Deck 5: Learning

Question 1

Rachel has found that when she opens the cupboard door to get the cat food, the cats come running to the kitchen. Rachel knows that this is classical conditioning and that the conditioned stimulus is the ________.

A) cupboard door opening
B) running of the cats
C) cat food
D) cat

Answer 1

cupboard door opening

Question 2

A researcher trains a little boy to fear a rabbit by making a loud, frightening noise every time the boy approaches the rabbit. This type of learning is known as ________.

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) cognitive learning
D) vicarious learning

Answer 2

classical conditioning

Question 3

We associate the name ________ most closely with classical conditioning.

A) E. L. Thorndike
B) Albert Bandura
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Ivan Pavlov

Answer 3

Ivan Pavlov

Question 4

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, salivation to the meat was the ________.

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

Question 5

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, the ringing of the bell was the ________.

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

Question 6

The transfer of a response from one stimulus to another, previously neutral stimulus, is called ________.

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

Question 7

Rachel has found that when she opens the cupboard door to get the cat food, the cats come running to the kitchen. Rachel knows that this is classical conditioning and that the unconditioned stimulus is the ________.

A) cupboard door opening
B) cat food
C) running of the cats
D) cat

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true?

A) In classical conditioning, the learning takes place most quickly if the pairings of the CS and US are separated by a moderate amount of time.
B) In classical conditioning, the learning occurs at about the same pace no matter how far apart the pairings of the CS and US are.
C) In classical conditioning, the learning takes place most quickly if the pairings of the CS and US are separated by a very long time.
D) In classical conditioning, the learning takes place most quickly if the pairings of the CS and US follow each other very rapidly.

Question 9

The use of intermittent pairing ________ the rate of learning while it ________ the final strength of the learned response.

A) reduces; reduces
B) increases; increases
C) increases; reduces
D) reduces; increases

Question 10

A type of learning that involves associating one event with another is called operant or classical ________.

A) learning
B) contingencies
C) insight
D) conditioning

Question 11

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, the meat was the ________.

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

Question 12

The process by which experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behavior or potential behavior is known as ________.

A) learning
B) intelligence formation
C) cognition
D) imprinting

Question 13

A response that takes place in an organism whenever an unconditioned stimulus occurs is a(n) ________.

A) discriminative response
B) conditioned response
C) vicarious response
D) unconditioned response

Question 14

Learning is a process by which experience results in ________.

A) acquisition of motivation
B) delayed genetic behavioral contributions
C) amplification of sensory stimuli
D) relatively permanent behavior change or potential behavior change

Question 15

An originally neutral stimulus that is paired with an unconditioned stimulus and eventually produces the desired response when presented alone is a(n) ________.

A) conditioned stimulus
B) reinforcer
C) antecedent
D) unconditioned stimulus

Question 16

By pairing the ringing of a bell with the presentation of meat, Pavlov trained dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell even when no meat was presented. In this experiment, salivation to the bell was the ________.

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

Question 17

After conditioning, the response an organism produces when only a conditioned stimulus is presented is a(n) ________.

A) conditioned response
B) unconditioned response
C) reflex
D) vicarious response

Question 18

Classical conditioning has been demonstrated ________.

A) in humans and in other animals
B) only in mammals
C) only in dogs
D) in all forms of animals except insects

Question 19

Pairing the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus on only a portion of the learning trials is called ________.

A) partial reinforcement
B) shaping
C) intermittent pairing
D) sporadic pairing

Question 20

"Every morning a train goes by my house at 6:30 when I am just sitting down to breakfast. Lately, however, the train has been coming by at 4:30 and I am having a terrible time getting back to sleep because I'm so hungry." In this example of classical conditioning, the conditioned stimulus is ________ and the conditioned response is ________.

A) eating breakfast; hunger
B) the sound of the train; going back to sleep
C) the sound of the train; hunger
D) hunger; eating breakfast

Question 21

Conditioned taste aversions are found ________.

A) in humans and other animals with a well-developed sense of taste
B) only in nonhuman animals
C) in virtually all animals
D) only in humans

Question 22

The process by which some stimuli, such as snakes, are readily conditioned for fear responses in humans is called ________.

A) the diathesis-stress model
B) a mental set
C) response acquisition
D) preparedness

Question 23

Edward Lee Thorndike was known for his work with ________.

A) a Skinner box
B) a puzzle box
C) monkeys
D) modeling

Question 24

Researchers have discovered that many autoimmune disorders can be successfully controlled without drug treatments through the use of ________ procedures.

A) desensitization
B) operant conditioning
C) vicarious learning
D) classical conditioning

Question 25

Mary Cover Jones first demonstrated that children's fears can be ________.

A) unlearned through classical conditioning
B) unlearned through operant conditioning
C) learned through classical conditioning
D) learned through operant conditioning

Question 26

Conditioned taste aversions are typically learned after ________ pairing(s) between the aversive food and the nauseous reaction to it.

A) a single
B) two to four
C) four to six
D) six to eight

Question 27

An experimenter attempting to classically condition a new behavior in a dog unintentionally presents the CS without the US several times during the conditioning process. She finds that this intermittent pairing ________.

A) increases the rate of learning and the strength of the final learned response
B) has no effect on the rate of learning or the strength of the final learned response
C) increases the rate of learning but decreases the strength of the final learned response
D) reduces the rate of learning and the strength of the final learned response

Question 28

The idea that a behavior will increase or decrease based on the consequences that follow that behavior is crucial to ________.

A) operant conditioning
B) insight learning
C) vicarious learning
D) classical conditioning

Question 29

The person most closely associated with the development of desensitization therapy is ________.

A) John B. Watson
B) Joseph Wolpe
C) B. F. Skinner
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 30

The psychologist most closely associated with the concept of preparedness is ________.

A) Seligman
B) Wolpe
C) Bandura
D) Jones

Question 31

A kind of therapy closely related to classical conditioning that is designed to gradually reduce anxiety about a particular object or situation is known as ________ therapy.

A) psychoanalytic
B) desensitization
C) conditioned
D) response

Question 32

The two researchers most closely associated with operant conditioning are ________.

A) Freud and Perls
B) Skinner and Thorndike
C) Bandura and Ellis
D) Pavlov and Watson

Question 33

In the experiment with Little Albert, the conditioned response was fear of the ________.

A) rat
B) loud noise
C) laboratory
D) experimenter

Question 34

Instrumental conditioning is another term for ________.

A) cognitive restructuring
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) vicarious learning

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT an example of preparedness in conditioning?

A) Birds quickly learn to avoid drinking water that is the same color as water that previously made them ill.
B) Baby ducklings learn to recognize their mother's sight and call as they follow her around, and soon will follow nobody but their mother.
C) A child learns that brushing teeth always results in praise from parents.
D) Rats learn to avoid drinking water with a salty taste that previously made them ill.

Question 36

A child learns that whenever he eats all of his dinner he gets a cookie for dessert. This type of learning is best explained by ________.

A) classical conditioning
B) social learning theory
C) biofeedback theory
D) operant conditioning

Question 37

Emitted, voluntary behavior is BEST modified by ________.

A) trial and error
B) classical conditioning
C) aversive conditioning
D) operant conditioning

Question 38

Kevin is a good student. He studies hard because when he does he gets the teacher's approval. His studying behavior was probably learned through ________.

A) generalization
B) operant conditioning
C) classical conditioning
D) trial and error

Question 39

In the experiment with Little Albert, the unconditioned response was fear of the ________.

A) rat
B) loud noise
C) laboratory
D) experimenter

Question 40

Desensitization therapy is based primarily on the principles of ________.

A) vicarious learning
B) cognitive learning
C) classical conditioning
D) operant conditioning

Question 41

Operant conditioning operates on the principle that behaviors occur more often when they are ________.

A) modeled
B) punished
C) ignored
D) reinforced

Question 42

To teach a tiger to jump through a flaming hoop, the tiger is first reinforced for jumping up on a certain pedestal, then for leaping from that pedestal to another. Next, the tiger has to jump through a hoop between the pedestals to get the reward. Finally, the hoop is set afire and the tiger must jump through it to get the reward. This is an example of ________.

A) secondary learning
B) modeling
C) negative reinforcement
D) shaping

Question 43

Any event whose presence increases the likelihood that an ongoing behavior will recur is a(n) ________.

A) conditioned stimulus
B) unconditioned stimulus
C) positive reinforcer
D) negative reinforcer

Question 44

The 5-year-old child of two very busy parents has been throwing tantrums. Whenever the child gets angry or upset the parents immediately fuss over the child. Nevertheless, the child's tantrums do not diminish. In fact, they seem to occur more often. We may assume that the parents' fussing over this child serves as a(n) ________.

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

Question 45

According to the law of effect, a behavior is most likely to be repeated when it is ________.

A) paired with a neutral stimulus
B) ignored
C) followed by reinforcement
D) preceded by reinforcement

Question 46

When someone uses negative reinforcement to change a behavior, the behavior is likely to ________.

A) occur at the same rate
B) completely stop
C) occur more frequently
D) occur less frequently

Question 47

Positive reinforcement ________ the likelihood that the behavior preceding it will happen again while negative reinforcement ________ the likelihood that the preceding behavior will happen again.

A) decreases; decreases
B) decreases; increases
C) increases; increases
D) increases; decreases

Question 48

Any event whose reduction or termination increases the likelihood that an ongoing behavior will recur is a(n) ________.

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

Question 49

Which of the following steps is the basic principle of self-modification of behavior?

A) Provide yourself with a positive reinforcer that is contingent upon specific improvements in the target behavior.
B) Decide what behavior you want to acquire.
C) Monitor your present behavior.
D) Define the target behavior precisely.

Question 50

Any stimulus that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated is called a ________.

A) higher-order conditioner
B) situational artifact
C) reinforcer
D) cue

Question 51

________ reinforcers result in the learning of new behaviors or the strengthening of existing ones.

A) Positive, but not negative
B) Neither positive nor negative
C) Negative, but not positive
D) Positive and negative

Question 52

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment all serve to increase the occurrence of a given behavior.
B) Positive reinforcement serves to increase the occurrence of a given behavior whereas negative reinforcement and punishment serve to decrease its occurrence.
C) Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement serve to increase the occurrence of a given behavior whereas punishment serves to decrease its occurrence.
D) Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment all serve to decrease the occurrence of a given behavior.

Question 53

Any stimulus that follows a behavior and decreases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated is called a(n) ________.

A) aversive stimulus
B) punisher
C) negative reinforcer
D) antecedent

Question 54

Changing behavior through the reinforcement of successive approximations of a desired response is called ________.

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

Question 55

At the National Zoological Park in Washington, D. C., a polar bear suffered a broken tooth and keepers needed a safe way of treating the problem. The bear was rewarded first for sticking its nose through a slot in the cage door, then for allowing a keeper to lift its lip and touch its teeth. Finally, a veterinarian was able to treat the damaged tooth while the bear waited placidly for its familiar reward. This is an example of ________.

A) negative reinforcement
B) secondary learning
C) desensitization
D) shaping

Question 56

A budding author wishes to improve her typing. Which of the following would be least helpful in a program to help her reach her goal?

A) giving herself reinforcement each time she consistently improves in either speed or accuracy
B) keeping a careful record of her current rates of speed and accuracy
C) punishing herself whenever she fails to achieve the goals she has set for herself
D) deciding on specific improvements she wishes to make in speed and accuracy

Question 57

A box used in operant conditioning of animals, which limits the available responses and thus increases the likelihood that the desired response will occur, is called a ________ box.

A) Skinner
B) Watson
C) trial
D) response

Question 58

In negative reinforcement, the ________ of a(n) ________ stimulus follows a behavior and changes the likelihood of that response reoccurring.

A) termination; aversive
B) termination; pleasant
C) onset; aversive
D) onset; pleasant

Question 59

A "Skinner box" is most likely to be used in research on ________.

A) operant conditioning
B) cognitive learning
C) vicarious learning
D) classical conditioning

Question 60

A child is scolded for using its fingers instead of fork to eat some spaghetti. The scolding stops when the child picks up the fork. Stopping the scolding is an example of ________ reinforcement.

A) negative
B) tertiary
C) secondary
D) positive

Question 61

The basic difference between punishment and reinforcement boils down to a difference between ________.

A) conditioned and unconditioned stimuli
B) presenting and removing stimuli
C) stimuli and responses
D) decreasing and increasing response rates

Question 62

Presenting an aversive stimulus to eliminate undesired behavior is an example of ________.

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

Question 63

An animal is placed in a box with a bar and also a wire floor that can deliver a mild shock. The experimenter first sounds a buzzer, then a few seconds later turns on the shock. Pressing the bar after the buzzer sounds but before the shock is delivered will prevent the shock from occurring. This is an example of ________.

A) avoidance training
B) classical conditioning
C) punishment learning
D) modeling

Question 64

The use of biofeedback to monitor and control brain wave activity is known as ________.

A) neurofeedback
B) neurogenesis
C) homeofeedback
D) retrofeedback

Question 65

Punishment is a(n) ________ controller of behavior.

A) powerful
B) weak
C) sporadic
D) reinforcing

Question 66

Failure to take steps to avoid or escape from an unpleasant or aversive stimulus that occurs as a result of previous exposure to unavoidable painful stimuli is called ________.

A) vicarious learning
B) learned helplessness
C) avoidance learning
D) aversive conditioning

Question 67

Skinner found that if he randomly presented rewards to pigeons in a Skinner box, the pigeons ________.

A) refused to eat the food
B) ceased all movement until the food pellets were randomly presented for a second time
C) developed a series of trial and error behaviors in an attempt to get the reward
D) developed a series of superstitious behaviors

Question 68

Which of the following would be most appropriate for the use of biofeedback procedures?

A) conditioning children who are bullies to be less aggressive
B) conditioning children to be on time for school
C) conditioning executives to reduce their blood pressure
D) conditioning coyotes to stay away from sheep

Question 69

In an experiment, two groups of dogs are given shocks to their feet. One group is able to escape the shocks by jumping over a barrier. The second group is harnessed and cannot escape. After several trials, both groups are put in situations where they can escape. The first group escapes the shocks but the second group just sits and whines, refusing to attempt to escape. The response of the second group is due to ________.

A) response generalization
B) learned helplessness
C) latent learning
D) contingency blocking

Question 70

The person most closely associated with research on learned helplessness is ________.

A) Bandura
B) Wolpe
C) Thorndike
D) Seligman

Question 71

Learning to avoid engaging in behaviors that will result in punishment is called ________ training.

A) reconditioning
B) aversive
C) avoidance
D) modeling

Question 72

Each of the following is true of biofeedback except ________.

A) it can be used to help people control their brain waves
B) it does not work for everyone
C) learning biofeedback techniques is quick, simple, and easy
D) it has become a well-established treatment for a variety of medical problems

Question 73

When someone uses punishment to change a behavior, the probability of the behavior reoccurring is likely to ________.

A) decrease
B) increase
C) generalize
D) remain the same

Question 74

Which of the following statements is true?

A) The effectiveness of punishment depends solely on its force.
B) Punishment usually enhances the learning process.
C) Punishment should be applied intermittently.
D) Punishment does not always work.

Question 75

An operant conditioning technique in which a learner gains control over some physiological process is called ________.

A) preparedness
B) contingency training
C) biofeedback
D) social learning

Question 76

Superstitious behaviors are most commonly learned through ________.

A) subliminal learning
B) operant conditioning
C) vicarious learning
D) classical conditioning

Question 77

Oscar takes vitamins to prevent illnesses related to vitamin deficiencies. This is an example of ________.

A) shaping
B) classical conditioning
C) avoidance training
D) modeling

Question 78

College students faced with unsolvable problems eventually give up and make only half-hearted attempts to solve new problems, even when the new problems can be solved easily. This behavior is probably due to ________.

A) contingency blocking
B) response generalization
C) latent learning
D) learned helplessness

Question 79

Barbara suffers from tension headaches. Her doctor teaches her to control them by attaching an electronic device that emits a tone to her head. Even slight relaxation of her head muscles causes the tone to drop. By relaxing her head muscles, her headaches are relieved. This technique is known as ________.

A) contingency training
B) social learning
C) biofeedback
D) preparedness

Question 80

Research on the use of rewards to facilitate learning conducted by Eisenberger & Cameron (1996) and Selerta and colleagues (2008) indicates that ________.

A) linking rewards to learning reduces intrinsic motivation but not creativity
B) linking rewards to learning does not compromise either intrinsic motivation or creativity
C) linking rewards to learning reduces creativity but not intrinsic motivation
D) even when used properly, linking rewards to learning actually reduces intrinsic motivation and creativity