Deck 7: And Adaptation: the Role of Experience

Question 1

This form of has strong adaptive significance because if we responded continuously to every stimulus in the environment,we would quickly become fatigued and overwhelmed.This form of is called:

A) habituation
B) one-trial learning
C) extinction
D) negative reinforcement

Answer 1

habituation

Question 2

You have just settled down to begin studying for your exam in this course when your roommate decides to turn on some music.At first,the music distracts you from your studying,but after a short time,the music no longer bothers you even though it continues to play.This example most clearly demonstrates the process of:

A) extinction.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) classical conditioning.
D) habituation.

Answer 2

habituation.

Question 3

With repeated presentation of a loud tone,the startle response increases in intensity.This is an example of:

A) habitation
B) reinforcement
C) sensitization
D) classical conditioning

Answer 3

sensitization

Question 4

The term "personal adaptation" is concerned with how:

A) the laws of learning and the environment shape the behaviour of organisms.
B) learning directly modifies the genes of a species.
C) adaptive significance affects species adaptation.
D) evolutionary factors operate through the environment to shape the biology of a species.

Question 5

A process in which the organism learns to associate two stimuli such that a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response is called:

A) operant conditioning
B) modeling
C) classical conditioning
D) shaping

Question 6

The notion of tabula rasa,or blank tablet upon which experiences were ascribed,is most closely associated with which of the following schools of psychology?

A) ethology
B) cognitive perspective
C) behaviourism
D) constructivism

Question 7

A decreasing response to a repeated stimulus is called ____________.

A) extinction
B) latent learning
C) habituation
D) shaping

Question 8

NOT to respond to uneventful,familiar stimuli so that the organism can conserve energy and attend to more important stimuli is an example of:

A) a fixed action pattern.
B) generalization.
C) habituation.
D) operant generalization.

Question 9

Psychologists who focus on how organisms learn and assume that there are general laws of that apply to virtually all organisms are called __________________.

A) ethologists
B) behaviourists
C) neurobiologists
D) cognitivists

Question 10

The role of ________________ is to conserve energy so that an organism can attend to other more important stimuli,whereas _________________ helps increase the responsiveness of an organism to potentially dangerous stimuli.

A) habituation;sensitization
B) sensitization;habituation
C) extinction;latent learning
D) latent learning;extinction

Question 11

Habituation has strong adaptive significance because it allows organisms to learn not to respond to _____________ stimuli.

A) changing
B) uneventful and familiar
C) novel
D) discriminative

Question 12

A picture fell off the wall startling James quite a bit,making him jump.His roommate comes home a couple minutes later and his shutting the door makes James jump again though it doesn't typically.The reason he jumps the second time is that the falling picture ______ to loud noises.

A) made him vulnerable
B) habituated him
C) sensitized him
D) made him more aware

Question 13

Ahmen adopts a dog from the local animal shelter.When Ahmen's mother comes home that day,she runs to the dog to pet her,but the dog cowers and puts her tail between her legs.The dog continues to exhibit this response whenever Ahmen's mother approaches her.Eventually,after several weeks,the dog cowers less until finally,Ahmen's mother is able to pet the dog.What the dog has learned is that Ahmen's mother will not harm her;therefore,her response decreases with time.This is an example of:

A) latent learning
B) extinction
C) tabula rasa
D) habituation

Question 14

Which of the following provides the best definition of habituation?

A) Habituation is a continuous response to a discriminative stimulus.
B) Habituation is a decrease in the strength of response to a repeated stimulus.
C) Habituation is an increase in the strength of response to a changing stimulus.
D) Habituation is an extinction of response to an increasing stimulus.

Question 15

An increase in the strength of a response to a repeated stimulus is known as:

A) habituation
B) reinforcement
C) sensitization
D) classical conditioning

Question 16

Five-year-old Anais has foolishly covered her arms in masking tape.As her mother starts to remove the tape,little Anais cries harder and harder as the removal of tape becomes more and more painful over time.This would be an example of _______.

A) habituation
B) latent learning
C) operant conditioning
D) sensitization

Question 17

In a research study,a dog learned to salivate in response to a tone presented alone.In this case,the salivation would technically be considered a(n):

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

Question 18

Which perspective in psychology assumes that the laws of apply to virtually all organisms,and therefore studies in animals such as rats and pigeons to learn more about humans?

A) psychoanalytic
B) cognitive
C) humanist
D) behaviourist

Question 19

While writing your exam,the person next to you keeps tapping their pencil.At first you find it quite distracting but after a while you stop noticing it.This is an example of ______.

A) habituation
B) extinction
C) sensitization
D) latent learning

Question 20

Advertisers often develop commercials for alcohol that include young,attractive individuals having a good time so that consumers will learn to associate their product with having a pleasant experience.This would be an example of:

A) sensitization
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) latent learning

Question 21

In a classical conditioning experiment that is utilizing backward pairing,the conditioned stimulus is presented after the __________.

A) conditioned response
B) unconditioned stimulus
C) unconditioned response
D) forward trace pairing

Question 22

You are conducting an experiment in which you are trying to manipulate the immune response of rats by using the principles of classical conditioning.First for several days of an experiment,you give rats artificially sweetened water with an immune system-enhancing drug in it.You later remove the drug and notice that the immune systems of rats are boosted when they consume the sweetened water.In your experiment,what is the conditioned stimulus (CS)?

A) the sweetened water
B) the drug
C) the enhanced immune system functioning in response to the drug
D) the enhanced immune system functioning in response to the sweetened water

Question 23

When the conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus,the conditioned response will gradually weaken in a process called:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) habituation.
C) discrimination.
D) extinction.

Question 24

In classical conditioning experiments, is typically fastest when the unconditioned stimulus is intense and the time interval between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus is ______.

A) very delayed
B) long
C) short
D) no amount of time

Question 25

All of the following are circumstances under which conditioned responses are typically acquired more rapidly EXCEPT:

A) when the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus are paired multiple times.
B) when the UCS is more intense.
C) when the conditioned stimulus is presented after the unconditioned stimulus.
D) when the UCS is aversive.

Question 26

Which type of alerts organisms to stimuli that signal the impending arrival of an important event?

A) sensitization
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) latent learning

Question 27

Pavlov determined that a tone triggered salivation more quickly when the size of the _________ was more intense or greater.

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

Question 28

Pavlov is known as the one who discovered ____________,which has been described as one of the most important discoveries in the history of psychology.

A) sensitization
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) latent learning

Question 29

Shannon is used to eating dinner every night about 7:00 pm,but now that she is away at college she eats earlier because the dining hall is open from 4-6pm every night for dinner.Shannon eats dinner without feeling hungry for several weeks.Then one day while walking to the dining hall,Shannon starts feeling very hungry.Those first several weeks of eating early are considered the _________________ phase of her conditioned response.

A) persistence
B) acquisition
C) shaping
D) extinction

Question 30

You are conducting an experiment in which you are trying to manipulate the immune response of rats by using the principles of classical conditioning.First,for several days of an experiment,you give rats artificially sweetened water with an immune system-enhancing drug in it.You later remove the drug and notice that the immune systems of rats are boosted when they consume the sweetened water.In your experiment,what is the unconditioned response (UCR)?

A) the sweetened water
B) the drug
C) the enhanced immune system functioning in response to the drug
D) the enhanced immune system functioning in response to the sweetened water

Question 31

A researcher in a classical conditioning experiment is attempting to condition a startle response to a green light.To do this,she illuminates the light at the same time that she plays a very loud noise.This experiment is utilizing what is called simultaneous pairing of the:

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

Question 32

Under which of the following conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus pairing conditions does usually occur most quickly?

A) forward trace pairing
B) forward short-delay pairing
C) simultaneous pairing
D) backward pairing

Question 33

Karen's boyfriend gets very excited whenever he smells pizza as he walks by the pizza place where she works because whether Karen is working then or not,he still associates the place with Karen.Which of the following correctly identify the unconditioned stimulus and the conditioned stimulus?

A) unconditioned stimulus = Karen;conditioned stimulus = pizza place
B) unconditioned stimulus = pizza place;conditioned stimulus = Karen
C) unconditioned stimulus = the pizza smell;conditioned stimulus = Karen
D) unconditioned stimulus = Karen;conditioned stimulus = excitement

Question 34

A child probably only needs to burn her hand on a hot stove once to learn to avoid doing this in the future.Psychologists have found that when the ______________ is particularly aversive,only one pairing is needed.

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

Question 35

Usually, through classical conditioning occurs more quickly with:

A) forward trace pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus.
B) simultaneous pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus.
C) forward trace pairing of the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response.
D) simultaneous pairing of the conditioned stimulus and conditioned response.

Question 36

Shannon is absorbed in the latest novel and is surprised when she looks at the clock and sees that it is dinnertime.Normally,Shannon starts feeling hungry about 5:30 pm every night but now it is 6:00 pm and her stomach just started to rumble.On her way to the dining hall,Shannon starts feeling very hungry.In Shannon's case,the unconditioned stimulus is:

A) The walk to the dining hall
B) The time on her clock
C) The novel she was reading
D) The food at the dining hall

Question 37

is typically slowest under which of the following conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus pairings?

A) forward short-delay pairing
B) simultaneous pairing
C) forward trace pairing
D) backward pairing

Question 38

Imagine that you wish to condition a dog to salivate in response to a particular song that you play on your CD player.Prior to beginning the trials,the song would be considered a(n)_________ stimulus.

A) neutral
B) unconditioned
C) conditioned
D) discriminative

Question 39

When Pavlov was conditioning his dogs to salivate in response to a tone,he first paired the tone with the presentation of food until the tone alone could induce salivation.In his experiments,which of the following was considered to be the unconditioned stimulus?

A) salivation in response to the food
B) the food
C) salivation in response to the tone
D) the tone

Question 40

A researcher in a classical conditioning experiment is attempting to condition a startle response to a green light.To do this,she illuminates the light,then it goes off and then she plays a very loud noise.This experiment is utilizing what type of sequence and timing of the CS-UCS pairing?

A) forward short-delay pairing
B) simultaneous pairing
C) forward trace pairing
D) backward pairing

Question 41

A smart political candidate becomes friends with a very popular professional baseball player because she hopes that this will improve her popularity with the voters.This example demonstrates the process of:

A) discrimination.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) backward pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus.
D) higher-order conditioning.

Question 42

Stimulus generalization refers to the process where stimuli that are similar to the initial ______________ also elicit a conditioned response.

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

Question 43

Susan is staying with some friends who have a dog.Each night,when she has turned off the TV and is heading for bed,she gives the dog a treat.Soon the dog gets very excited whenever Susan turns off the TV at night because he has learned what this signal means.When Susan eventually leaves her friends' house,the dog continues to get excited when the owners turn off the TV,but since the owners don't give the dog a treat at this time,the dog's behaviour soon returns to normal.The change in the dog's behaviour after Susan's departure best illustrates the concept of:

A) habituation.
B) response cost.
C) extinction.
D) punishment.

Question 44

If a conditioned stimulus has high stimulus generalization,then it will be triggered by several different stimuli,while if it has high discrimination,it will occur in response to _________.

A) a single stimulus
B) a neutral stimulus
C) several different stimuli
D) a discriminative stimulus

Question 45

A researcher in a classical conditioning experiment first conditions a dog to salivate in response to the presentation of a red circle.After this response has been established,she presents a light immediately before she displays the red circle and after several trials,the light comes to trigger the salivation response.This example best demonstrates the process of:

A) discrimination.
B) stimulus generalization.
C) backward pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus.
D) higher-order conditioning.

Question 46

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920)conducted experiments with an 11-month-old baby named Albert to demonstrate how:

A) a neutral stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an established conditioned stimulus.
B) the principles of classical conditioning can explain,and be used to create phobias.
C) the process of extinction is observable even in infants.
D) the key factor in classical conditioning is the perception of an association between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 47

Stuart is afraid of public speaking,but only when he has to make speeches on the weekend.He is a professor and has no trouble speaking in front of large groups of students,and he has made effective presentations at conferences,as long as he presents on a weekday.The specificity of Stuart's fear mostly clearly demonstrates the process of:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) avoidance conditioning.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) discrimination.

Question 48

During the process of extinction,it is not uncommon for a conditioned response to recur if,after a period of time has passed,the conditioned stimulus is presented again.This is known as:

A) secondary recovery.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) automatic recovery.
D) natural recovery.

Question 49

The process in which a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after being paired with an already established conditioned stimulus is called:

A) latent learning
B) extinction
C) higher-order conditioning
D) shaping

Question 50

In classical conditioning,discrimination refers to how:

A) a conditioned response can be triggered by many different stimuli.
B) a conditioned response is triggered by one stimulus but not by others.
C) a conditioned response can fade when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus.
D) an unconditioned stimulus can become a conditioned stimulus.

Question 51

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920)conducted experiments with an 11-month-old baby named Albert.Knowing that Albert was afraid of loud noises,they conditioned him to fear a white rat by pairing the presentation of the rat with a loud noise.Though he was initially unafraid of the rat,after several trials,he would cry and become fearful when shown the rat.In this instance,the rat represented the:

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

Question 52

Higher-order conditioning occurs when:

A) a conditioned stimulus becomes a neutral stimulus after being paired with an established conditioned stimulus.
B) a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus after being paired with an established conditioned stimulus.
C) a conditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly without the unconditioned stimulus.
D) a neutral response becomes a conditioned response after being paired with an established conditioned response.

Question 53

According to behaviourists the formation of phobias is due to what type of ?

A) sensitization
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) latent learning

Question 54

A smart political candidate becomes friends with a very popular professional baseball player because she hopes that this will improve her popularity with the voters.With regard to classical conditioning principles,the positive emotional reactions already evoked by the professional baseball player would be viewed as a(n):

A) conditioned response.
B) neutral stimulus.
C) unconditioned stimulus.
D) well-established conditioned stimulus.

Question 55

Emily developed a fear of python snakes after an accident.Using the principles of classical conditioning,the accident would be considered the unconditioned stimulus.The fact that Emily was fearful of all snakes and not just python snakes demonstrates _________.

A) backward pairing of the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus
B) higher-order conditioning
C) discrimination
D) stimulus generalization

Question 56

Pavlov observed that when he conditioned dogs to salivate to a particular tone,not only would they salivate to this tone but also to other similar tones.This phenomenon is known as:

A) negative reinforcement.
B) stimulus discrimination.
C) shaping.
D) stimulus generalization.

Question 57

The key factor in determining whether extinction will occur or not is:

A) the passage of time after a conditioned stimulus has been reinforced.
B) whether punishment has been used during the learning trials or not.
C) the use of a conditioned stimulus that lends itself readily to habituation.
D) repeated presentation of the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

Question 58

A child is bitten by a German Shepherd when he is young.When he grows up,the child develops a fear of not just German Shepherds,but of all dogs and he refuses to go near them.The fact that this person now avoids all dogs illustrates the process of:

A) punishment.
B) avoidance learning.
C) stimulus generalization.
D) negative reinforcement.

Question 59

Emily developed a phobia of snakes after a serious accident.According to classical conditioning,snakes would be considered an example of a:

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

Question 60

One difficulty that a therapist might encounter when trying to treat a client with a phobia is _____________,where the fear response to a stimulus that has been extinguished might suddenly reappear if the client encounters the location where the phobia was acquired after a break.

A) secondary recovery.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) automatic recovery.
D) natural recovery.

Question 61

A patient starts chemotherapy and becomes ill each time after he receives it.After a few weeks of treatment,he develops anticipatory nausea at the mere sight of the waiting room at the hospital.In this instance,the unconditioned stimulus would be considered the _______________.

A) chemotherapy
B) waiting room
C) nausea induced by the chemotherapy
D) nausea induced by the waiting room

Question 62

Classical conditioning can also affect our physical health as in the example of allergies.For example if the kitty litter is repeatedly paired with a natural allergen,like cat dander,the kitty litter alone can start to trigger the allergic reaction.In this example,the kitty litter would be the ________________.

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

Question 63

An 11-year-old girl with an overactive immune system that attacks her own body receives a treatment in which cod liver oil is paired with an immune-suppressant drug.After these initial trials,she occasionally receives only cod liver oil (without the drug),yet her body still shows the desired impairment of functioning.According to the principles of classical conditioning,the immune suppressant drug would be considered the:

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

Question 64

A patient starts chemotherapy and becomes ill each time after he receives it.After a few weeks of treatment,he develops anticipatory nausea at the mere sight of the waiting room at the hospital.In this instance,the unconditioned response would be considered the ________________.

A) chemotherapy
B) waiting room
C) nausea induced by the chemotherapy
D) nausea induced by the waiting room

Question 65

A researcher conducted an experiment with rats in which she paired the administration of a drug that boosted the immune system with sweet water.Later,when the drug was removed and the rats continued to receive just the sweet water,the functioning of the rats' immune systems:

A) improved.
B) decreased.
C) showed evidence of stimulus generalization.
D) remained unchanged.

Question 66

Some chemotherapy and radiation therapy patients can become sick minutes or hours before they receive their treatments.In this anticipatory nausea and vomiting response that can occur,initially neutral stimuli,such as needles,the hospital,or the treatment room,become _______ that trigger sickness.

A) conditioned response
B) conditioned stimuli
C) unconditioned responses
D) unconditioned stimuli

Question 67

Edward Thorndike based his "law of effect" on which of the following observations?

A) With trial-and-error,hungry cats will eventually learn to press a lever in order to escape a puzzle box.
B) The immune systems of rats can be improved or impaired by pairing specific drugs with distinct tastes.
C) An 11-month old baby named Albert was conditioned to fear a white rat and other similar-looking animals.
D) Over time,dogs can be trained to salivate in response to a tone.

Question 68

John Watson and Rosalie Rayner (1920)conditioned an 11-month-old baby named Albert to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise.Albert already feared the loud noise.After the conditioning had taken place,the researchers also found that Albert was afraid of furry white and grey objects,such as a rabbit and a Santa Claus mask.The fact that Albert was afraid of these additional items demonstrated that:

A) stimulus generalization had occurred.
B) discrimination had occurred.
C) extinction had occurred.
D) higher-order conditioning had occurred.

Question 69

In aversion therapy,a stimulus that triggers an unwanted behaviour is paired with:

A) a pleasant stimulus.
B) a discriminative stimulus.
C) a noxious stimulus.
D) a conditioned stimulus.

Question 70

A key principle in many therapies that treat phobias and fears is that the phobia or fear is learned and can therefore be:

A) adaptive
B) unlearned
C) counterconditioned
D) habituated

Question 71

Ben nearly drowned as a child and has since developed a deep fear of not only swimming,but all water in general.When Ben seeks help from Dr.Brown,the first thing Dr.Brown does is take Ben to a swimming pool and force him to get into the water.Dr.Brown is using:

A) an in vivo exposure therapy
B) systematic desensitization therapy
C) aversion therapy
D) a cognitive therapy

Question 72

Edward Thorndike proposed that a response that was followed by a satisfying consequence was more likely to occur.This was termed as Thorndike's law of __________.

A) instrumental learning
B) generalization
C) aversive conditioning
D) effect

Question 73

The goal of exposure therapies is to expose a phobic person to the feared stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus,so that the process of ___________ can occur.

A) habituation
B) discrimination
C) generalization
D) extinction

Question 74

A man becomes moderately aroused whenever his wife wears a particular red outfit.In terms of classical conditioning principles,the red outfit represents a(n)___________ that has become a(n)_______.

A) conditioned stimulus;unconditioned stimulus
B) previously neutral stimulus;conditioned stimulus
C) unconditioned stimulus;conditioned stimulus
D) unconditioned response;conditioned response

Question 75

An 11-year-old girl with an overactive immune system that attacks her own body receives a treatment in which cod liver oil is paired with an immune-suppressant drug.After these initial trials,she occasionally receives only cod liver oil (without the drug),yet her body still shows the desired impairment of functioning.According to the principles of classical conditioning,the cod liver oil would be considered the:

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

Question 76

In order to cure himself of smoking,a man regularly places his package of cigarettes next to a particularly disturbing picture of two lungs that are black from a lifetime of smoking.After a week of this,the man can't pick up his cigarettes without thinking of this intense image,and as a result he smokes less.In this example,what type of therapy is the man using to help stop smoking?

A) in vivo exposure
B) systematic desensitization
C) flooding
D) aversion therapy

Question 77

The textbook describes using virtual reality to treat phobias where clients,over a series of trials,receive increasing exposure to their feared stimulus (e.g. ,a spider).This is an example of what type of exposure therapy?

A) in vivo exposure
B) systematic desensitization
C) flooding
D) aversion therapy

Question 78

There was a case of an 11-year-old girl who was suffering from a disease in which her own immune system attacked her body.To treat her,researchers first paired cod liver oil with an immune-suppressant drug.Later,when she only received pure cod liver oil (without the drug),her immune system still showed the intended impairment.In this instance,the conditioned stimulus would be the:

A) immune system impairment triggered by the cod liver oil.
B) immune system impairment triggered by the drug.
C) cod liver oil.
D) immune-suppressant drug.

Question 79

In a study designed to improve immune system functioning of rats,a researcher pairs a drug that strengthens the immune system with sweet water.After several trials,the drug is removed,but when the rats consume only the sweetened water,their immune system functioning improves.This example demonstrates a potentially important application of:

A) the use of negative reinforcement.
B) the principles of classical conditioning.
C) the principles of operant conditioning.
D) evidence of stimulus generalization.

Question 80

In order to cure himself of smoking,a man regularly places his package of cigarettes next to a particularly disturbing picture of two lungs that are black from a lifetime of smoking.After a week of this,the man can't pick up his cigarettes without thinking of this intense image,and as a result he smokes less.In this example,since the picture naturally inspires negative feelings for the man,the picture would be considered a(n):

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