Deck 6: Learning

Question 1

As Natalie, who has extremely long nails, approaches the chalkboard, many of her classmates cover their ears. What represents the conditioned stimulus?

A) Natalie approaching the board
B) Natalie scraping her nails on the board
C) covering one's ears when Natalie scrapes the board
D) covering one's ears as Natalie approaches the board

Answer 1

Natalie approaching the board

Question 2

During the winter months, Alfred receives a static shock each time he touches his car door when exiting his vehicle. Now Alfred flinches right before he touches the door. What represents the conditioned response?

A) the shock
B) car door
C) exiting the car
D) flinching before touching the door

Answer 2

flinching before touching the door

Question 3

Anticipating a scary event whenever eerie music is played in a movie is a function of

A) associative learning.
B) observational learning.
C) cognitive conditioning.
D) stimulus experience.

Answer 3

associative learning.

Question 4

Dr. Meyer is known for his difficult pop quizzes. Immediately before he springs a pop quiz on his students, he typically goes to the classroom door and closes it. Students soon learn to anticipate a pop quiz whenever Dr. Meyer closes the classroom door. Closing the door has become a(n)

A) CS.
B) UCS.
C) UCR.
D) CR.

Question 5

In ________ conditioning, organisms learn the association between two stimuli.

A) classical
B) cognitive
C) instrumental
D) operant

Question 6

You feel fine as you sit down in your usual seat in German class. However, when Dr. Kraus announces that there will be a pop quiz on the 100 most difficult vocabulary words covered in the last few classes, your heart starts pounding and you get a queasy feeling in your stomach. This reaction is most likely a(n)

A) UCS.
B) UCR.
C) CS.
D) CR.

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of an innate UCS-UCR connection?

A) sneezing in response to pepper
B) a temper tantrum
C) raising your hand before asking a question in a classroom setting
D) learning to ride a bike by watching your older brother doing so

Question 8

Pavlov's dog learned to anticipate food whenever he was presented with stimuli associated with food. Pavlov knew that his dog associated specific stimuli with food because the ________ was elicited by the stimuli.

A) UCR
B) UCS
C) CR
D) CS

Question 9

In classical conditioning situations, the ________ connection is innate, while the ________ connection is learned.

A) UCS-CS; UCR-CR
B) UCS-UCR; CS-CR
C) UCR-CR; UCS-CS
D) CS-CR; UCS-UCR

Question 10

Pavlov's dog salivated each time food was presented. Salivation in this situation was the

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

Question 11

In Pavlov's well-known study on classical conditioning, the bell was the ________ before conditioning and the ________ after conditioning had occurred.

A) neutral stimulus; unconditioned stimulus
B) conditioned stimulus; neutral stimulus
C) neutral stimulus; conditioned stimulus
D) neutral stimulus; reinforced stimulus

Question 12

The behavioral approach to learning defines learning in terms of

A) thoughts and feelings.
B) problem-solving.
C) observable associations.
D) cognitive milestones.

Question 13

Pavlov's dog salivated to the sound of a bell because the bell had become

A) associated with food.
B) a CR.
C) a reflex.
D) a reinforcer for food.

Question 14

Which of the following behaviors indicate learning?

A) Sheena dyes her hair green.
B) Brad falls asleep watching TV.
C) Simon whines whenever he wants something.
D) Carrie is naturally athletic.

Question 15

Pavlov's dog automatically salivated to food because food is an innate

A) UCS.
B) CS.
C) UCR.
D) CR.

Question 16

Little Millie covers her ears every time she sees a flash of lightening during a storm. This reaction demonstrates

A) associative learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) habituation.
D) instrumental conditioning.

Question 17

What does the term "reflex" mean in regards to classical conditioning?

A) a learned association
B) an automatic S-R connection
C) a neutral stimulus
D) an imitated behavior

Question 18

Little Julie is watching Dora the Explorer help her mother clean up the kitchen after dinner. After the show, she walks into the kitchen to help her mommy clean up. Little Julie is demonstrating

A) associative learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) observational learning.
D) operant conditioning.

Question 19

Any situation that involves learning

A) requires some relatively permanent change to occur.
B) requires a great deal of effort.
C) involves conscious determination.
D) is relatively automatic.

Question 20

Boris is trying to use classical conditioning to teach his goldfish to come to the top of the tank to eat whenever he turns on the aquarium light. He drops food into the tank and then turns on the light. After several such trials, the fish show no more inclination to come to the top of the tank when the light is turned on than they did on the first trial. What would you suggest that Boris do to improve his training technique?

A) He should turn on the light before he drops the food into the tank.
B) He should intermittently turn the light on and off during feeding time.
C) He should drop something other than food into the tank to alert the fish.
D) He should provide more food than usual during the trials.

Question 21

Studies by Ader and Cohen revealed that classical conditioning can produce

A) immunosuppression.
B) extinction.
C) reinforcement.
D) reconditioning.

Question 22

Being able to predict the occurrence of one stimulus by the presence of another one is called

A) classical conditioning.
B) contingency.
C) discrimination.
D) association.

Question 23

Kenny ate several hotdogs at the baseball game. Several hours later he got very nauseous and spent most of the night being physically sick. We can expect that he will

A) lose his interest in baseball.
B) only watch baseball on TV.
C) be unable to eat a hotdog at the next ball game he attends.
D) All of these.

Question 24

Watson and Raynor conditioned fear in Little Albert using a ________ as a CS.

A) scary mask
B) loud noise
C) white rat
D) rabbit

Question 25

Some children with seizure problems bang their heads against a wall causing themselves serious injury. As a result, a psychologist might administer a brief electric shock to such a child every time she bangs her head on the wall. This would be an example of

A) negative reinforcement.
B) observational learning.
C) generalization.
D) aversive conditioning.

Question 26

In a particular TV add, an attractive model is shown with a red Corvette. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) All cars will now elicit the anticipation of an attractive person.
B) The attractive model will have no effect on viewers.
C) The ad will be more effective in eliciting the anticipation of an attractive person if the person in the ad appears in ads for other car companies.
D) The ad will work best if the Corvette precedes the appearance of the attractive person.

Question 27

Yolanda is afraid of going to the dentist, but not the doctor. She is exhibiting

A) learned helplessness.
B) generalization.
C) discrimination.
D) negative punishment.

Question 28

Wendell always gets anxious prior to taking a math test. In science, his class has just started a section on physics which happens to include many formulas and numbers. When the teacher announces a quiz in science, Wendell begins to feel anxious. What is Wendell demonstrating?

A) contiguity
B) generalization
C) discrimination
D) instinctual fear

Question 29

Ronald, a recovering alcoholic, has not had a drink in seven months. He has stopped visiting all of his regular bars and has lost his craving for alcohol. When his boss invites him out to "his favorite" bar one day after work, Ronald gets an overwhelming desire to have a drink. What is Ronald demonstrating?

A) extinction
B) association
C) observational learning
D) renewal

Question 30

John is taking an agent that causes nausea every time he smokes a cigarette. This is a form of

A) operant conditioning.
B) counterconditioning.
C) aversive conditioning.
D) discrimination.

Question 31

A squirrel eats an acorn, just as it does every day, but this time the acorn makes the squirrel sick. The squirrel then avoids acorns for more than a month. This avoidance behavior is

A) referred to as discrimination learning.
B) explainable through classical conditioning.
C) part of the reconditioning process.
D) an example of instinctive drift.

Question 32

You are surprised to discover that classical conditioning can produce immunosuppression. The original discovery of this phenomenon involved rats, but more recent studies indicate that immunosuppression may also occur in humans. This means that

A) environmental triggers may be able to shut-down our immune systems.
B) biological preparedness may hamper immunosuppression.
C) environmental triggers may be able to circumvent our biological preparedness.
D) All of these.

Question 33

Grayson's dog salivates each time he hears the fridge door open. Grayson decides to try an experiment. He sets up several trials where his dog salivates upon hearing the fridge door open but does not receive any food. As a result, the dog stops salivating when the fridge door is opened. What happened?

A) dog realizes that the bell is not food
B) extinction has occurred
C) contingency loop has been disrupted
D) spontaneous recovery was not triggered

Question 34

Bubba, a very smart German shepherd, has learned that if he barks at the neighbors while they are grilling, they will throw him a treat. However, his owner, Paul, does not want Bubba to eat "people" food. When Paul is in the yard, Bubba never barks at the neighbors. According to operant conditioning principles, Bubba is demonstrating that he can

A) discriminate.
B) generalize.
C) learn to inhibit a response.
D) learn a partial reinforcement schedule.

Question 35

It should take about thirty minutes for the aspirin Manny just took to relieve his headache, but Manny feels better within minutes. This is an example of

A) operant conditioning.
B) aversive conditioning.
C) generalization.
D) the placebo effect.

Question 36

Tyler's grandmother used to receive emails from him every day so she would check her inbox regularly. Since Tyler went off to college, the emails have basically stopped. As a result, she no longer checks her inbox on a daily basis. If this pattern continues, we can expect ________ to occur.

A) classical conditioning
B) contiguity
C) renewal
D) extinction

Question 37

Jennifer was stung by a bee several days ago. Now she cries out whenever any flying insect comes too close. Jennifer is demonstrating

A) contiguity.
B) contingency.
C) generalization.
D) discrimination.

Question 38

Watson and Raynor conditioned Little Albert to fear a white rat. In this study, the UCS was

A) the white rat.
B) a loud noise.
C) the researchers.
D) a sealskin coat.

Question 39

After getting food poisoning from the lunch cafeteria, Rodney now gets nauseous when he walks by and smells the food. What was the unconditioned stimulus in this scenario?

A) smell of the food
B) bad food
C) getting sick from the food
D) getting nauseous from the smells

Question 40

Marcia was romantically involved with John. Unfortunately, Marcia eventually discovered that John was being a complete jerk, so she ended the relationship. One day in the mall, she suddenly gets a whiff of the cologne that John always wore. All the former good feelings come pouring back. This is an example of

A) reconditioning.
B) spontaneous recovery.
C) discrimination learning.
D) unconditioned response.

Question 41

Melvin is a new fifth grade teacher. Unfortunately, many of his new students have a history of failing to complete their assignments. He wants to encourage his students to complete all of their assignments and to do well on them. From a behavioral perspective, Melvin should

A) negatively reinforce the low achievers when they fail to complete their assignments.
B) reinforce gradual approximations to the desired goal of completing 100% of the assignments.
C) punish all the students if some do not complete their work.
D) leave it to the students' parents to take care of this problem.

Question 42

The girl Jeremy has a crush on just walked into the movie store where he works. Which of his neurotransmitters is most activated?

A) serotonin
B) dopamine
C) acetylcholine
D) norepinephrine

Question 43

Skinner maintained that his research with pigeons demonstrated the usefulness of operant conditioning techniques for

A) establishing new CS control.
B) behavioral control.
C) establishing new CR control.
D) reducing the frequencies of the UCS.

Question 44

Kevin used to cry, whine, throw temper tantrums, and eventually start screaming in the department store whenever he wanted a toy. His mother would resist initially but when he would start screaming she would give in. Eventually, Kevin started with the screaming to get his toy. Kevin is demonstrating

A) classical conditioning.
B) habituation.
C) the Premack principle.
D) the Law of Effect.

Question 45

One of your sorority sisters is in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend physically abuses her and this has lead to several hospital visits. In talking with her, you discover that she also was abused by her father as a child. You now begin to understand why she puts up with an abusive boyfriend. This is a classic example of

A) learned helplessness.
B) imposed assault.
C) victimization.
D) sociocultural differences in learning.

Question 46

David earns one thousand dollars every time his sales reach one hundred thousand dollars. For David, the bonus is an example of ________ reinforcement.

A) associative
B) learned
C) positive
D) renewal

Question 47

Cecil turns off all the lights in his house to avoid a huge electric bill. Cecil's behavior is an example of

A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) generalization.
D) discrimination.

Question 48

Gary takes his car to the auto shop for routine maintenance every 3,000 miles. He is trying to avoid a major repair bill in the future. His behavior demonstrates

A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) avoidant punishment.
D) removal punishment

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

A) waking up just before the alarm clock goes off in order to avoid the obnoxious alarm sound
B) going shopping after getting a "B" on a difficult exam
C) treating yourself to an iTunes gift card after cleaning your room
D) exercising less after running a mini marathon

Question 50

George routinely comes home from work and has multiple alcoholic drinks, but rarely feels their effect. However on rare occasions, George will go to a bar with his friends. On these nights one drink is enough to get George buzzed. What concept best explains this discrepancy?

A) positive reinforcement
B) habituation
C) associative learning
D) generalization

Question 51

Who used puzzle boxes to examine the power of consequences in determining voluntary behavior?

A) Skinner
B) Pavlov
C) Thorndike
D) Bandura

Question 52

Shaping could be used to train a dog to do which of the following behaviors?

A) ring a doorbell
B) beg
C) bring in the paper
D) Both A and C are correct.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT associated with Skinner?

A) Skinner box
B) operant conditioning
C) schedules of reinforcement
D) conditioned stimulus

Question 54

Four-month-old Simon quickly learns that he will be picked up if he cries. From a behaviorist perspective, picking up Simon whenever he cries is a ________ for the baby.

A) positive reinforcer
B) negative reinforcer
C) positive punisher
D) negative punisher

Question 55

Shirley refuses to put her name up for a promotion because she knows she will not get the job anyway. This is an example of

A) learned helplessness.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) punishment.
D) Both A and B are correct.

Question 56

In operant conditioning

A) the consequences of behavior produce change in the probability of the occurrence of the behavior.
B) the consequences of behavior are the CR to environmental stimuli.
C) behavior is controlled by the environment.
D) behavior is a consequence of the CS.

Question 57

If, through experience, you come to the conclusion that all things are beyond your control and therefore you should not even try, you are exhibiting

A) learned helplessness.
B) entity theory.
C) operant conditioning.
D) habituation.

Question 58

Which of the following statements about classical conditioning is accurate?

A) Skinner chose the term "classical" to describe the observed behavior.
B) It is also known as instrumental conditioning.
C) It is a form of respondent behavior.
D) It effectively explains voluntary behavior.

Question 59

Because she once received a speeding ticket, Martha always drives the speed limit, even when there are no highway patrolmen present. Martha is demonstrating

A) associative learning.
B) avoidance learning.
C) negative punishment.
D) positive reinforcement.

Question 60

Some bears kept in captivity allow veterinarians to routinely give them total body checkups. These bears open their mouths for teeth cleaning and present their paws for nail clipping. Your friend wonders how anyone could ever get these dangerous animals to be so cooperative without anesthesia. From your study of psychology, you quickly surmise that the bears have undergone an extensive ________ program.

A) fear extinction
B) discrimination
C) secondary reinforcement
D) shaping

Question 61

Fred's parents are very inconsistent. Most of the time Fred climbs on the furniture without receiving any reprimands, however sometimes he is punished for this behavior. Fred's parents cannot understand why he is not a better behaved child. Fred's parents are reinforcing his negative behaviors on a ________ schedule.

A) fixed ratio
B) fixed interval
C) partial reinforcement
D) continuous reinforcement

Question 62

Kim is surprised and frustrated to find that her son's misbehavior actually increases when she yells at him. In operant terms

A) Kim should temporarily use corporal punishment as scolding is not working.
B) yelling is serving to reinforce the misbehaviors instead of punishing them.
C) yelling is serving as a positive punisher instead of a negative punisher.
D) Both A and B are correct.

Question 63

Which of the following is an example of positive punishment?

A) time-out
B) getting grounded
C) getting scolded
D) None of these.

Question 64

Money is an example of a(n) _______ because it is a secondary reinforcer that can be exchanged for a primary reinforcer.

A) discriminator
B) ratio
C) token
D) interval

Question 65

Little Henry knows that when he goes shopping with Mommy and throws a tantrum, he never gets a treat. However, he also knows that if he throws a tantrum when his Dad takes him, his Dad always gives in. Little Henry is demonstrating

A) generalization.
B) renewal.
C) discrimination.
D) habituation.

Question 66

A reinforcer that is innately satisfying and does not require any learning to be perceived of as pleasurable is referred to as a(n) ________ reinforcer.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) conditioned
D) unconditioned

Question 67

A ________ would be LEAST interested in a primary reinforcer.

A) gorilla
B) dog
C) fish
D) human

Question 68

Which of the following is a primary reinforcer?

A) a gold star
B) candy
C) a new toy
D) money

Question 69

Mary is a teacher in an inner city school that is considered "at-risk" because of low student achievement scores. She notices that most of the students believe that academic ability or intelligence is a fixed, innate ability. What can Mary expect from students given this mindset?

A) They will not be active in after-school programs.
B) They will eventually come to understand that intelligence is fluid and not fixed.
C) They will exhibit learned helplessness in academically challenging situations.
D) They will be eager to learn.

Question 70

For the past month, Larry has been grounded each time he hits his little brother. Lately, Larry's misbehavior towards his little brother has decreased. Grounding Larry is an example of

A) extinction.
B) negative punishment.
C) classical conditioning.
D) positive reinforcement.

Question 71

Mark's dog, Gus, sits whenever Mark says, "Sit." Mark now wants to teach Gus a new trick. He wants to teach him to bark every time he says, "Speak," but whenever Mark says, "Speak," Gus just sits. The dog's behavior is an example of

A) habituation.
B) generalization.
C) contiguous occurrences.
D) contingent occurrences.

Question 72

Matt wants to train his dog, Buster, to sit on command. He gives Buster a doggie biscuit each time Buster sits when commanded, but only for the first 10 trials. He then changes the rules. Buster now has to sit on command three times before he gets a biscuit. Matt first used a ________ schedule, and then a ________ schedule to train Buster.

A) continuous reinforcement schedule; fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement
B) fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement; continuous reinforcement schedule
C) variable ratio schedule; fixed interval schedule
D) continuous reinforcement schedule; fixed interval schedule

Question 73

Kayla is selling her Girl Scout cookies in the neighborhood. She never knows how many houses she will have to visit before she sells all of her cookies. Kayla is operating on a ________ schedule.

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

Question 74

Little Joseph is afraid of the nurse who gave him a shot. When another nurse walks into the room, he begins crying as well. He is exhibiting

A) negative reinforcement.
B) aversive conditioning.
C) generalization.
D) discrimination.

Question 75

For the past week, Kelley has been scolded each time she teases her little brother. Her mother notices that the frequency of teasing is decreasing. Scolding Kelley is an example of

A) extinction.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) classical conditioning.
D) positive punishment.

Question 76

Most hitchhikers get rides on a ________ schedule of reinforcement.

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

Question 77

A worker is paid $25 for every 20 wind chimes that she builds. On which schedule of reinforcement is she being paid?

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

Question 78

Carol gives her dog, Oscar, a treat each time he sits on command. Carol is using a ________ schedule to train her dog to sit on command.

A) fixed ratio
B) variable ratio
C) fixed interval
D) continuous reinforcement

Question 79

A reinforcer that acquires its positive value through experience is a(n) ________ reinforcer.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) conditioned
D) unconditioned

Question 80

Josh has a crush on the girl at the movie rental store. He knows that she works every Thursday afternoon, so he only visits the store on Thursdays. Josh is operating on a ________ schedule.

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