associated with conditional responses. 
C) They are "stamped in" by their favourable effects or consequences. 
D) They increase in frequency because they are classically conditioned to be associated with food.

Question 9

Nadja used to really enjoy potato salad, and at a family reunion she ate a large helping. Unfortunately, the potato salad had gone bad, and Nadja 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. What is the sick feeling Nadja experiences when she sees potatoes in the grocery store, in this example?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

Bette creates a television ad that alternates between images of garbage dumps and people drinking in a bar. She is hoping that people who watch the ad will develop negative feelings toward drinking. What principle is Bette is relying on?

Accepted Answer

A) observational learning 
B) positive reinforcement 
C) classical conditioning 
D) negative reinforcement

Question 11

Which of the following statements is consistent with research on the effective use of punishment?

Accepted Answer

A) Punishment should be strong, delayed, and consistent. 
B) Punishment should be consistent, swift, and explained. 
C) Punishment should be mild, consistent, and unpredictable. 
D) Punishment should be swift, strong, and unpredictable.

Question 12

How is escape conditioning maintained?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

You are watching a rat in a Skinner box, and every time a red light comes on the rat presses the lever in the box. However, when a green light comes on the rat never presses the lever. What is the red light for this rat?

Accepted Answer

A) negative reinforcer for bar pressing 
B) unconditioned stimulus for bar pressing 
C) discriminative stimulus for bar pressing 
D) positive reinforcer for bar pressing

Question 14

A woman reports feeling happy whenever she smells hot dogs and campfires because of the association of these smells with her favourite family vacations. What is the combined smell of hot dogs and campfires, in this example?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Organisms often continue to make operant responses, even when those responses are no longer reinforced. What is this persistence called?

Accepted Answer

A) resistance to extinction 
B) stimulus generalization 
C) reconditioning 
D) higher-order conditioning

Question 16

Maxwell runs a lawn care service and he charges his clients based on the square footage of their yard, rather than charging an hourly rate for his services. Under which type of reinforcement schedule is Maxwell working?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

Six-year-old Kristen is afraid of balloons because a balloon once popped in her face while she was holding it. Last week she went to the circus and there was a clown holding a huge assortment of helium balloons. Now she is also afraid of clowns, even though none of the balloons the clown was holding popped. Kristen's fear of clowns illustrates which classical conditioning process?

Accepted Answer

A) instinctive drift 
B) higher-order conditioning 
C) renewal effect 
D) spontaneous recovery

Question 18

In the cumulative record of responses from a Skinner box, what sort of line indicates a rapid, rather than slow, response rate?

Accepted Answer

A) shallow slope 
B) steep slope 
C) upward slope 
D) downward slope

Question 19

Hanna finds that when her kids become too rowdy and noisy, she can successfully block out their noise if she closes the door to her study. What is the behaviour of closing the door in this example?

Accepted Answer

A) unconditioned response 
B) escape response 
C) positive reinforcement 
D) avoidance response

Question 20

What is the difference between punishment and negative reinforcement?

Accepted Answer

A) Punishment weakens undesirable behaviours, while negative reinforcement weakens desirable behaviours. 
B) Punishment strengthens undesirable behaviours, and negative reinforcement weakens undesirable behaviours. 
C) Punishment weakens behaviour, while negative reinforcement strengthens behaviour. 
D) There is no difference between punishment and negative reinforcement in their effects on behaviour.

Exam 6: A: Learning