Question 1

Holly was dancing with her new boyfriend. When the band started playing "Fever" her boyfriend gave her a long, passionate kiss. Now, when Holly hears "Fever," she becomes a little flushed. What is the conditioned stimulus, in this example?

Accepted Answer

A) the flushing she experiences when she hears the song 
B) the enjoyment she experienced after the kiss from her boyfriend 
C) the song "Fever" 
D) the long, passionate kiss

Question 2

Which technique is used to teach animals complex tricks, such as teaching pigeons to play ping-pong?

Accepted Answer

A) shaping 
B) programming 
C) continuous reinforcement 
D) respondent conditioning

Question 3

Shaquille is a professional basketball player. He never knows for sure which of his shots will result in a basket, but the more shots he takes, the more baskets he makes. How is Shaquille's shooting reinforced in this example?

Accepted Answer

A) on a variable-ratio schedule 
B) on a fixed-interval schedule 
C) on a variable-interval schedule 
D) on a fixed-ratio schedule

Question 4

When Antonio was sick as a child, his mother would always make him vanilla pudding. To Antonio it seemed like the vanilla pudding made him feel better. Even now, he still gets a good feeling when he starts to prepare some vanilla pudding, but not when he starts to make any other type of pudding. What process does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

A) stimulus generalization 
B) instinctive drift 
C) stimulus discrimination 
D) negative avoidance

Question 5

Angela used to really enjoy diving for her school team, but at their most recent diving practice she hit her head on the diving board during her last dive. Since then she hasn't attended any of the team practices, and she refuses to dive. What is the head injury in this case?

Accepted Answer

A) discriminative stimulus for attending team practices 
B) punishment for diving 
C) unconditioned response to diving 
D) negative reinforcement for diving

Question 6

Which of the following terms is used for the form of classical conditioning that is used by advertising campaigns to alter the preferences or attitudes of consumers?

Accepted Answer

A) evaluative conditioning 
B) persuasive conditioning 
C) manipulative conditioning 
D) preferential conditioning

Question 7

Jerome is training to be a vacuum cleaner sales person. Initially, he got paid for each customer he called on, even if the customer did not ask for a demonstration. Currently, he gets paid for only actually demonstrating the product. Eventually, he will get paid only for actually closing a sale. What process is illustrated in this example?

Accepted Answer

A) classical conditioning 
B) modelling 
C) negative reinforcement 
D) shaping

Question 8

What change occurs as a result of operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

How are new conditioned responses created in higher-order conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A) They are built on the foundation of innate unconditioned responses. 
B) They are conditioned by repeatedly pairing them with discriminative stimuli. 
C) They are facilitated by sensory adaptation. 
D) They are built on the foundation of previously established conditioned responses.

Question 10

You have conditioned a dog to salivate in response to a flashing green light. What would you expect to happen if you continue to pair the green light with food, but periodically present a white light that is NOT followed by food?

Accepted Answer

A) stimulus discrimination 
B) extinction 
C) stimulus generalization 
D) response attenuation

Question 11

Which of the following is opposed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, because of evidence linking it to long-term negative outcomes for children?

Accepted Answer

A) spanking 
B) violent movies and television programming 
C) time-out procedures 
D) playing video games

Question 12

Which of the following issues is emphasized by research into signal relations, response-outcome relations, and observational learning?

Accepted Answer

A) the limitations of using basic conditioning procedures in everyday situations 
B) the distinction between acquisition of behaviour and the performance of behaviour 
C) the role of cognitive processes in learning 
D) the importance of evolutionary adaptations in learning

Question 13

What is the term for learning that takes place by watching another person?

Accepted Answer

A) operant conditioning 
B) classical conditioning 
C) observational learning 
D) noncontingent learning

Question 14

Nate is watching the cumulative recorder that is connected to a box where a rat is pressing a lever to receive food reinforcement. The slope of the line is becoming flatter and flatter over time. What can Nate conclude about the rat's response rate, based on this output?

Accepted Answer

A) It is decreasing over time. 
B) It is increasing over time. 
C) It is caused by inadequate stimulus generalization. 
D) It will soon show spontaneous recovery.

Question 15

What does the phenomenon of spontaneous recovery suggest?

Accepted Answer

A) When a conditioned response is extinguished, higher-order responses replace the original response. 
B) Classical conditioning can be used only to condition biologically meaningful responses. 
C) Once a conditioned response has been extinguished, a person will also stop responding to other stimuli that are similar. 
D) Even if a person is able to extinguish a conditioned response, there is an excellent chance that it will reappear later.

Question 16

Raul's parents make certain they thank Raul every time he clears the dishes from the table without being asked. Sadie's parents try to remember to thank Sadie every time she clears the table without being asked, but about half the time they forget. What should you predict based on principles of operant conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A) Sadie's table clearing will be more context-dependent. 
B) Sadie's table clearing will be more resistant to extinction than Raul's. 
C) Raul will be more efficient at clearing the table. 
D) Raul will be more likely than Sadie to teach his own children to clear the table.

Question 17

Zane has been shocked on six separate occasions while making toast. However, he doesn't seem to have developed a phobia toward toasters. Zane's only phobia is toward snakes, even though a snake has never harmed him. Which concept does this example illustrate?

Accepted Answer

A) negative avoidance 
B) preparedness 
C) signal relations 
D) superstitious responding

Question 18

April wants to teach her cat not to claw at the arms of her couch. Which of the following methods will be most successful?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

Summer is teaching herself to type using a computer software package. The first time she used the program, the sentences she was supposed to type scrolled very slowly across the computer screen and when she finished the computer played a clapping sound. However, now she has to type the material faster than her previous "best time" before the computer plays the clapping sound. Which of the following techniques is incorporated in this software package?

Accepted Answer

A) modelling 
B) negative reinforcement 
C) shaping 
D) classical conditioning

Question 20

Via which of the following processes is learning to ride a bicycle most likely acquired?

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 6: A: Learning